Gemara Clarity

Horayos 4b

הוריות ד׳ ע״ב

Horayot 4b

Learn Horayos 4b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Horayos 4b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

When a בית דין is liable for a mistaken ruling: partial versus full cancellation, unfit judges, mistaken versus on-purpose actions, and how many קרבנות are brought.

Overview

A בית דין brings a קרבן for a mistaken ruling only when it cancels part of a מצוה and keeps part (ביטול מקצת וקיום מקצת), not when it uproots the whole מצוה (עקירת גוף). רב יוסף asks which of these applies to a ruling that permits all plowing on שבת. Three proofs from the משנה (שומרת יום כנגד יום, הוצאה, השתחויה) are each pushed away, so his question stays unresolved. רבי זירא asks about a ruling of 'no שבת in שביעית', and רבינא proves from a ברייתא about a false נביא that a time-limited cancellation counts as partial. A new משנה exempts the court if one judge objected, if the מופלא was absent, or if any judge was unfit, learned from the word 'עדה'. The גמרא gives the sources for these rules, ending with 'ונשאו אתך'. Another משנה sorts the cases by whether the court and the people acted by mistake or on purpose. An attempt to use it to answer רמי בר חמא's question is turned down. The amud ends with רבי מאיר and רבי יהודה disagreeing over whether one set of קרבנות is brought or one for each tribe.

Opening lines

בָּעֵי רַב יוֹסֵף:

Rav Yosef asked:

אֵין חֲרִישָׁה בְּשַׁבָּת, מַהוּ?

If the court ruled 'there is no prohibition of plowing on Shabbat', what is the law?

מִי אָמְרִינַן:

Do we say:

כֵּיוָן דְּקָא מוֹדוּ בְּכוּלְּהוּ מִלְּתָא,

since they agree about all the rest of the matter,

The steps (29)

  1. Questionרב יוסף asks about a ruling that plowing is permitted on שבת
  2. ProofAttempted proof from the case of a woman who watches a day for a day
  3. Rejectionרב יוסף: that case was already explained differently
  4. ProofSecond attempted proof from carrying out on Shabbat
  5. RejectionThe carrying case is also only a partial cancellation
  6. ProofA new proof from bowing to an idol
  7. RejectionBowing too is only a partial cancellation
  8. Questionרבי זירא asks about a ruling that there is no שבת in שביעית
  9. QuestionHow could the court make such a mistake?
  10. ResponseThe mistake came from misreading 'בחריש ובקציר תשבת'
  11. QuestionPartial cancellation or full uprooting?
  12. Proofרבינא's proof from the false prophet
  13. ConclusionThe proof is accepted
  14. StatementWhen the court is exempt despite a mistaken ruling
  15. ProofThe source: the word 'עדה'
  16. QuestionWhat is the source for the missing distinguished member?
  17. ResponseThey should have learned and did not
  18. QuestionWhere do we learn that all judges must be fit to rule?
  19. Response'With you' means similar to you
  20. ChallengeMaybe 'with you' is about the שכינה
  21. ResponseA better source: 'and they shall bear it with you'
  22. StatementNew משנה: mistaken or intentional ruling and action
  23. StatementAn inference from the משנה's last case
  24. QuestionWhat would such a case look like?
  25. ResponseThe case: confusing forbidden fat for permitted fat
  26. ProofCan this settle רמי בר חמא's question?
  27. RejectionThe clause only matches the first clause
  28. StatementNew משנה: רבי מאיר says the court brings the קרבן
  29. Statementרבי יהודה: each tribe brings its own קרבן