Temurah 14b
תמורה י״ד ע״ב
Learn Temurah 14b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.
Open Temurah 14b in Gemara Clarity
Topic
Sending הלכות in writing, offering נסכים at night, and the offerings brought during the festival
Overview
The amud opens by finishing a ruling about מנחת נסכים. Nothing needs to be erased from the ברייתא, because one ברייתא speaks of נסכים brought with a זבח and the other of נסכים brought by themselves. The גמרא then asks how such a ruling could be sent in a letter at all, since רבי יוחנן and a פסוק teach that writing down הלכות is forbidden. The answer is that a new teaching may be different, based on 'עת לעשות לה׳': it is better to set aside one rule than to let the תורה be forgotten. Back on נסכים, רב פפא rules that נסכים brought by themselves may be made holy and offered at night, a ברייתא supports him, and רב אדא בר אהבה adds that dawn disqualifies them. Next comes רבי יוחנן's word-by-word reading of the פסוק about festival offerings, which adds required offerings of individuals, compares נסכים to שלמים, and includes שלמי נזיר. אביי objects that a נזיר's offering is voluntary, and the reply is to remove ״נזירות״ from his source. The גמרא challenges this from אבשלום, who went to pay his vow in חברון. It concludes that he really went there to sacrifice, since private altars were permitted, and then asks from when the 'forty years' in that פסוק are counted.
Opening lines
וְלָא תִּיסְמֵי ״מִנְחַת נְסָכִים״ מִמַּתְנִיתָא.
And he should not delete 'the meal offering of libations' from the baraita.
וְלָא קַשְׁיָא —
And it is not difficult:
כָּאן בִּנְסָכִים הַבָּאִין עִם הַזֶּבַח,
here, it is about libations that come with an animal offering,
כָּאן בִּנְסָכִים הַבָּאִין בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָן.
there, it is about libations that come by themselves.
The steps (32)
- ResolutionKeep the words in the ברייתא and split the cases instead
- ChallengeCould such a ruling even be sent in a letter?
- ProofA verse-based teaching against writing the oral words
- ProofThese you may write, but not הלכות
- ResolutionA new teaching may be different
- ProofReading a book of אגדה, based on 'עת לעשות לה׳'
- Statementנסכים brought by themselves may be made holy and offered at night
- ProofA ברייתא supports רב פפא
- StatementDawn makes these נסכים פסול, like אברים
- StatementThe first phrase: required festival offerings
- StatementVowed and voluntary offerings on חול המועד
- QuestionWhy does the פסוק add 'your burnt offerings'?
- ResponseIt means the עולה of a יולדת and of a מצורע
- QuestionWhy does the פסוק add 'your meal offerings'?
- ResponseIt means the מנחה of a סוטה
- Statementנסכים are compared to שלמים: only by day
- StatementThe extra word includes the נזיר's peace offering
- Challengeאביי suggests the פסח peace offering instead
- ProofFirst proof: only voluntary offerings go on a private altar
- ProofSecond proof: נזיר offerings go on a private altar
- ResolutionRemove the word ״נזירות״ from the source
- ChallengeIs a נזיר's offering really not voluntary? אבשלום went to חברון to pay his vow
- ResolutionNo, the vow itself was made in חברון
- ChallengeBut the vow was made in גשור, not חברון
- Resolutionאבשלום only went to חברון to bring sheep
- ProofSupport: he would not leave ירושלים to offer in חברון
- ChallengeThen the פסוק should say 'from חברון', not 'in חברון'
- ResolutionBack to the plain reading: he went to bring the offering
- ConclusionPrivate altars were permitted, so he could offer anywhere
- QuestionForty years counted from when?
- ResponseFrom when the people asked for a king
- ProofThat year was שמואל's tenth year