Taanis 9a

תענית ט׳ ע״א

Taanit 9a

Learn Taanis 9a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

מעשר and wealth, stories of ריש לקיש's son, and whether sustenance comes for one person

Overview

The amud opens with the דרשה that ״עשר תעשר״ means: give מעשר so that you become wealthy. In a story, רבי יוחנן teaches this to ריש לקיש's young son and tells him to go test it. When the boy objects that we may not test ה׳, רבי יוחנן answers from a פסוק in מלאכי that מעשר is the one exception. In a second story, the boy finds a hint in the תורה, from יוסף's brothers, for a פסוק in משלי, and his mother pulls him away from רבי יוחנן. The גמרא then brings רבי יוחנן's teaching that rain can come for one person, but sustenance comes only for the many. A ברייתא about the well, the clouds and the מן, given in the merit of מרים, אהרן and משה, seems to show sustenance coming for one person. The גמרא answers that משה asked for the many, so he counts like the many. The amud ends by starting a story about רבא's students and רב פפא.

Opening lines

The steps (32)

1. StatementGive a tenth so you will become rich
2. QuestionThe boy recites his פסוק and asks what it means
3. Responseרבי יוחנן explains: tithe so you become rich
4. QuestionThe boy asks: how do you know?
5. ResponseGo and test it
6. ChallengeBut we may not test ה׳
7. Resolutionמעשר is the one exception
8. QuestionWhat does ״עד בלי די״ mean?
9. ResponseYour lips will wear out from saying 'enough'
10. ConclusionThe boy: I could have learned it myself
11. StatementAnother story: the boy recites a verse about foolishness
12. QuestionWhere is this verse hinted in the תורה?
13. ResponseThe boy shows the hint from the brothers of יוסף
14. Conclusionרבי יוחנן stares, and the mother takes the boy away
15. StatementRain for one person, sustenance for the many
16. ProofProof that rain comes for one person
17. ProofProof that sustenance comes for the many
18. ChallengeChallenge: the מן came in the merit of משה alone
19. ProofWhen מרים died, the well disappeared
20. ProofWhen אהרן died, the clouds of glory disappeared
21. QuestionWhat news did the king hear?
22. ResponseHe heard that אהרן died and the clouds left
23. ProofThe פסוק 'All the congregation saw that אהרן died'
24. Statementרבי אבהו: read it as 'they were seen'
25. Proofריש לקיש: the word כי has four meanings
26. ProofWhen משה died, all the gifts left
27. ChallengeThey did not all die in one month
28. ResolutionThe three gifts ended in one month
29. ChallengeSo sustenance can come for one person
30. Resolutionמשה counts like the many
31. Statementרבא's students move to רב פפא
32. StatementThe students signal to each other, and רב פפא is hurt