Gemara Clarity

Nedarim 61b

נדרים ס״א ע״ב

Learn Nedarim 61b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Switching the names of רבי מאיר and רבי יוסי on a נדר 'until before פסח,' then a new משנה on how long נדרים tied to harvests and summer last.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing the גמרא's explanation of the argument about a נדר 'until before פסח': רבי מאיר holds a person does not put himself into doubt, and רבי יוסי holds he does. A משנה from קידושין about a father who betrothed 'my older daughter' seems to say the opposite, since there רבי מאיר is strict and רבי יוסי is lenient. רב answers that the names in our משנה must be switched, and a ברייתא backs this up. Then a new משנה teaches that a נדר 'until the harvest' lasts only until the harvest begins. It gives a rule: for a fixed date, 'until it arrives' means until it starts and 'until it will be' means until it ends, while for a time that is not fixed both mean until it starts. It also defines 'summer' as starting when people bring in fruit in baskets and ending when they put away their fig knives. The גמרא explains that the baskets are fig baskets, brings an argument over whether grapes count as 'summer fruit,' and teaches that summer ends once most people have put their knives away.

Opening lines

לִסְפֵיקָא, וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי סָבַר:

into doubt, and Rabbi Yosei holds:

מְעַיֵּיל אִינִישׁ נַפְשֵׁיהּ לִסְפֵיקָא.

a person does put himself into doubt?

וּרְמִינְהִי:

And they contradicted it:

מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי כִּיתֵּי בָנוֹת

One who has two groups of daughters

The steps (13)

  1. QuestionExplaining the argument as a dispute about putting oneself in doubt
  2. ChallengeA contradiction from the case of the betrothed older daughter: רבי מאיר's view
  3. ChallengeThe same case: רבי יוסי's lenient view
  4. Resolutionרב: switch the names in our משנה
  5. ProofA ברייתא supports the switch
  6. StatementA vow until the harvest lasts only until the harvest begins
  7. StatementThe rule for fixed and unfixed times
  8. StatementHow long a vow until summer lasts
  9. StatementThe baskets in the משנה hold figs, not grapes
  10. StatementAn argument over whether grapes count as summer fruit
  11. QuestionWhy does the first opinion limit summer fruit to figs
  12. ResponseFigs are cut by hand, and the question is whether ripe grapes are too
  13. StatementSummer ends when most people put away their fig knives