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Temurah 25b

תמורה כ״ה ע״ב

Learn Temurah 25b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether a fetus can be held back from its mother (שיירו משוייר), רבי יוחנן's view and its reason, and changing one's mind when giving an animal a holy name.

Overview

The גמרא uses the rule that a freed slave's document and his power to receive it arrive together. From this it argues that a mother can acquire freedom for her fetus only if the fetus is part of her body. That leads to the conclusion that שיירו אינו משוייר, and רבי יוחנן is refuted. The גמרא then tries to show that שיירו משוייר is an argument between תנאים. It first brings the case of a freed pregnant שפחה, and then two ברייתות about a live fetus found inside a slaughtered חטאת. Each time it answers that everyone may agree, and the dispute is about something else: a special פסוק about slaves, when ולדי קדשים become holy, or which came first, the pregnancy or the consecration. רבא suggests רבי יוחנן's real reason might be אדם מתכפר בשבח הקדש. רב המנונא rejects this, because רבי יוחנן never gave that answer to his student רבי אלעזר. רב פפא explains that the משנה's ruling about changing one's mind is needed for a change within תוך כדי דיבור. A new משנה then has רבי מאיר and רבי יוסי argue about an animal given two names: the תמורה of an עולה and of a שלמים.

Opening lines

הַמְשַׁחְרֵר חֲצִי עַבְדּוֹ

One who frees half of his slave

יָצָא לְחֵירוּת,

he goes out to freedom (that half),

גִּיטּוֹ וְיָדוֹ בָּאִין כְּאֶחָת.

his document and his hand come at the same time.

וְאִי אָמְרַתְּ: שִׁיְּירוֹ מְשׁוּיָּיר,

And if you say: if he held it back, it is held back,

The steps (19)

  1. StatementFreeing half a slave: document and power arrive together
  2. ChallengeIf the fetus is separate, how can the mother receive its freedom?
  3. ConclusionConclusion: holding back does not work, so רבי יוחנן is refuted
  4. QuestionIs this question a dispute between תנאים?
  5. ChallengeHow does the פסוק help the חכמים?
  6. Resolutionרבא: the פסוק is really רבי יוסי הגלילי's source
  7. QuestionSuggesting that רבי יוסי הגלילי and the חכמים argue about שיירו משוייר
  8. RejectionEveryone may agree; רבי יוסי הגלילי relies on a פסוק
  9. ProofA different pair of תנאים: the first ברייתא on a fetus found in a חטאת
  10. ProofThe second ברייתא: the fetus may be eaten by anyone
  11. ProofThe two ברייתות seem to argue about holding back the fetus
  12. RejectionEveryone agrees the fetus can be held back; the argument is about when offspring become holy
  13. RejectionAnother answer: the two ברייתות describe different cases
  14. Challengeרבא questions the reason behind רבי יוחנן's ruling
  15. Resolutionרב המנונא: רבי יוחנן never gave that answer to his student
  16. ChallengeWhy does the משנה need to say a change of mind after the declaration does not help?
  17. Resolutionרב פפא: The case is a change of mind within תוך כדי דיבור
  18. StatementThe new משנה: two designations, and רבי מאיר says the first one wins
  19. Statementרבי יוסי: it depends on what he meant from the start