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Yevamos 15b

יבמות ט״ו ע״ב

Yevamot 15b

Learn Yevamos 15b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Did בית שמאי act on their own rulings? Proofs from רבי יוחנן החורני's moist olives and from רבי יהושע's fear of ruling on צרת הבת.

Overview

This amud continues the גמרא's investigation into whether בית שמאי actually acted on their own rulings when they disagreed with בית הלל. It first finishes rejecting a proof about a widened water trough, since onlookers would think it was done just to get more water. Then it tells the story of רבי יוחנן החורני, a student of שמאי, who refused moist olives because he followed בית הלל's stricter rule about a barrel of olives needing a hole. The ברייתא praises him for always following בית הלל, and the גמרא reasons that this praise only makes sense if בית שמאי really did act on their own view. A second proof comes from רבי יהושע, who would not rule on צרת הבת because he was afraid. Instead he testified that great families descended from צרות produced כהנים גדולים. The גמרא explains that his fear makes sense: even though by his view the children of a צרה who did יבום are not ממזרים, they would still be פגום, as shown by a קל וחומר from an אלמנה married to a כהן גדול. Finally, the גמרא explains that רבי יהושע was really asked two questions, one about the צרות and one about their children. It begins matching his words to each question, and this continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

הָרוֹאֶה אוֹמֵר:

Someone watching would say:

לְאַפּוֹשֵׁי מַיָּא הוּא דְּקָא עָבֵיד.

it is to increase the water that he is doing it.

תָּא שְׁמַע, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר צָדוֹק:

Come and hear, as Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok said:

כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי לוֹמֵד תּוֹרָה

When I was learning Torah

The steps (20)

  1. RejectionWidening the trough proves nothing: onlookers would think it was for more water
  2. ProofA new source: רבי יוחנן החורני refuses moist olives
  3. ProofThe father's reply: the barrel had a hole that got plugged
  4. ProofThe משנה about barrels of preserved olives
  5. ProofThe teacher always followed בית הלל
  6. ProofHis praise proves that בית שמאי did act on their view
  7. Proofרבי יהושע is afraid to decide about צרת הבת
  8. Proofרבי יהושע testifies about two families from צרות
  9. ProofHis fear proves that בית שמאי acted on their view
  10. ChallengeEven if they acted, why would he be afraid?
  11. ChallengeBut רבי יהושע holds the children are not ממזרים
  12. ResolutionNot a ממזר, but still פגום
  13. ProofA קל וחומר from an אלמנה
  14. ChallengeAsked about צרות, answered about their children
  15. ResolutionHe was really asked two questions
  16. QuestionWhy does the second question matter?
  17. ResponseIt helps settle the child of a man who remarries his divorcée
  18. QuestionFirst side of the question: a קל וחומר says the child is flawed
  19. QuestionSecond side: the קל וחומר can be refuted
  20. Resolutionרבי יהושע's answer to the first question: I am afraid to rule on the צרות