Three short observations TB Beitzah 21, 22, and 23

Combining the dappim I studied on the first two days of Sukkot with today’s daf TB Beitzah 23, we finished the second chapter of our massekhet. I like to share three short observations, one per daf. 

TB Beitzah 21 Look, Haley's Comet!"

I think the following story has an ancient form of “Look, there’s Haley’s Comet!” “Rav Avya the Elder raised the following dilemma before Rav Huna: If an animal is owned in partnership, half of it belonging to a gentile and half of it to a Jew, what is the halakha with regard to slaughtering it on a Festival? Rav Huna said to him: It is permitted. Rav Avya said to him: And what is the difference between this case and that of vow-offerings and gift-offerings? Vow-offerings and gift-offerings are similar to jointly owned animals, as part of the animal is sacrificed upon the altar while the other part is eaten by the owner and the priest. Why, then, is it not similarly permitted to slaughter them on a Festival? Seeking to distract Rav Avya so that he need not answer his question, Rav Huna said to him: Look, a raven flies in the sky (עוֹרְבָא פָּרַח).

“When Rav Avya left, Rabba, son of Rav Huna, said to his father: Was this not Rav Avya the Elder, whom Master would recommend to us, saying that he is a great man? If so, why did you treat him in that manner and evade his question? Rav Huna said to him: What should I have done for him? Today I am in a state best described by the verse: “Let me lean against the stout trunks; let me couch among the apple trees” (Song of Songs 2:5), meaning I am worn out and exhausted from all the communal responsibility that has fallen upon me, and he asked me about something that requires reasoning and careful examination, and therefore I could not provide an immediate answer.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rashi explains the expression “Look, a raven flies in the sky” that a real raven actually flew overhead and Rav Huna wanted to distract the conversation concerning the question and hint that he did not want to answer it immediately. According to the Geonim, this was a common expression when a person says something that was completely off the topic. People would say, “Look, a raven flies in the sky.”

TB Beitzah 22 "Everybody"

Burning incense on the Festival was one of the three things that Rabban Gamliel permitted and the sages forbad. Based on the ensuing discussion the Gemara emends Rav Asi’s original statement. “Rather, the Gemara retracts its previous statement and says that if this was stated, it was stated as follows: Rav Asi said that the dispute with regard to incense applies only to a case where one burns the incense in order to enjoy the smell. However, if he burns the incense in order to perfume his garments, all agree that it is prohibited.” (Sefaria.org translation) Rashi explains why the principal “Since carrying out was permitted on a Festival for the purpose of food preparation, it was also permitted not for that purpose (מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהוּתְּרָה שְׁחִיטָה לְצוֹרֶךְ הוּתְּרָה נָמֵי שֶׁלֹּא לְצוֹרֶךְ.)” doesn’t apply to perfuming one’s garments. For this rule to apply it has to apply equally to everybody and not just for some. Since only extremely sensitive people perfume their garments and this is not a common practice amongst everybody, the rule does not apply. Consequently, the rabbis forbid it.

TB Beitzah 23 "Some things never change"

Now that Rosh Hashanah is behind us, Passover is only six months away. Today’s daf TB Beitzah talks about another thing (this time concerning Passover) Rabban Gamliel permitted and sages forbad. “And one may prepare a whole kid (גְּדִי מְקוּלָּס) goat, meaning a kid goat roasted whole, with its entrails over its head, on the night of Passover, as was the custom when they roasted the Paschal lamb in the Temple.” (Sefaria.org translation) Rabban Gamliel lived after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in the year 70 CE. Many customs were created to remember the Temple service and Rabban Gamliel believed that roasting a whole goat was an appropriate way to remember how the Jewish people observed Passover when the Temple stood. The rabbis disagreed with him for fear that people will draw the conclusion that you could offer up sacrifices even when the Temple no longer is in existence. The Gemara repeats of a story found in massekhet Pesakhim daf 53a.

“It is taught in a baraita in this regard that Rabbi Yosei says: Theodosius [Todos] of Rome, leader of the Jewish community there, instituted the custom for the Roman Jews to eat whole kids on the night of Passover, in commemoration of the practice followed in the Temple. The Sages sent a message to him: Were you not Theodosius, an important person, we would have decreed ostracism upon you, as you are feeding the Jewish people consecrated food, which may be eaten only in and around the Temple itself, outside the Temple.

“The Gemara expresses surprise: Can it enter your mind that the Sages really meant that Theodosius was feeding the Jewish people consecrated food outside the Temple? These goats are certainly not consecrated animals. Rather, say that he was feeding the Jewish people something similar to consecrated food, which people might mistake for a Paschal offering.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Amoraim are divided in their opinion who was this Theodosius. Some hold that he was a Sage and others say that he was a powerful connected Jew in Rome. The Gemara does cite aggadah in his name. According to the Talmud Yerushalmi he used to send money to support the sages in the land of Israel. Being well-connected and an important donor not only has its privileges today, but also all throughout history as the story Theodosius proves.