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Pesachim 94a

פסחים צ״ד ע״א

Learn Pesachim 94a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Who is deferred to פסח שני (טמא שרץ, דרך רחוקה), and the refutations of רבא's measurements of the twilight walk and of the size of the world.

Overview

This amud opens by settling an earlier difficulty. According to רב יהודה, a טמא שרץ is pushed off to פסח שני because the Torah's verse itself defers an impure person, even one who could be pure by nightfall. Next, a ברייתא teaches that being on a דרך רחוקה depends on where you stand, beyond or inside מודיעים, and not on whether you can actually reach ירושלים. רבא then says the world is 6,000 פרסאות and the רקיע is 1,000 פרסאות thick, basing the second figure on רבי יוחנן's teaching about how far a person walks in a day. A ברייתא of רבי יהודה shows that dawn and dusk are only 4 מילין each, which refutes רבא and עולא. רבי יוחנן is defended because he only gave the full-day total, and רבי חנינא is defended because the angels made לוט hurry. Then three sources refute רבא's 6,000-פרסה world size: the size of מצרים and כוש, רבי נתן's 'one star', and the sun crossing the inhabited world in one hour. A fourth challenge begins with רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's story of the בת קול answering נבוכדנצר, and it continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

לְרַב יְהוּדָה לָא קַשְׁיָא:

According to Rav Yehuda it is not difficult:

טְמֵא שֶׁרֶץ רַחֲמָנָא דַּחְיֵיהּ,

one impure from a creeping animal, the Torah deferred him,

דִּכְתִיב:

as it is written:

״אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יִהְיֶה טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ״,

"Any man who shall be impure due to a dead body,"

The steps (21)

  1. ResolutionThe Torah itself defers the impure person
  2. StatementBeyond מודיעים but able to arrive by riding
  3. StatementInside מודיעים but delayed by traffic
  4. StatementThe size of the world and the thickness of the sky
  5. Statementרבא's reasoning is built on רבי יוחנן's walking distances
  6. Challengeרבי יהודה says the firmament is only one-tenth of the day
  7. ConclusionA full refutation of רבא and עולא
  8. ChallengeIs רבי יוחנן refuted too?
  9. Resolutionרבי יוחנן only gave the full-day total
  10. ChallengeIs רבי חנינא refuted?
  11. ResolutionThe angels made לוט hurry
  12. Challengeמצרים, כוש, and the world: the measurements are far too big
  13. ConclusionThe first challenge is a real refutation
  14. Challengeרבי נתן: all inhabited land sits under one star
  15. ProofProof: the star stays above you wherever you walk
  16. ConclusionThe second challenge is also a real refutation
  17. ChallengeThe inhabited world is only one hour of the sun's path
  18. ProofProof: the sun is overhead for everyone in the same hour
  19. ConclusionThe third challenge is also a real refutation
  20. ChallengeA new challenge from the story of the boastful wicked king
  21. ProofThe heavenly voice begins its answer