Me’ilah 14b

מעילה י״ד ע״ב

Meilah 14b

Learn Me’ilah 14b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Building the מקדש with non-holy materials: the leftover incense and רב פפא's reason

Overview

The גמרא challenges the view that the בית המקדש building is first built with חול materials and made holy only afterward. It quotes a משנה from שקלים: leftover incense was redeemed onto the artisans' wages, given to them, and bought back with new-year money. If the building starts out חול, why not redeem the incense onto the building? The גמרא answers that the building work was not worth as much as the incense. It then asks why that matters, since שמואל says הקדש can be redeemed onto something worth only a פרוטה. The answer is that שמואל's rule works only בדיעבד, not לכתחלה. רב פפא then explains why the מקדש is built with חול materials: workers might sit or lean on the materials, and that would be מעילה if they were holy. A משנה about logs that are subject to מעילה seems to contradict him. He answers that the משנה is about logs meant for use that same day. The chapter ולד חטאת then ends.

Opening lines

The steps (12)

1. ChallengeQuoting the משנה about leftover incense
2. ChallengeWhy not redeem the incense onto the building?
3. ResolutionThere was no building project
4. ChallengeBut the משנה mentions artisans
5. ResolutionThe building was not worth enough
6. ChallengeCan't you redeem expensive הקדש onto something cheap?
7. Resolutionשמואל's rule only works after the fact
8. StatementWhy the מקדש was built with non-holy materials
9. ChallengeThe משנה about the logs bought by the treasurers
10. ChallengeWhy weren't the logs left חול too?
11. ResolutionLogs for later use stay unholy, but the משנה is about logs used the same day
12. ConclusionHadran: closing the chapter of ולד חטאת