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Sanhedrin 94a

סנהדרין צ״ד ע״א

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

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Topic

דניאל compared with חגי, זכריה and מלאכי; the hidden fear sensed by one's מזל and its remedies; and the closed ם in לםרבה, which hints that חזקיהו was meant to be the משיח

Overview

The amud opens by comparing דניאל with חגי, זכריה and מלאכי. They were נביאים, but only דניאל saw the vision. רבינא learns from their fear that when a person is frightened for no visible reason, his מזל has sensed something, and the גמרא gives remedies. Next, בר קפרא explains the closed ם in לםרבה: הקב״ה wanted to make חזקיהו the משיח, but מדת הדין objected because חזקיהו did not sing praise after his miracles. The earth sang in his place, but a בת קול answered 'My secret is Mine,' and the redemption was put off. The גמרא adds teachings about waiting through the night of exile, about the disgrace of not singing praise (חזקיהו, and משה with יתרו), and about the word ויחד. It then expounds ישעיהו 10:16: חזקיהו and סנחריב each had eight names. It also explains why סנחריב was honored for not speaking badly of ארץ ישראל, while the exiles did speak badly of it. Finally, it discusses how סנחריב's army was burned and begins comparing סנחריב with פרעה, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אִינְהוּ עֲדִיפִי מִינֵּיהּ,

They were greater than he,

וְאִיהוּ עֲדִיף מִנַּיְיהוּ.

and he was greater than they.

אִינְהוּ עֲדִיפִי מִינֵּיהּ –

They were greater than he —

דְּאִינְהוּ נְבִיאֵי, וְאִיהוּ לָאו נְבִיָּא.

for they were prophets, and he was not a prophet.

The steps (40)

  1. StatementWho was greater: דניאל or the three prophets?
  2. ChallengeIf they saw nothing, why were they scared?
  3. ResolutionTheir מזל saw it
  4. Statementרבינא: sudden fear means your מזל sees something
  5. QuestionWhat should a frightened person do?
  6. ResponseThree remedies for sudden fear
  7. QuestionWhy is there a closed ם in the middle of לםרבה?
  8. Responseה׳ wanted חזקיהו to be the משיח
  9. Challengeמדת הדין objects to making חזקיהו the משיח
  10. ResolutionThe earth offers to sing in חזקיהו's place
  11. RejectionThe request is turned down: 'My secret is Mine'
  12. QuestionThe prophet asks how long the exile will last
  13. ResponseUntil traitors and robbers come
  14. StatementThe prophecy about דומה, the angel over the spirits
  15. QuestionThe spirits ask דומה about the night
  16. ResponseMorning comes, if you return
  17. StatementA disgrace that חזקיה did not sing until the earth sang
  18. StatementA similar disgrace: משה and the people waited for יתרו to say ברוך
  19. Statementרב and שמואל argue about the meaning of ויחד יתרו
  20. Statementרב quotes a folk saying: do not insult gentiles in front of a convert
  21. QuestionWhat does במשמניו רזון mean?
  22. Responseחזקיה, with eight names, will punish סנחריב, who has eight names
  23. ProofThe source for חזקיה's eight names
  24. ChallengeIsn't חזקיה itself another name?
  25. Resolutionחזקיה is a description, not one of the counted names
  26. ProofThe list of סנחריב's eight names
  27. ChallengeIsn't סנחריב itself another name?
  28. Resolutionסנחריב is a description of his quarrelsome, arrogant speech
  29. StatementWhy סנחריב earned an honorable name
  30. StatementWas סנחריב clever or foolish?
  31. StatementWhy the clever view calls him clever
  32. ChallengeWhy the foolish view calls him foolish
  33. QuestionWhere were the tribes exiled to?
  34. ResponseTwo answers about the place of exile
  35. StatementThe exiles spoke badly about ארץ ישראל
  36. Statementרבי יוחנן: burned beneath his glory, not the glory itself
  37. ProofClothing is called 'glory'
  38. Statementרבי אלעזר: the actual glory, like בני אהרן
  39. ConclusionSoul burned, body left whole
  40. Statementפרעה blasphemed personally and was punished by ה׳ personally