Shevuos 17b

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Shevuot 17b

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

Open Shevuos 17b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

A טמא in the מקדש, speeding up עבודה, entering in an unusual way, and the עשה of נדה with its two חטאות.

Overview

The גמרא first asks how a טמא could be liable for staying in the מקדש if he left by the shortest way. אביי answers that on his way out he turned over a limb on the מזבח with a fork, which counts as עבודה, like רב הונא's rule about a זר. Examining רב הונא's rule, the גמרא concludes that anything that speeds up an עבודה is itself an עבודה. Next, רבי אושעיא teaches that someone who enters a בית המנוגע backward stays טהור unless his whole body is inside, because the Torah only counts the normal way of entering. רבא explains that a person fully inside is טמא like the vessels in the house, and a ברייתא about a טמא entering the היכל through the roofs supports the rule. The גמרא then shows that our משנה's words 'זו היא' point back to a משנה in הוריות contrasting the מקדש with נדה. The example for נדה is a man who withdraws immediately, and אמוראים rule he brings two חטאות. רבה begins asking what case this could be, and his search continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (17)

1. ChallengeHow could this case ever happen?
2. Resolutionאביי: He turned a limb with a fork on the way out
3. StatementRestating רב הונא's rule to examine it
4. ChallengeEither it is obvious or he did nothing
5. ResolutionSpeeding up an עבודה is itself an עבודה
6. Statementרבי אושעיא: Entering a בית המנוגע Backward
7. ChallengeThe Feared Objection: Then a Whole Body Should Also Be Pure
8. Resolutionרבא: A Whole Person Is No Better Than the Vessels Inside
9. ProofA ברייתא Supports It: Entering the היכל Through the Roofs
10. QuestionWhat Does 'This Is' in the משנה Refer To?
11. ResponseIt Refers to the משנה in הוריות
12. ResponseThe rest of the משנה in הוריות: the מקדש versus נדה
13. ResponseOur משנה ties back to הוריות and defines the עשה of נדה
14. StatementWithdrawing immediately makes him liable for two חטאות
15. Questionרבה asks what case we are talking about
16. QuestionSuggesting it was near her expected time, and asking who the man is
17. ChallengeFor a תלמיד חכם, withdrawing would be on purpose