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Taanis 27b

תענית כ״ז ע״ב

Taanit 27b

Learn Taanis 27b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The משמרות and מעמדות: rebuilding the watches, why they read מעשה בראשית, their fasts, and how the Sunday reading is divided between readers

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא about the כהנים who returned from Babylon. Only four of the 24 משמרות came back, so the נביאים divided them into 24 by lottery and ruled that ידעיה keeps first place even if יהויריב returns. The גמרא then asks why the מעמדות read מעשה בראשית. רב אסי answers that the world stands because of the מעמדות. He shows this through אברהם's conversation with הקב״ה about the קרבנות, and he adds that reading the סדר קרבנות counts as bringing them. A ברייתא describes the מעמד fasting Monday through Thursday, each day for a different group in need, but not on Friday or שבת out of כבוד שבת. Three אמוראים give reasons for not fasting on Sunday. Finally, the גמרא asks how two people can read the five פסוקים of בראשית. רב says the second reader repeats a פסוק, and שמואל says they split one. A ברייתא then challenges both of them, and the answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְחִלְּקוּם וְהֶעֱמִידוּם עַל עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה,

and they divided them and set them up as twenty-four,

בְּלָלוּם וּנְתָנוּם בְּקַלְפִּי.

they mixed them up and put them into a lottery box.

בָּא יְדַעְיָה וְנָטַל

Jedaiah came and drew

חֶלְקוֹ וְחֵלֶק חֲבֵרָיו שֵׁשׁ,

his own portion and his companions' portions, six in all,

The steps (30)

  1. StatementFour returning watches are split into twenty-four by lottery
  2. StatementThe prophets rule that Jedaiah keeps first place
  3. StatementThe משנה: Israelites of the watch read the Creation story
  4. QuestionWhere does this practice come from?
  5. ResponseHeaven and earth exist because of the watches
  6. ResponseAbraham asks whether his children will be destroyed for sinning
  7. ResponseGod hints at the sacrifices as the answer
  8. QuestionAbraham asks what happens when there is no Temple
  9. ResponseReading about the offerings counts like bringing them
  10. StatementWhat the priestly watch and the non-priestly watch did
  11. StatementWhat each fast day was for
  12. StatementNo fasting on Friday or Shabbat
  13. QuestionWhy no fast on Sunday?
  14. Responseרבי יוחנן: because of the Christians
  15. Responseרבי שמואל בר נחמני: the third day after creation
  16. Responseריש לקיש: The extra soul has just left
  17. StatementQuoting the משנה: The Sunday reading
  18. Statementברייתא: Two readers for בראשית, one for the firmament
  19. ChallengeFive verses cannot be split between two readers
  20. Resolutionרב: The second reader repeats a verse
  21. Resolutionשמואל: They split a verse in half
  22. QuestionWhy doesn't רב allow splitting?
  23. Responseרב: We may not split a verse משה did not split
  24. ChallengeChallenge to שמואל: Splitting was allowed only for schoolchildren
  25. Resolutionשמואל: Splitting is allowed when there is no other way
  26. QuestionWhy doesn't שמואל simply repeat a verse?
  27. ResponseRepeating could confuse people coming in or going out
  28. ChallengeA ברייתא about a five-verse paragraph
  29. ChallengeWhy doesn't the ברייתא repeat or split?
  30. ResolutionThe case there is different