Kereisos 4a

כריתות ד׳ ע״א

Keritot 4a

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

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Topic

Speech as an action, and whether eating the חלב of an ox, a sheep and a goat brings separate מלקות and separate חטאות

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a discussion of whether moving the lips to speak (עקימת שפתיו) counts as an action. רבא explains that a מגדף and עדים זוממין are exceptions: blasphemy is mainly in the heart, and testimony is mainly about what the witnesses saw. The גמרא then turns to eating חלב. A ברייתא records that רבי ישמעאל makes a person liable separately for the fat of an ox, a sheep and a goat, while the חכמים say he is liable only once. Again and again the גמרא tries to show that some of the animal names are extra, and each time the רבנן show why every name is needed, partly with the help of רבי חנניא's teaching about the בכור. Finally, the גמרא explains the dispute as being about learning a plain לאו from a לאו with כרת, or about permitting the אליה of חולין. רבי חנינא adds that even רבי ישמעאל requires only one חטאת. Last, a ברייתא about two חטאות for 'two categories' of חלב in one העלם is explained by רב חסדא and then by רב ששת, and the scholars in ארץ ישראל mock רב ששת's answer.

Opening lines

The steps (47)

1. ChallengeShouldn't the blasphemer's speech count as an action?
2. ResolutionThe blasphemer is different because his sin is in the heart
3. ChallengeChallenge from conspiring witnesses
4. ResolutionConspiring witnesses are different because testimony is about seeing
5. StatementEating the fat of an ox, sheep and goat: once or three times?
6. QuestionSuggestion: they argue about a general prohibition
7. Rejectionרבי ישמעאל agrees about general prohibitions, but the verse has extra words
8. ResponseThe Rabbis say the animal names teach that wild-animal fat is permitted
9. ChallengeThe Rabbis' answer sounds convincing
10. Resolutionרבי ישמעאל's real reason: 'ox' alone would have been enough
11. ResponseThe Rabbis explain why 'ox' alone would not be enough
12. ResponseWhy 'ox' alone could have been misread
13. ChallengeThe Rabbis' answer is convincing again
14. ResolutionA new reason: 'sheep' or 'goat' alone would have been enough
15. ResponseThe Rabbis: 'sheep' alone would forbid only sheep
16. QuestionWhat makes sheep special?
17. ResponseSheep has the extra fat tail
18. Proofרבי חנניא's teaching about the אימורין of a בכור
19. ResponseOx alone is not enough because it gets more wine offerings
20. RejectionSheep alone is not enough because of its fat tail
21. RejectionGoat alone is not enough because of idol worship
22. ChallengeNew idea: write two animals and learn the third
23. RejectionOx cannot be learned from sheep and goat because of פסח
24. RejectionSheep cannot be learned from ox and goat
25. RejectionGoat cannot be learned from ox and sheep
26. ConclusionSo all three animals must be written
27. ChallengeThe חכמים answered רבי ישמעאל well
28. ResolutionBack to רבי ישמעאל's original reason
29. ChallengeIsn't the list there to permit חלב חיה?
30. ResolutionThe context of קדשים already excludes חיה
31. ChallengeDo the Rabbis reject learning from context?
32. ResolutionEveryone learns from context; the real dispute is about learning a לאו from a לאו
33. Resolutionרבי ישמעאל: the context excludes חיה, so the list splits the count
34. ResolutionLearning separate counts from the כרת verse
35. ConclusionThe Rabbis: a לאו is not learned from a לאו with כרת
36. ResolutionAnother reason for the Rabbis: the list of animals permits the fat tail
37. Resolutionרבי ישמעאל: the extra word 'goat' comes to split the count
38. Statementרבי חנינא: even רבי ישמעאל requires only one חטאת
39. ResponseWhy only one חטאת: this לאו is not like the לאוין of עריות
40. StatementA ברייתא: 'does one' and 'does them' make one חייב for each sin
41. StatementThe ברייתא's two cases of two sin offerings
42. ChallengeWhy two offerings with only one lapse of awareness?
43. Resolutionרב חסדא: the case is חלב of נותר
44. RejectionThen he should be liable for קודש too
45. Resolutionרב ששת: חלב of הקדש, following רבי יהודה
46. ProofThe ברייתא: רבי יהודה gives three sets of lashes
47. RejectionThe Scholars in the West Laugh at This Answer