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Chullin 92a

חולין צ״ב ע״א

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Topic

Readings of יעקב's struggle, the steward's vine dream, ישראל as a vine, and the hidden צדיקים in הושע and זכריה

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier question: how can angels say 'ברוך כבוד ה׳' when ה׳'s name may only come after three words? The גמרא gives two answers. It then returns to יעקב wrestling the מלאך. פסוקים in בראשית show that יעקב won and the מלאך cried to him. רבה adds that the name ישראל hinted at two leaders, the ראש גולה and the נשיא, and so at a coming גלות. Next, many sages read the vine with three branches in the dream of פרעה's wine steward in different ways: Jewish leaders, angels, the אבות, the תורה, ירושלים, ה׳'s gifts, and the story of ישראל in מצרים. רב is reported to have followed רבי ירמיה בר אבא's reading. ריש לקיש compares the Jewish nation to a vine, and a saying from ארץ ישראל teaches that the scholars must pray for the simple people. Finally, a פסוק in הושע is read as hinting at 45 צדיקים who keep the world going: 30 in ארץ ישראל and 15 in בבל. Other sages read the 'thirty' as righteous non-Jews or as thirty מצוות of בני נח, and עולא's list of those מצוות continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

״בָּרוּךְ״ –

"Blessed"

אוֹפַנִּים הוּא דְּאָמְרִי לֵיהּ.

it is the ofanim who say it.

וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא:

And if you wish, say:

כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְיְהִיב רְשׁוּתָא, אִתְיְהִיב.

once permission has been given, it has been given.

The steps (26)

  1. ResolutionThe 'ברוך' praise is said by a different group of angels
  2. ResolutionOnce permission is given, it stays given
  3. Statementיעקב won over the מלאך
  4. StatementThe מלאך cried to יעקב
  5. StatementA hint of two future leaders, and of exile
  6. Statementרב: the three branches are three great leaders in every generation
  7. Statementרבא: the three branches are three angels who defend Israel
  8. Statementרבי אליעזר: the vine is the world and the branches are the אבות
  9. Challengeרבי יהושע objects: a dream shows the future, not the past
  10. Statementרבי יהושע: the vine is the תורה and the branches are משה, אהרן and מרים
  11. StatementThe vine as ירושלים and the מקדש
  12. StatementThe vine as ה׳'s gifts to ישראל
  13. StatementThe vine as ישראל and the שלשה רגלים
  14. StatementBlossoms as גאולה, grapes as מצרים's punishment
  15. Proofרבא: the three cups are three punishments of מצרים
  16. Proofרב read these verses the same way
  17. Statementריש לקיש: the Jewish nation is like a vine
  18. ProofThe scholars should pray for the simple people
  19. StatementThe word 'ואכרה' means 'I bought'
  20. StatementFifteen means ט״ו בניסן and silver means the righteous
  21. StatementThe barley measures stand for 45 righteous people
  22. QuestionWhich group of righteous people is where
  23. ResponseA פסוק in זכריה shows the thirty are in ארץ ישראל
  24. StatementMost of the fifteen in בבל are in one בית כנסת
  25. Statementרבי יהודה: the thirty are righteous people of the nations
  26. Statementעולא: the thirty are מצוות the בני נח accepted