Gemara Clarity

Me’ilah 17b

מעילה י״ז ע״ב

Meilah 17b

Learn Me’ilah 17b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Me’ilah 17b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The mission to Rome, and when different foods and kinds of טומאה join to reach a minimum amount

Overview

The amud finishes the story of the mission to Rome. רבי שמעון בן יוחאי is chosen because he is used to miracles, and רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי goes with him. On the way, רבי אלעזר answers a halachic question in front of his teacher, and רבי שמעון punishes him. A demon, בן תמליון, offers help and enters the emperor's daughter. רבי שמעון drives it out, and the grateful emperor lets the רבנן into his treasury, where they tear up the decree. The amud then turns to halacha with a new משנה: פיגול and נותר, and different sources of טומאה, do not join to reach a minimum amount. שמואל limits the rule about פיגול and נותר to טומאת ידים, because for eating one shared איסור covers both. A second משנה teaches that food at different levels of טומאה, and all foods or all liquids, do join for many standard amounts. רבא and רב אשי each explain why a ראשון and a שני join together.

Opening lines

יֵלֵךְ רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי,

Let Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai go,

שֶׁהוּא מְלוּמָּד בְּנִסִּים.

as he is used to miracles.

וְאַחֲרָיו מִי יֵלֵךְ?

And who will go after him?

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי.

Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Yosei.

The steps (21)

  1. StatementThe Sages pick who will go to Rome
  2. Challengeרבי יוסי objects to sending his son
  3. Resolutionרבי שמעון answers: I am risking my life too
  4. Statementרבי יוסי reveals his real fear
  5. Statementרבי שמעון promises, but punishes him anyway
  6. QuestionOn the road: the question about the blood of a שרץ
  7. Conclusionרבי שמעון praises him, then declares the punishment
  8. StatementA demon offers help and רבי שמעון cries
  9. StatementThe demon is driven out and the decree is torn up
  10. StatementLinking the story to the פרוכת seen in Rome
  11. StatementNew משנה: פיגול and נותר do not combine
  12. StatementDifferent sources of טומאה do not combine
  13. Statementשמואל limits the משנה to טומאת ידים
  14. ProofProof from רבי אליעזר: one prohibition covers all disqualified קדשים
  15. StatementFoods with different levels of טומאה join for the lighter level
  16. StatementAll foods join for the standard food amounts
  17. StatementAll liquids join for the standard drinking amounts
  18. Statementרבי שמעון explains why a ראשון and a שני join
  19. ChallengeChallenge: a שני cannot make a ראשון
  20. Resolutionרבא: The שני was caused by the ראשון
  21. Resolutionרב אשי: ראשון and שני are one household when it comes to a שלישי