BS”D

Sukkah 45b

Mar-Cheshvon 28, 5783. November 22, 2022

1 – We began with the Gemara that follows the Mishna where it identifies a particular area (Kalania or Motza) right outside Yerushalayim that was designated as (what is called today) a ‘Free Zone’. Meaning that goods that enter this assigned zone are exempt from taxes. 

We mentioned the famous tragedy of the plane that a terrorist bomb blew up that was carrying many Jewish people that travelled regularly to a Free Zone in Panama. Interestingly, this Free Zone city is also called Colon! 

“Most of the 21 people killed were Jewish businessmen operating in Panama’s Colon Free Trade Zone”. 

Alas Chiricanas Airlines Flight 00901

See here. Here. Here. 

הי”ד.

2 – The Gemara describes the long ערבות that were placed at the side of the מזבח and ‘hovered’ ‘a full אמה over the top’. Being they were 11 Amos in length, they were placed on top of the יסוד to accomplish this overhang of 1 אמה. 

1 + 5 + 3 = 9. Plus 2 to create the overhang. Due to the horizontal angle of the ערבות it needed to be placed on the יסוד. 

 

3 – The Gemara continues with various explanation of the פסוק 

.״אִסְרוּ חַג בַּעֲבוֹתִים עַד קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״

One is: 

כׇּל הָעוֹשֶׂה אִיסּוּר לֶחָג בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ בָּנָה מִזְבֵּחַ וְהִקְרִיב עָלָיו קׇרְבָּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אִסְרוּ חַג בַּעֲבוֹתִים עַד קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״.

Rashi, in his first explanation says that the Gemara is referring to the eating and drinking on Yom Tov. Meaning to say that one should ensure that the Yom Tov is enjoyed in a festive was by eating and drinking. 

The Maharshah wonders, if it means just consuming food, then how does the word אסרו, which generally means binding, constraining or limiting, fit in. 

He suggests that it refers to the constraint of not over indulging and getting too drunk!  

לפרש”י לשון איסור לא ידעתי לפרש. ולולי פירושו נראה דאיסור כמשמעו שעושה לו איסור וגדר במצות אכילה ושתיה בחג דהיינו שלא לאכול אכילה גסה ושלא ישתכר יותר מדאי שאינו לש”ש והרי אותו מותר שלא אכל ושתה נחשב לו כאילו בנה מזבח והקריב עליו קרבן 

4 – In this context we mention the jousting of last week that Tosfos writes that if it is done בדרך שמחה, damages that unintentionally occur, are not considered גזילה.

We spoke about the רמ”א in the laws of Purim OC 695, 2 that quotes some opinions that say concerning damage cause during the festivities of Purim פטור לשלם! 

5 – דרך גדולתן. 

This is a general concept that one needs to hold the ד’ מינים in a upright position ‘as they grew’. 

Points discussed. 

a – Rashi mentions the Lulav Aravos and Hadasim. He omits the Esrog! 

b- The Halachah is that the Esrog too needs to be held with the פיטום on the top. When one sees an Esrog tree the פיטום is actually facing down, towards the ground. 

Here is the reason we hold it Pitum up. 

:שולחן ערוך > אורח חיים חלק ד > הלכות לולב

ב כל ארבעה מינים הללו צריך ליטלן דרך גדילתןמט דהיינו שיהא ראשיהם למעלה ועיקריהם למטהנ ואם הפכן בשעה שנטלן לא יצא ידי חובתו בנטילה זונא והאתרוג אע”פ שהוא תלוי באילן עוקצו למעלה מכל מקום דרך גדילתו נקרא עוקצו למטהנב וצריך ליזהר מאד בהדס שבא ממרחקים להתיר אגודתו ולראות אם מונח כתיקונו דלפעמים נותנים ראשו של בד זה בצד עיקרו של בד זה וגם לפעמים כופפין ראשי הבדיןנג:

c – We mentioned in the past what to do in the Southern Hemisphere. 

d – What about the walls of the Sukkah? Do they need to be, if made of wood, ‘upright’? 

We discussed the Tur OC 631 who says there is no requirement to do so despite some מדקדקים. 

See the Bach here.

6- We continued from last week’s shiur about the שם ע”ב. 

 

BS”D

Sukkah 44b – 45a

Mar-Cheshvan 20, 5783. November 15, 2022

1- We discussed the story concerning the righteous fellow that asked Reb Elazar that villagers come and hoe his vineyard during Shmittah and eat from the olive grove. Meaning that he is using grapes of Shmittah to pay for their work on the olive trees. לכם לאכלה ולא לסחורה. 

Is it appropriate or inappropriate?

When he was told not to do it, he left immediately and received praise from Reb Elazar. 

“I have resided in this land for forty years and I have not seen a person walk in a path as straight as this man does”. 

What was so great about this man? He heard a פסק דין and left. How does that reflect on his greatness? 

The ערוך לנר  suggests that the fact that this person left immediately, without even saying the appropriate goodbye, shows his concern for the workers on his property. He hurried to tell them to stop taking olives as payment so as not to transgress the prohibition of doing ‘business’ with פירות שביעית. 

2 – We had an issue about the next instructions given to this fellow:

Declare the olives ownerless for the poor  (be מפקיר), and pay perutot coins (cash) to the laborers as payment to hoe the grapes groves.

There is a Mitzvah for everyone to be מפקיר his produce at the beginning of Shmittah So why did this fellow need to do it again? 

In passing we mentioned the famous argument 450 or so years ago between Reb Yosef Karo and the Mabit – Reb Moshe di Trani:  Is this הפקר is an active commandment and happens only when one is actually מפקיר, or if it happens automatically. The difference is if one did not do it – is it הפקר or not?  Also – in the case of a field of a goy. 

See here if the obligation to be מפקיר applies just on the produce or on the actual field itself. 

3- Based on the next piece of Gemara, we mentioned the Halachah (OC 249) that one is not allowed to begin a journey on Friday morning that will take more than 4 hours or so. 

The reason is that by limiting the journey’s time, we are ensuring that his arrival at his destination to allow him enough time (the balance of ⅔ of the day) to prepare for the Shabbos meal. 

If he leaves early in the morning and travels just 4 +- hours, the day will still have plenty of hours (8 +-) for Shabbos preparation. 

ראה הצ”ע בערוך לנר 

כסא דהרסנא

The concern is that people need to be prepare for the Shabbos meal. Thus, when he arrives at his destination late on Friday he will not have time or ingredients to cook for Shabbos. 

That would apply even if one is returning from a trip and heading to his own home! 

The reason is that perhaps his wife and children don’t have or didn’t prepare enough food to feed him. His arrival and the lack of food for him, will cause strife in his home. “Tatty, why didn’t you tell us you’re coming home”……..

However, there are exceptions to this rule and in general this Halachah does not apply today since BH, we are blessed with an abundance of food and the arrival of one more person will not cause anyone to go hungry. 

Mentioned the story of Reb Yisroel Labkowski, a true ירא שמים, who packed חלות and wine when he left the mountains to Crown Heights late one Friday afternoon.  

R. Yisroel, 2nd from L., 

4- We came across the two rows of benches that surrounded the בית המקדש and the cover above them. Since one could not carry his Lulav on Shabbos, people would bring them on Friday and place them on these benches. 

5- Daf 45a. Famous for (probably) being the only place in Sha”s that Rashi writes something of קבלה. 

The Mishnah says:

דֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְרָאשֵׁיהֶן כְּפוּפִין עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ. בְּכׇל יוֹם מַקִּיפִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ פַּעַם אַחַת וְאוֹמְרִים: ״אָנָּא ה׳ הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, אָנָּא ה׳ הַצְלִיחָה נָּא״. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: ״אֲנִי וָהוּ הוֹשִׁיעָה נָא״.

Now what does אֲנִי וָהוּ mean? 

We discussed the opinion of Rashi, Tosfos and the Rambam.

Rashi: 

אני והו – בגימטריא אנא ה’

ועוד משבעים ושתים שמות הן הנקובים בשלש מקראות הסמוכין בפרשת ויהי בשלח ויסע וגו’ ויבא בין מחנה ויט משה את ידו ושלשתן בני שבעים ושתים אותיות ומהן שם המפורש אות ראשונה של פסוק ראשון ואחרונה של אמצעי וראשונה של אחרון וכן בזה הסדר כולן השם הראשון והו וי”ו של ויסע ה”א דכל הלילה וי”ו דויט ושם השלשים ושבע הוא אני אל”ף דמאחריהם ונו”ן ראשון דהענן בחשבון של מפרע ויו”ד דרוח קדים:

Rashi is saying that אֲנִי וָהוּ symbolizes Hashem’s name that contains 72 letters. 

We know it as שם ע”ב. 

He goes on to explain at length the basis of this 72 lettered name and the אֲנִי וָהוּ. 

This is a very deep and wide topic as explained in קבלה, חסידות and the works of Reb Levi’k. In the next few shiurim we will bl”n try to add more to this interesting phenomenon. 

• Why the right to left, left to right and finally right to left again.
• Why אני (box 37) before והו (box 1).
• Why no letter גימל in the 3 פסוקים.
• בכן which equals 72 . Said 3 times on ראש השנה ויוה”כ correspond to the 3 פסוקים with 72 letters.
• What about the בכן? Rebbe’s heart rending Sicha Purim תשי”א.
• More.

אני והו

רש”י

שמות יד, יט – כא

וַיִּסַּ֞ע מַלְאַ֣ךְ הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים הַהֹלֵךְ֙ לִפְנֵי֙ מַחֲנֵ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּסַּ֞ע עַמּ֤וּד הֶֽעָנָן֙ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

The messenger of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them.

  וַיָּבֹ֞א בֵּ֣ין מַחֲנֵ֣ה מִצְרַ֗יִם וּבֵין֙ מַחֲנֵ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיְהִ֤י הֶֽעָנָן֙ וְהַחֹ֔שֶׁךְ וַיָּ֖אֶר אֶת־הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְלֹא־קָרַ֥ב זֶ֛ה אֶל־זֶ֖ה כׇּל־הַלָּֽיְלָה׃

And it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night.

וַיֵּ֨ט מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶת־יָדוֹ֮ עַל־הַיָּם֒ וַיּ֣וֹלֶךְ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֶת־הַ֠יָּ֠ם בְּר֨וּחַ קָדִ֤ים עַזָּה֙ כׇּל־הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־הַיָּ֖ם לֶחָרָבָ֑ה וַיִּבָּקְע֖וּ הַמָּֽיִם 

Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and Hashem drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split.

זוהר שמות ע’ ע”ר

Tosfos and the Ramban have a different explanation to the meaning of אֲנִי וָהוּ. 

תוספות

יחזקאל א, א

וַיְהִ֣י בִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה בָּֽרְבִיעִי֙ בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ וַאֲנִ֥י בְתֽוֹךְ־הַגּוֹלָ֖ה עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָ֑ר נִפְתְּחוּ֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וָאֶרְאֶ֖ה מַרְא֥וֹת אֱלֹהִֽים׃

In the thirtieth year on the fifth day of the fourth month, when I was in the community of exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.

ירמיהו מ, א

הַדָּבָ֞ר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֤ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה  אַחַ֣ר שַׁלַּ֣ח אֹת֗וֹ נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֛ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֖ים מִן־הָרָמָ֑ה בְּקַחְתּ֣וֹ אֹת֗וֹ וְהֽוּא־אָס֤וּר בָּֽאזִקִּים֙  בְּת֨וֹךְ כׇּל־גָּל֤וּת יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה הַמֻּגְלִ֖ים בָּבֶֽלָה׃

 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, set him free at Ramah, to which he had taken him, bonded in chains, among those from Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

רמב”ם

דברים לב, לט

 עַתָּ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י אֲנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין אֱלֹהִ֖ים עִמָּדִ֑י  אֲנִ֧י אָמִ֣ית וַאֲחַיֶּ֗ה מָחַ֙צְתִּי֙ וַאֲנִ֣י אֶרְפָּ֔א  וְאֵ֥ין מִיָּדִ֖י מַצִּֽיל׃   רְא֣וּ

 See, then, that I, I am the One  There is no god beside Me I deal death and give life

I caused a wound and I will heal.  None can deliver from My hand.

6- The Mishnah concludes that as soon as the הושענא process was completed the adults  ‘grabbed the Esrogim from the children’s hands and bit into them!’

Rashi explains that there is no issue with גזילה here since it was done as part of the festivities. 

Tosfos derives from רש”י that this concept is not limited to הושענא רבה but to other occasions as well. When being joyous and playful the laws of גזילה and מזיק do not apply. 

As an example they bring the custom (apparently popular at the time) of entertaining a חתן by jousting, obviously in a theatrical manner. Despite clothes being torn and damage to the horses , there was no concern for the גזילה that seemed to happen. . .

 ומסיימין בטוב.

 

 

 

 

BS”D

Sukkah 44b

Mar-Cheshvan 14, 5783. November 8, 2022

1- We continued the topic of the ערבה used on הושענא רבה. 

The Gemara mentions an opinion that even one ערבה is sufficient. The Halachah is to use 1 (OC 664, 4) and the אריז”ל says to use 5. 

We mentioned the  מנהג to circle the Bimah with the ערבה in addition to the לולב. 

Although there is no requirement of הדר, Rashi mentions that they should be ארוכים ויפים -long and pretty.

2- As mentioned in previous shiurim, the גמרא is unsure about the origins of shaking and/or beating the  ערבה on הושענא רבה. 

Is it a תקנת נביאים or מנהג נביאים?

The practical difference –  if it is a forceful  תקנה, then a ברכה is said on the הושענות. If it is merely a מנהג, no ברכה is said, since we cannot say  – אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו, meaning –  we were commanded. 

Rashi adds on the previous page, that even לא תסור, the general Torah  directive to follow what the חכמים enact, does not apply on a מנהג!  

מנהג – הנהיגו את העם ולא תקנו להם ונפקא מינה דלא בעיא ברכה דליכא למימר וצונו דאפילו בכלל לא תסור ליתא:

3- We suggested to characterize 3 types of תקנות of the חכמים. 

1 – מצוות דרבנן.  Such as Chanukah and הדלקת נר שבת. 

2 – תקנת נביאים or מנהגים.  Such as observing the 2nd day of Yom Tov, despite the definitive calendar we follow.  מנהג אבותיכם בידכם. 

3 – מנהגים. Either by the חכמים or an ‘accepted’ custom followed by large portions of כלל ישראל. Such as the ערבה/הושענות as is the גמרא’s conclusion.

As to the first two, a ברכה is indeed made. Chanukah, הדלקת נר שבת and 2nd day Yom Tov. At the 3rd level no ברכה is made. 

The גמרא quotes stories of Reb  אלעזר and Rav who didn’t say a ברכה  on the Hoshainos since it is ‘only’ מנהג . 

4- The big issues are concerning certain Minhagim as to what category they belong to,  which would result in a ברכה or not. 

The most famous one, as we learnt in the Tosfos on our Daf, is saying half הלל on Rosh Chodesh. 

Tosfos says that הלל on Rosh Chodesh in undoubtedly only a Minhag, so no ברכה should be said.

That is the הלכה in Shulchan Aruch. “And some say not to say a ברכה even in a ציבור and that is the opinion of the Ramabam and the custom in ארץ ישראל and environs. 

Rabbeinu Tam however says one should indeed say a Brocho for הלל on  Rosh Chodesh. He argues that although הלל is ‘only’ a  מנהג, one cannot compare it to הושענות since הושעות is ‘merely waving it’. Meaning a light  מנהג in comparison to saying הלל. 

His proof is from the ברכות on the second day of Yom Tov. (Rabbeinu Tam places them in category #3 above). ‘It is only a מנהג, and yet we say ברכות’. 

We discussed the question of רבי עקיבא איגר and the חתם סופר. 

Gilyon Hashas:

תוס’ ד”ה כאן במקדש וכו’ וב’ ימים טובים של גליות אין בהן וצונו. וקשה לי דמ”מ יקשה מברכת על אכילת מצה ועל אכילת מרור בליל ב’ דפסח, ואולי יש לחלק בין נוסח ברכה בלשון לעשות כן ובין נוסח בלשון על. אח”ז מצאתי שהקשה כן הר”ן עיין בט”ז או״ח סי’ ח’ ס”ק ו

5- As to the Chabad Minhag that has changed back and forth, the final custom is as the Rebbe said in 1981 to always say the ברכה. 

See here for the history of the Minhag according to Chabad:

ב’היום יום’ א’ טבת⁶ נדפס⁷: “נוהגים אשר היחיד מברך – בהלל – תחילה וסוף גם בימים שאין גומרים בהם את ההלל”

בברכה שאמר הרבי בסיום שיחה [בלתי-מוגהת]²⁵, הזכיר “מנהג חסידים [-המתפללים בציבור] אז מ’כאפט אריין אויך די ברכה בחשאי”.

ש”פ מסעי ה’תשמ”א.

6 – Also mentioned were the following Minhagim and the question if to make a ברכה. :

A- The Rosh who says that on Erev Yom Kippur one should make a ברכה coming out of the Mikvah. 

B- A Minhag that was enacted only because of מראית עין. Like שחיטה  on a בן פקועה. Do we make a ברכה? 

C- Lighting candles Erev Yom Kippur.  See here OC 610, 2. 

7- We retuned to the topic of last week. Keeping ones Minhagim when traveling to different communities with different customs. 

The famous Maharil and the מגן אברהם. OC 468, 12. 

8 – The Maharil’s custom not to place on his table food items (although he considered them to be 100% Kosher)  that his out of town guests did not eat.

[Like serving whiskey that we, in the USA do drink, when our Israelis guests would never touch it at home……]

This is based on a Talmud Yerushalmi that in Yerushalayim, although their opinion was to allow מלאכה on Erev Pesach, due to the fact that may of the guests came from locations that prohibited to work that day, all of Yerushalayim refrained from working on Erev Pesach. 

Also see Kaf Hachayim  OC 468, 65 here:

סה) וכתב בדרשות מהרי”ל ה’ איסור והיתר דמהרי”ל נהג בביתו שלא להניח לאכול מאותן פאנצ”ן שנפל עליהם מחלוקת הגדולים לפי שמתקבצים שם בחירים מאותן גלילות שנוהגין שם איסור חלב בהן יעו”ש. והביאו מ”א שם. והוא חלב הדביק לכרם שתחת הפריסה שנוהגין בו היתר רק בני ריינוס ושאר המקומות נוהגין בו איסור כמ”ש ביו”ד סי’ ס”ד סעי’ ט’ יעו”ש.

9- Speaking of הושענות…..

We finished with the story that occurred at the Rebbe’s table upstairs in 770.  Reb Zalman Teibel, after introducing the popular melody of אנא אנא עבדא, attempted to teach another tune. 

One of the guests at the table, who did indeed have a חוש בנגינה, tells Reb Zalman Teibel what he thought of his second song:

Der Nigun is gut oif klappen Hoshainos……

 

יצחק (איצ’ה) חורגין 

 

הרב חורגין היה עורך את ההבדלה במניין של הרבי מידי מוצאי שבת, מדליק את החנוכיה בזאל הגדול ב-770, ועולה כשליח ציבור לעיתים קרובות.

BSD 

Sukah 44a 

Mar-Cheshvan 6, 5783. November 1, 2022

1- We continued on topic #3 of last week that in order not to create “אגודות אגודות”, [meaning that all כלל ישראל should be cohesive and practice the same Mitzvos] since in חוץ לארץ due to ספיקא דיומא, we do not observe Lulav on Shabbos, the חכמים uprooted the מצוה from the Israelis as well. 

We mentioned that a few years back Professor Yoel Elitzur

reached out to prominent Rabbonim with a suggestion that perhaps the original custom of taking the Lulav on Shabbos (first day of Sukkos) should be reinstated in ארץ ישראל. 

His point being that originally it was practiced in   ארץ ישראל [as stated in Yerushalmi]  and it  was only about 800 years ago that they stopped observing it. At the time, the Jewish population in חוץ לארץ were the majority as opposed to the small communities in ארץ ישראל. Thus, the minority followed the רוב. 

Today however, when the majority of the Jewish population lives in Israel, they should go back to practice what the custom was in the times of the בית המקדש. 

The response he received from all the רבנים was a firm negative. ‘Let’s wait for Moshiach’ to bring back the original custom”! 

See article here. 

2- Our גמרא questions if our custom of הושענות is a תקנת נביאים or just a מנהג נביאים. 

As Rashi explains, a תקנה is a more weighty and important enactment that just a מנהג. 

The practical difference would be –  if it is a forceful  תקנה, then a ברכה should be said on the הושענות. If it is merely a מנהג no ברכה can be said since we cannot say אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו, meaning we were commanded. Rashi adds that even לא תסור does not apply. 

This is a big topic as we find many enactments of  מנהגים  and תקנות  that a ברכה is recited. We will continue on this next week BL”N. 

3 –As a continuation of the לא תתגודדו topic, we briefly mentioned an offshoot of this סוגיא. We ran out time and will continue BL”N. 

The topic is if a citizen of a particular community that is strict in a certain הלכה travels to a city that is lenient in that הלכה, what should he do? 

Say a Yeshiva/Chasidisher person traveled in 1920 to Yemen. He is invited to eat by a local and is served meat. Surely it is Kosher. But….. they way they שחט the animal is totally not accepted in the Western Hemisphere. Any שוחט in the USA, Israel or Europe that would שחט in with the Yemenite מנהגים, would be disqualified from being a שוחט. 

Can this traveler eat this lamb chop? If he is clueless as to the difference, may his hosts offer it to him or they need to advise him first? 

As an introduction to this topic we discussed the four stomachs that a cow has and which ones have חלב which needs to be removed. 

חלב שעל הכרס and the מנהג of the בני ריינוס not to scrape off this fatty tissue. 

בני ריינוס are the famed Jewish communities that existed along the Rhine River in Germany. This designation is occasionally used for all of German Jewry as opposed to the French, Italian and Spanish Peninsula.  

 

See here. YD 64, 9. 

4- We came across the expression of Reb Yochanon, who lived in ארץ ישראל, that true Torah learning was in בבל and not in ארץ ישראל!

In regards to what incident did he say such a stunning statement? A rather fascinating story. It’s long but very interesting. 

‘A lion has come up from בבל!

We read the text of the Gemara in BK 117 a-b. Here it is from Sefaria.The Gemara relates another incident: There was a certain man who desired to show another individual’s straw to the gentile authorities, who would seize it. He came before Rav, who said to him: Do not show it and do not show it, i.e., you are absolutely prohibited from showing it. The man said to him: I will show it and I will show it, i.e., I will certainly show it. Rav Kahana was sitting before Rav, and, hearing the man’s disrespectful response, he dislodged the man’s neck from him, i.e., he broke his neck and killed him.

 Seeing Rav Kahana’s action, Rav read the following verse about him: “Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net” (Isaiah 51:20). Just as with regard to this antelope, once it falls into the net, the hunter does not have mercy upon it, so too with regard to the money of a Jew, once it falls into the hand of gentiles, they do not have mercy upon him, i.e., the Jew. Since gentiles who seek a Jew’s money will kill him in order to seize the property, Rav Kahana acted appropriately when he broke the miscreant’s neck, as he protected the Jew’s property and, by extension, the Jew himself.

Rav then said to Rav Kahana: Kahana, until now there were Persian rulers who were not particular about bloodshed. But now there are Greeks who are particular about bloodshed, and they will say: Murder [meradin], murder, and they will press charges against you. Therefore, get up and ascend to Eretz Yisrael to study there under Rabbi Yoḥanan, and accept upon yourself that you will not raise any difficulties to the statements of Rabbi Yoḥanan for seven years.

Rav Kahana went to Eretz Yisrael and found Reish Lakish, who was sitting and reviewing Rabbi Yoḥanan’s daily lecture in the academy for the Rabbis, i.e., the students in the academy. When he finished, Rav Kahana said to the students: Where is Reish Lakish? They said to him: Why do you wish to see him? Rav Kahana said to them: I have this difficulty and that difficulty with his review of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s lecture, and this resolution and that resolution to the questions he raised. They told this to Reish Lakish. Reish Lakish then went and said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: A lion has ascended from Babylonia, and the Master ought to examine the discourse he will deliver in the academy tomorrow, as Rav Kahana may raise difficult questions about the material.

The next day, they seated Rav Kahana in the first row, in front of Rabbi Yoḥanan. Rabbi Yoḥanan stated a halakha and Rav Kahana did not raise a difficulty, in accordance with Rav’s instruction. Rabbi Yoḥanan stated another halakha and again, Rav Kahana did not raise a difficulty. As a result, they placed Rav Kahana further back by one row. This occurred until he had been moved back seven rows, until he was seated in the last row. Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: The lion you mentioned has become a fox, i.e., he is not knowledgeable.

Rav Kahana said to himself: May it be God’s will that these seven rows I have been moved should replace the seven years that Rav told me to wait before raising difficulties to the statements of Rabbi Yoḥanan. He stood up on his feet and said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: Let the Master go back to the beginning of the discourse and repeat what he said. Rabbi Yoḥanan stated a halakha and Rav Kahana raised a difficulty. Therefore, they placed him in the first row, and again, Rav Yoḥanan stated a halakha, and he raised a difficulty.

Rabbi Yoḥanan was sitting upon seven cushions [bistarkei] so that he could be seen by all the students, and since he could not answer Rav Kahana’s questions, he removed one cushion from under himself to demonstrate that he was lowering himself out of respect for Rav Kahana. He then stated another halakha and Rav Kahana raised another difficulty. This happened repeatedly until Rabbi Yoḥanan removed all the cushions from underneath himself until he was sitting on the ground. Rabbi Yoḥanan was an old man and his eyebrows drooped over his eyes. He said to his students: Uncover my eyes for me and I will see Rav Kahana, so they uncovered his eyes for him with a silver eye brush.

Once his eyes were uncovered, Rabbi Yoḥanan saw that Rav Kahana’s lips were split and thought that Rav Kahana was smirking at him. As a result, Rabbi Yoḥanan was offended, and Rav Kahana died as punishment for the fact that he offended Rabbi Yoḥanan. The next day, Rabbi Yoḥanan said to the Rabbis, his students: Did you see how that Babylonian, Rav Kahana, behaved in such a disrespectful manner? They said to him: His usual manner of appearance is such, and he was not mocking you. Hearing this, Rabbi Yoḥanan went up to Rav Kahana’s burial cave and saw that it was encircled by a serpent [akhna], which had placed its tail in its mouth, completely encircling the cave and blocking the entrance.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said to it: Serpent, serpent, open your mouth and allow the teacher to enter and be near the disciple, but the serpent did not open its mouth to allow him entry. He then said: Allow a colleague to enter and be near his colleague, but still the serpent did not open its mouth. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Allow the disciple to enter and be near the teacher, referring to Rav Kahana as his own teacher. The snake then opened its mouth for him to allow him entry. Rabbi Yoḥanan requested divine mercy from God and raised Rav Kahana from the dead.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Rav Kahana: Had I known that this was the Master’s manner of appearance, I would not have been offended. Now let the Master come with me to the study hall. Rav Kahana said to him: If you are able to request divine mercy so that I will not die again, I will go with you, and if not, I will not go with you. The Gemara comments: Since the time decreed for his death had passed, it had passed.

Rabbi Yoḥanan then completely awakened him and stood him up. Thereafter, he asked him about every uncertainty that he had, and Rav Kahana resolved each of them for him. And this is the background to that which Rabbi Yoḥanan says to his students on several occasions:

What I said was yours is in fact theirs, i.e., I thought that the Torah scholars in Eretz Yisrael were the most advanced, but in fact the scholars of Babylonia are the most advanced, as evidenced by Rav Kahana’s knowledge.