Sunday, August 23, 2009

Makos 2b: Kofer

A big yeshiva in Yerushalayim is learning Makos this zman. I'm not, but I'd like to post one post on each daf of Makos in the coming weeks (if I'm able).

Makos 2b: Venasan pidyon nafsho: Dmei nizak. Rabi Yishmael b'no shel Rabi Yochanan ben Brokah omer: Dmei mazik. This machlokes is also found in Bava Kama 27a and 40a. However, see Mechilta to Shemos 21:30 (Mechilta Mishpatim Parsha 10: 109(30): Venasan pidyon nafsho: nafsho shel mumas, divrei Rabi Yishmael. Rabi Akiva omer pidyon nafsho shel meimis.

There are two questions. First, the names of the tanaim are different between the Gemara and the Mechilta: Mechilta uses Rabi Akiva and Rabi Yishmael, but the Gemara uses Rabi Yishmael b'no shel Rabi Yochanan ben Broka, and a tana kama (one Tosefta uses Rabi Yehuda [B"K 4:6 or 7 at the end]). Secondly, the Mechilta changes the opinions of the 2 tanaim (assuming that Rabi Yishmael b'no shel Rabi Yochanan ben Broka is Rabi Yishmael), which leads to a contradiction in the opinion of Rabi Yishmael.

On B"K 6b discussing Meitav, the Gemara mentions a machlokes Rabi Akiva and Rabi Yishmael about meitav sadeihu umeitav karmo, if*bedinizik shaiminan* or *bidimazik shaiminan.* The mechilta uses the names and shitos from this gemara of meitav by kofer because of the same words, even though it's really an argument on a different matter. Why, I do not know, but that's what the mechilta did.

Malbim, Shemos 21:90 corrects the girsa of the mechilta to accord with these Gemaras, but he does not go into any more detail about how the text got garbled.

1 comment:

Dr Purva Pius said...
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