A free account is required to play audio and download files.
No community start suggestion yet.
The Gemara (גמרא) questions why different Jewish communities read the Megillah on different days without violating lo titgodedu (creating divisions). The shiur analyzes whether the prohibition applies when there are legitimate reasons for different practices, whether it governs rabbinic legislation, and how the universal nature of the Purim (פורים) salvation relates to varied local observances.
This shiur presents an intensive analysis of Yevamos 12a-13b, focusing on the Gemara (גמרא)'s challenge regarding the prohibition of lo titgodedu as it applies to the different days of Megillah reading. The central question is how Chazal could institute different observance days for Purim (פורים)—the fourteenth of Adar for unwalled cities and the fifteenth for walled cities—without violating the Torah (תורה)'s prohibition against creating divisions within the Jewish people. The discussion begins by examining Rashi (רש"י)'s approach to understanding an ailonis (a woman incapable of childbearing) in the context of yibum and chalitzah. This leads to a broader exploration of when exemption from one obligation creates a consequent issur (prohibition) in another area, specifically the creation of an eishes ach status. The Gemara's principle is that wherever someone is exempt from yibum, a consequent issur eishes ach results, yet this raises questions about why certain cases require chalitzah and others don't.
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Yevamos 12a-13b
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Gemara
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.
