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Gittin 68a

גיטין ס״ח ע״א

Learn Gittin 68a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רב ששת's escape from the servants, and how שלמה captured אשמדאי to find the שמיר

Overview

This amud finishes the story of רב ששת at the house of ריש גלותא. The hostile servants find his uneaten meat hidden in his scarf. רב ששת proves, using a rule of רב חסדא, that the meat came from a sick animal. The servants then hide a pit to trap him, but a warning snort from רב חסדא, a child's פסוק and his own suspicion help him avoid it. Next the גמרא explains a פסוק in קהלת about שלמה's luxuries, which in בבל was read as saying שלמה had demons. To build the בית המקדש without iron, שלמה needed the שמיר, and the demons sent him to אשמדאי, their king. בניהו tricks אשמדאי with wine, chains him with God's Name, and starts bringing him back. The story continues on the next amud at a widow's hut.

Opening lines

אִיגְּנִיב לַן כָּסָא דְכַסְפָּא!

A silver cup was stolen from us!

בַּהֲדֵי דְּקָא מְעַיְּינִי וְאָתוּ,

While they were checking and coming around,

אַשְׁכְּחוּהָ דִּכְרִוכָה בְּסוּדָרֵיהּ.

they found it wrapped in his scarf.

אָמְרִי לֵיהּ: חֲזִי מָר,

They said to him: See, Master,

The steps (24)

  1. StatementThe servants stage a theft and find the hidden meat
  2. ChallengeThe servants accuse רב ששת of insulting them
  3. Resolutionרב ששת explains that the meat tasted of a sick animal
  4. RejectionThe servants deny serving a white-spotted animal
  5. Proofרב ששת tells them to check the skin, based on רב חסדא's rule
  6. ConclusionThey check and find the spot
  7. StatementThe servants set a hidden pit as a trap
  8. StatementWarning signs lead רב ששת to avoid the pit
  9. Questionרב חסדא asks how רב ששת knew
  10. Responseרב ששת lists three clues
  11. StatementA verse in קהלת about שלמה's luxuries
  12. StatementTwo readings of 'שדה ושדות'
  13. Statementרבי יוחנן: 300 kinds of demons in שיחין
  14. QuestionWhy did שלמה need demons?
  15. ResponseThe בית המקדש had to be built without iron, so the חכמים point to the שמיר
  16. StatementWhere is the שמיר? Press the demons to find out
  17. StatementThe demons do not know and point to אשמדאי
  18. Questionשלמה asks where אשמדאי is
  19. ResponseWhere אשמדאי lives and his daily routine
  20. Statementשלמה equips בניהו for the mission
  21. Statementבניהו swaps the water for wine
  22. Statementאשמדאי resists the wine, then drinks and sleeps
  23. Statementבניהו chains אשמדאי with God's Name
  24. Statementאשמדאי knocks things down on the way, then reaches a widow's hut