Eruvin 13a

עירובין י״ג ע״א

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Topic

רבי עקיבא's view in the משנה about fixing a מבוי, the identity of the תלמיד as רבי מאיר, and the laws of קנקנתום ink and the סוטה scroll

Overview

The גמרא starts with רבי עקיבא's line in the משנה: בית שמאי and בית הלל argue about every מבוי, even a narrow one. It asks how this differs from the תנא קמא, and answers that they differ over רב אחלי's rule, though we do not know who holds which side. A ברייתא has רבי עקיבא say that the תלמיד, not רבי ישמעאל, made the statement, and that the הלכה follows him. Two answers explain this apparent contradiction: שמואל says it was only to sharpen the students, and רב נחמן בר יצחק says the wording was 'his words appear reasonable'. רבי יהושע בן לוי identifies the unnamed תלמיד as רבי מאיר, who served both רבי ישמעאל and רבי עקיבא. Two stories about רבי מאיר's קנקנתום ink disagree about the order of his teachers and about who forbade the ink. The order is resolved, but who forbade the ink stays an unanswered קשיא. The גמרא then discusses using קנקנתום everywhere except פרשת סוטה, and whether a סוטה passage may be erased from a ספר תורה. It ties this to a dispute about reusing one סוטה's scroll for another, but רב פפא and רב נחמן בר יצחק push back on that link. The amud ends as the גמרא begins a challenge to רבי אחי בר יאשיה from a משנה about a גט, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (24)

1. Statementרבי עקיבא says they argue in both cases
2. ChallengeIsn't רבי עקיבא the same as the תנא קמא?
3. ResolutionThey differ over רב אחלי's rule, but we don't know who holds which side
4. Statementברייתא: the student said it, and the הלכה follows him
5. ChallengeThe ברייתא contradicts itself
6. Resolutionרבי עקיבא praised the student only to sharpen his students
7. ResolutionThe original wording was 'his words appear correct'
8. StatementThe unnamed student is always רבי מאיר
9. ProofProof that רבי מאיר studied with both teachers
10. ChallengeA different version of רבי מאיר's story reverses the order of his teachers
11. Challengeרבי ישמעאל objects to putting קנקנתום in the ink
12. QuestionHow does רבי מאיר's reply answer רבי ישמעאל's warning?
13. Responseרבי מאיר means his ink protects even against a fly smudging a letter
14. ChallengeTwo contradictions between the two reports
15. ResolutionResolving the order of teachers
16. ConclusionThe question of who forbade the ink stays unresolved
17. Statementרבי מאיר's rule: קנקנתום is allowed in ink except for the סוטה passage
18. StatementA narrower version: only the סוטה scroll used in the מקדש
19. QuestionWhat practical difference is there between the two versions?
20. ResponseThe difference is erasing the passage from a ספר תורה
21. ProofThis matches an older dispute about reusing a סוטה scroll
22. Rejectionרב פפא: the תנא קמא might still allow using a ספר תורה
23. Rejectionרב נחמן בר יצחק: רבי אחי might still forbid using a ספר תורה
24. ChallengeStarting a challenge from the case of a divorce document