Me’ilah 7b

מעילה ז׳ ע״ב

Meilah 7b

Learn Me’ilah 7b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Me’ilah 7b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

רבי עקיבא's 'stolen answer' and רבי יוחנן's rebuttal of ריש לקיש; the משנה on how sprinkling the blood makes the laws of קדשי קדשים and קדשים קלים more lenient or more strict

Overview

The amud opens by finishing רבי עקיבא's קל וחומר. If sprinkling one חטאת's blood frees even the unfit partner animal from מעילה, it should surely free its own meat that left the עזרה. ריש לקיש, quoting רב אושעיא, calls this a 'stolen answer': the premise only holds when both animals were slaughtered together, and he argues the timing should not matter. רבי יוחנן challenges him with a case of two backup אשמות and עולא's rule about parts put on the altar too early. That case shows animals slaughtered one after the other count as separate bodies, and ריש לקיש is left silent. A new משנה then teaches that sprinkling the blood of קדשי קדשים is both lenient and strict, while for קדשים קלים it is only strict. The גמרא asks why the משנה's wording 'אין מועלין בבשר' seems to leave an איסור on meat that belongs to the כהנים or the owners. For קדשי קדשים it answers that the wording just matches the רישא. For קדשים קלים, רבי חנינא explains that the משנה is talking about meat that went out, following רבי עקיבא. He begins to explain that רבי עקיבא's 'sprinkling works' concerns the burning of such meat, and this continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (18)

1. Proofרבי עקיבא's premise: one sprinkling frees both animals
2. ProofThe קל וחומר: surely it frees its own meat
3. Challengeריש לקיש: רבי עקיבא's answer was deceptive
4. ChallengeWhy should the timing of the slaughter matter?
5. Challengeרבי יוחנן turns the question back on ריש לקיש with a case of two backup guilt offerings
6. Proofעולא's rule shows the two animals must be separate
7. Conclusionריש לקיש is silent and רבי יוחנן declares victory
8. StatementThe משנה's opening rule: sprinkling works both ways for most-sacred offerings, only strictly for lesser ones
9. StatementThe leniency for most-sacred offerings: after sprinkling, the meat is no longer subject to misuse
10. StatementThe stringency for most-sacred offerings: פיגול, נותר and טומאה apply to both parts
11. StatementFor lesser-sanctity offerings, sprinkling only makes things stricter
12. StatementAfter sprinkling, קדשים קלים carry פיגול, נותר and טמא, so sprinkling is all stringency
13. ChallengeWhy would there be any prohibition on meat that belongs to the כהן?
14. ResolutionThe wording just matches the first clause
15. StatementQuoting the סיפא about קדשים קלים to raise the same question
16. ChallengeIf the meat has no מעילה, is it still forbidden?
17. ResolutionThe משנה is talking about meat that went out, and it follows רבי עקיבא
18. StatementWhat רבי עקיבא means by 'sprinkling works' for meat that went out