Gemara Clarity

Shevuos 4b

שבועות ד׳ ע״ב

Shevuot 4b

Learn Shevuos 4b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shevuos 4b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

How we know רבי holds like רבי ישמעאל about ידיעות and like רבי עקיבא about past oaths, and whether רבי uses ריבויי ומיעוטי or כללי ופרטי

Overview

The גמרא finishes a ברייתא where רבי reads the פסוקים to require awareness before the sin and awareness after it. The doubled word ונעלם makes a person liable whether he forgot he was טמא or forgot the place was the מקדש, which is the view of רבי ישמעאל. The גמרא then asks how we know רבי holds like רבי עקיבא about oaths concerning the past, since he never says so. It answers with סברא, given in two versions. רבי עקיבא's view comes from the method of ריבויי ומיעוטי, and רבי uses that method too. To prove it, the גמרא brings the מחלוקת about redeeming a firstborn son. רבי excludes only documents, through ריבה ומיעט וריבה. The רבנן exclude land, slaves and documents, through כלל ופרט וכלל. Then רבינא challenges אמימר from the ברייתא about the awl, where רבי is said to use כללי ופרטי. That discussion continues on the next עמוד.

Opening lines

״וְנֶעְלַם״ – מִכְּלָל דְּיָדַע,

“And it was hidden” – this implies that he had known,

״וְהוּא יָדַע״ –

and then “and he knew” –

הֲרֵי כָּאן שְׁתֵּי יְדִיעוֹת.

so here there are two awarenesses.

אִם כֵּן, מָה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר:

If so, why does the verse say:

The steps (16)

  1. ProofThe verse implies two periods of awareness
  2. QuestionWhy does the Torah say 'and it was hidden' twice?
  3. ResponseLiable for forgetting the impurity or forgetting the Temple
  4. QuestionWhere do we see רבי's view on oaths?
  5. ResponseIt is based on logic
  6. QuestionAnother version of the question
  7. Responseרבי uses the same method as רבי עקיבא
  8. ProofThe ברייתא about redeeming a firstborn son
  9. QuestionWhy does רבי exclude only documents?
  10. Responseרבי reads the פסוק as include, limit, include
  11. ConclusionInclude, limit, include means almost everything is included
  12. ResponseThe רבנן read the same פסוק as general, detail, general
  13. ConclusionThe detail decides: only movable items with real value
  14. Challengeרבינא asks: does רבי really use this method?
  15. ProofThe awl ברייתא shows רבי using a detail to limit
  16. ProofThe known explanation: רבי uses כללי ופרטי