Kereisos 19a

כריתות י״ט ע״א

Keritot 19a

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Topic

Knowledge and liability for a חטאת: ספק ידיעה in טומאת מקדש, and a sinner who does not know which sin he did

Overview

The amud finishes a ברייתא about a person who walked on one of two paths, one טמא and one טהור, and then entered the מקדש. רבא explains that רבי שמעון's exemption even in the first case is about מקצת ידיעה, partial knowledge. In the case where he became pure in between, the גמרא asks why he is liable without real ידיעה. ריש לקיש says the ברייתא follows רבי ישמעאל, who does not require ידיעה בתחלה. רבי יוחנן says that even the רבנן agree, because for טומאה, ספק ידיעה counts as ידיעה. The גמרא settles the apparent contradictions in both sages: רבי יוחנן's rule applies only to טומאה because of the wording 'ונעלם ממנו', and ריש לקיש chose רבי ישמעאל to teach that רבי ישמעאל rejects ידיעה בתחלה completely. A new משנה then brings cases where a person surely sinned but does not know which sin he did. רבי אליעזר obligates a חטאת, and רבי יהושע exempts, and several תנאים limit where this argument applies. The גמרא brings רבי אליעזר's 'מה נפשך' reasoning and רבי יהושע's proof from 'אשר חטא בה'. רבי אליעזר uses that word only to exclude a מתעסק.

Opening lines

The steps (29)

1. Statementרבי שמעון's opinion and רבי שמעון בן יהודה's report
2. ChallengeEven in the first case?
3. Resolutionרבא: he forgot the first path
4. ResolutionThe dispute: does partial knowledge count?
5. StatementBack to the middle case: pure in between, still liable
6. ChallengeWhy liable without knowledge?
7. Resolutionריש לקיש: this follows רבי ישמעאל
8. Resolutionרבי יוחנן: even the רבנן, since doubtful knowledge counted here
9. Challengeרבי יוחנן seems to contradict himself
10. Challengeריש לקיש seems to contradict himself too
11. Resolutionרבי יוחנן's rule applies only here
12. ResolutionWhy טומאה is different: the wording of the פסוקים
13. ChallengeWhy didn't ריש לקיש place the ברייתא with רבי?
14. ResolutionHe wanted to teach about רבי ישמעאל
15. ChallengeA משנה already teaches this
16. ResolutionMaybe he had a tradition instead of a פסוק
17. StatementNew משנה: he sinned but doesn't know which sin
18. StatementNo argument about work done at twilight
19. StatementWhere the argument really is
20. StatementExempt even from an אשם תלוי
21. StatementOnly two categories bring the argument
22. StatementMeant to pick one fruit and picked another
23. ChallengeDoes רבי יהושע really exempt here?
24. ChallengeThen what does 'אשר חטא בה' exclude?
25. ResolutionIt excludes a מתעסק
26. Statementרבי אליעזר: Either way he sinned, so he is liable
27. Rejectionרבי יהושע: He must know which sin he did
28. QuestionWhat does רבי אליעזר do with the word 'in it'?
29. Responseרבי אליעזר uses the word to exclude a מתעסק