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Yevamos 6a

יבמות ו׳ ע״א

Yevamot 6a

Learn Yevamos 6a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Why כיבוד אב ואם and building the בית המקדש do not override even a light שבת לאו: they are only a הכשר מצוה, so the rule עשה דוחה לא תעשה still stands.

Overview

This amud asks where the rule עשה דוחה לא תעשה really comes from, and why some cases seem to point the other way. First the גמרא says a father's order to his son was only the light שבת לאו of driving a loaded animal (מחמר), and even so כיבוד אב ואם does not override it. That raises a challenge: then maybe an עשה never overrides a לאו. Saying that שבת is stricter does not help, because a ברייתא applies the same verse to lighter prohibitions, like a כהן becoming טמא or not returning a lost object. The answer is that driving the animal is only a הכשר מצוה, a preparation, and not the מצוה itself. The גמרא then runs the same steps with the building of the בית המקדש on שבת and gives the same answer. Since the lesson about הכשר מצוה already comes from the father's case, the גמרא asks what the verse 'keep My שבתות and revere My מקדש' is for. It answers that the verse teaches the right kind of awe for the מקדש, by comparing it to keeping שבת, and that comparison continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

לָאו דִּמְחַמֵּר,

It refers to the prohibition of driving a loaded animal,

וַאֲפִילּוּ הָכִי לָא דָּחֵי.

and even so, it does not override it.

אֶלָּא דְּקַיְימָא לַן

Rather than what we hold,

דְּאָתֵי עֲשֵׂה וְדָחֵי לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה,

that a positive commandment comes and overrides a prohibition,

The steps (16)

  1. RejectionEven the light prohibition of driving an animal is not overridden
  2. ChallengeWhy not learn that an עשה never overrides a לאו?
  3. ResolutionMaybe שבת prohibitions are special because they are stricter
  4. RejectionThe תנא treats all prohibitions the same way
  5. ProofThe ברייתא: do not obey a father who orders breaking any prohibition
  6. ResolutionThe father's case is only preparation for the מצוה
  7. ResolutionA new possible source: building the Temple
  8. ProofWithout the verse, building would override Shabbat
  9. RejectionThe ברייתא is only about driving a loaded animal
  10. ChallengeThen learn that a מצות עשה never overrides a לאו
  11. Rejectionשבת prohibitions are not considered special
  12. ProofThe ברייתא about a father's improper command
  13. ResolutionDriving the animal is only a הכשר מצוה
  14. ChallengeWhy not learn הכשר מצוה from the father case?
  15. ChallengeAgreed, so why is the פסוק about the מקדש needed?
  16. ResolutionThe פסוק teaches what kind of awe the מקדש deserves