I’ve got a weird and unique interpretation of an exchange between Rabbi Yehuda Nesia and Reish Lakish on Nazir 20b.As background, the Mishna describes a
A mishna on Nazir 5a declares that an unspecified nezirut (abstinence from wine) is for 30 days. In the Gemara, Rav Matnah and Bar Pada
What is Nazir doing in seder Nashim? The Talmudic Narrator opens the tractate by asking this curious question. מִכְּדֵי תַּנָּא בְּסֵדֶר נָשִׁים קָאֵי, מַאי טַעְמָא
One of the primary reasons we care about which Tanna or Amora said what, is as follows. We assume that his opinion, worldview and halachic
Does Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov always win? On Ketubot 46b, a brayta records a dispute about the nature of motzi shem ra, where the new
In the Mishnah on Yevamot 81a, Rabbi Yossi and Rabbi Shimon declare that an androgynous kohen’s wife may eat terumah. A brayta (83a) seems to
Am I wasting my time writing this column? My sustained focus is on understanding a sugya or rabbinic pronouncement based on what we know about
