Gemara Clarity

Gittin 60a

גיטין ס׳ ע״א

Learn Gittin 60a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Who is called to the Torah; reading from a חומש or a הפטרות scroll; writing a partial Torah scroll; whether the Torah was given scroll by scroll or complete.

Overview

This amud first finishes a question about who is called to the Torah after the כהן, לוי, and ישראל. רבי יצחק נפחא gives a ranked list that starts with תלמידי חכמים who lead the community. Next comes a question: may the public reading be done from a חומש, a scroll with only one book? A proof from a ספר תורה missing one sheet is rejected, but רבה and רב יוסף still forbid it because of כבוד צבור. They also forbid reading from a scroll of only הפטרות. The גמרא rejects that ban and allows such a scroll, using the rule of עת לעשות לה׳, the same rule that allowed writing down אגדה. אביי then asks whether one may write a single Torah section for a child. רבה says no, and the גמרא defends this against challenges from הילני המלכה's golden tablet. Finally the גמרא shows the question is a dispute of תנאים. It brings רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש, who disagree whether the Torah was given scroll by scroll or all at once. It ends by starting רבי לוי's list of eight sections said on the day the משכן was set up, and that list continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

מִי קוֹרְאִין?

who reads?

לָא הֲוָה בִּידֵיהּ.

It was not in his hand.

אֲתָא וְשַׁיְילֵיהּ לְרַבִּי יִצְחָק נַפָּחָא,

He came and asked Rabbi Yitzchak Nappacha;

אָמַר לֵיהּ:

he said to him:

The steps (32)

  1. QuestionWho is called up next, and no answer is ready
  2. Responseרבי יצחק נפחא gives the ranked order
  3. QuestionMay one read in shul from a single-book scroll?
  4. ProofProof from a ספר תורה missing one sheet
  5. RejectionThe proof does not work: a missing sheet is different
  6. StatementNo reading from חומשים, out of respect for the community
  7. StatementNo reading on שבת from a scroll of only הפטרות
  8. QuestionAsking for the reason
  9. ResponseBecause such a scroll should not be written
  10. Statementמר בר רב אשי: even moving the scroll is forbidden
  11. RejectionThe scroll may be moved and read
  12. ProofProof from the book of אגדה and עת לעשות לה׳
  13. Questionאביי asks: may one write a single section for a child?
  14. QuestionThe question applies under both views of how the Torah was given
  15. QuestionThe two sides under the view that the Torah was given scroll by scroll
  16. QuestionThe question also applies if the Torah was given all at once
  17. Responseרבה rules that a partial scroll may not be written
  18. ChallengeChallenge from the golden tablet with the סוטה section
  19. ResolutionThe tablet had only first letters
  20. ChallengeChallenge: the writer copies what is written on the tablet
  21. ResolutionRead it as 'like what is written'
  22. ChallengeChallenge: the tablet contained full words
  23. ResolutionThe tablet alternated full words and first letters
  24. StatementThe question is already a dispute among תנאים
  25. Statementרבי יוחנן: the Torah was given scroll by scroll
  26. Statementריש לקיש: the Torah was given as one complete book
  27. ChallengeHow does רבי יוחנן explain 'Take this book'?
  28. ResolutionThat was after the scrolls were joined
  29. ChallengeHow does ריש לקיש explain 'the scroll of a book'?
  30. ResolutionThe whole Torah can be called a scroll
  31. ResolutionA second way for ריש לקיש to explain the 'scroll' פסוק
  32. Statementרבי לוי: eight sections were said on the day the משכן was set up