Gemara Clarity

Chullin 94b

חולין צ״ד ע״ב

Learn Chullin 94b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Chullin 94b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Which kind of town (announcing non-kosher sales or not) the ברייתא is set in, how the announcement is worded, and why letting someone mislead himself is not deception

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא about sending meat to a גוי and then asks what kind of town it describes. In some towns, Jewish butchers announce every time they sell non-kosher meat to a גוי. In other towns, they don't. The first and last clauses of the ברייתא seem to fit only a town that does not announce. The middle clause, which worries that a גוי will resell נבלות to a Jew, seems to fit only a town that does announce. אביי accepts that the clauses are set in different kinds of town. רבא puts them all in an announcing town and splits them by whether an announcement was actually made. רב אשי puts them all in a non-announcing town and explains the middle clause as a גזירה, in case a Jew sees the sale. The גמרא then gives the wording of the announcement, 'meat has fallen to the soldiers,' and explains that this is not deceiving the גוים, because they deceive themselves. A story about מר זוטרא, רבא and רב ספרא supports this idea. The amud ends as a new story about a butcher begins, and it continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אֶחָד מִפְּנֵי הָאַנָּסִין,

One, because of the oppressors,

וְאֶחָד שֶׁמָּא מוֹכְרִין לוֹ

and one, lest they sell him

נְבֵלוֹת וּטְרֵפוֹת.

carcasses and טרפות.

אָמַר מָר: וּבְגוֹי,

The master said: And with a gentile,

The steps (23)

  1. StatementEnd of the ברייתא: two reasons for the last rule
  2. QuestionQuoting the line about a thigh sent to a גוי, and asking what case it describes
  3. ChallengeIt can't be a place that announces
  4. ResolutionSo it must be a place that does not announce
  5. ChallengeThe middle clause doesn't fit a place that doesn't announce
  6. ConclusionSo the middle clause must be a place that announces
  7. ChallengeThe last clause cannot be about a town that announces
  8. ChallengeThe three clauses seem split between two kinds of town
  9. Resolutionאביי accepts the split
  10. Resolutionרבא sets the whole ברייתא in an announcing town
  11. Resolutionרב אשי: The whole ברייתא is about a town that does not announce
  12. QuestionHow exactly is the announcement made?
  13. ResponseThe announcement: 'Meat has fallen to the soldiers'
  14. ChallengeWhy not say plainly that it is a טרפה?
  15. ResolutionThe גוים would not buy it
  16. ChallengeIsn't this tricking the גוים?
  17. ResolutionThey deceive themselves
  18. Proofמר זוטרא thinks the רבנן came out to greet him
  19. Statementרב ספרא tells the truth: we did not know you were coming
  20. Challengeרבא objects: why did you hurt his feelings?
  21. Resolutionרב ספרא answers: otherwise we would be misleading him
  22. Conclusionרבא's reply: he would have misled himself
  23. StatementA new case begins: a butcher speaks to his friend