How contradicting Pasukim were resolved in times of Tan'aim | Rabbi Shai Finkelstein | May 26 2026

‏Hell first in memory of their family so we are starting a new subject because I saw that last time when we spoke about a little bit about the contradictions in the last ignited some kind of discussion שבועות זמנו בטל קורבנו בעזרת השם זה לא ממש soבעה שבועות תספור לך 50 שבועות תספור לך ‏So we going to learn about contradictions in the narrative which you have that can't predict each other and how they were resolved in the time of the and purposely I took the because a to show that those contradictions were known from the time of the second century first and second century and also to see how what what kind >> [כחכוח] >> ‏on that I think all of you know we will see that we are not sure that we know it like to quote the idea of עד שיבוא הכתוב השלישי ויכרע ביניהם until the third verse will come and it will beע what isע be careful ‏most people to so let start רבי ישמעל אומר ב13 מידות התורה נדרשת בהן this is a paragraph that we say every morning before if you areכנזי אוספדי so attributes וכן שני כתובים המכישים זה את זה so there is a built in denial between two which means already everyone knows that you can find in the narrative two basic contradict each other מכים זה den each other existence שיבוא הכתוב השלישי בם stopר what is להחריע להכריע או להכריע ‏because basically this is right this is wrong is wrong we have another problem so I will just say that is with his 13 attributes 13 not attributes of mercy attributes of all methods we יש from with meods develop to 13 and we know that and had debates over some of them. So however it seems to be that it was accepted and we will need to try now to explore what does it mean. ‏So in the he says the following really in the comments on the and he says the following. גם כן לאל וסתמה דספרי נסור פרשה סב והוא גם כן לקמן לפנינו ובזה פליגי רבי ישמעאל ורבי עקיבא so the מחלוקת between רבי ישמעאל רבי עקיבא רבי ישמעאל הכתוב השלישי מפרש איך התקיימו שני הכתובים להכריע how I can continue to keep the two together the ‏is contradiction will basically you will need to come up the third will come up with an idea or a case where the two can apply and will not have any contradiction. ורבי עקיבא מכריע הפסוק השלישי איזה מן המקראות התקיים כפשוטו ואיזה מן המקראות צריכים להדרש [נחירות בוז] רבי עקיבא there is going to be an הכראה a decision but not what is the that is correct and the other one is got for wrong what you can basically read it that's ‏That's the simple understanding and what is the other that needs to be what drush needs to be explained so it will not contradict the other to have a going to develop it because we going to bring many many examples. ‏It will be fascinating because you will see not only how they learn מקרא but what is the השקפה behind the so again to להכריע it means to find the way to create coexistence for both according to is to teach you what is the that can remain asat and what the other that is what going to make a drush that we ‏So let's start this is a fy one אומרת that is a we spoke already about the was compiled in the time of the mishna or before or after and probably the answer is some kind of an evolution little bit before many of it was at the same time ‏And many of it was after האומ לבעלה, a woman who takes her husband to court. And she says, "השמיים ביני ובינך. Heaven is between you and me. What does that mean? ‏It means that not only that we don't get along is that we are not intimate at all. There is almost like between you and me is so what they do. ‏will try to do some ofomise will go to med שאמרה לו להבינו אברהם אברהם אבינו ישפוט השם ביני וביניך השם what will judge between us אלא כך אמרה לו גרש את האמה הזאת ואת ביניה ‏So she did not looked for so much for mediation she decided for abam מלמד שהייתה אמנו שרה רואה את ישמעאל בנאה במסין וצד חגבין ומעלה ומקטיר לעבודה זרה so שרה so ישמעאל doing all kind of bad things אמרה שמה ילמוד יצחק בני כך ולך ויבוד כך ונמצא שם שמים מתחלל בדבר expuid אמר להאחר שזכין לו לאדם חוין לו אחר שעשינו המלכה ועשינו הגבירה והכנסוה לגדולה זו נטרדנה מתוך ביתינו מה הבריות אומרות עלינו לא נמצא שם שמיים מתחלל בדבר so אברהם by the way I don't know if you know that but thisה tells us a story that we don't know we always read the narrative says toam what גרש את האמה הזאת expell her and he says no and then השם interven that's it we don't know why abam said no the tells us the reasonam says to her we going to desecrate the name of ‏telling me to marry her and it's not my idea you told me to do it and now telling me to exp we are the ones who all talk about what hospitality and kindness and the generosity of the heart and god is kind and what are we going to do to expel a mother and ‏her from our house so from Sarah's perspective which says look is going to be influenced and he will go off the and says to I don't know I understand what you saying but we can't expלו ואתה אומר חילול שמיים בדבר זה ואני אומר חילול שמים בדבר זה שר Ilaim that if we don't expell her there is going to beולשם you say if we do expell her there is going to be חילול השם so what should we doפני וביניך השם will judge between us יכריע המקום the word יכריע god will פי מכריע בין דבר דברי לדברך between me and you I claim there is going to be חילול שם שמים if he stays you claim there is going to be השם if we expell him let god decide and god >> decide הכריע מקום בין דבריה לדבריו שנאמר כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמה בקולה obviously one of the most famous and most popular and most belovedים >> [‏צחוק] >> כל אשר תאמר אליך שמ בקולה השם אברם you are wrong and is correct one option is you are not wrong but that can take ‏de and then the continues שאין תלמוד לומר כל מה תלמוד לומר כל מלמד שהכריע לשנייה שהכריע לראשונה מהשנייה לעדות הגר אף הראשונה לעדות הגרספרה basically says that everythingצר told ‏Sarid correct means to accept one opinion and reject the other one. ‏one is right and is wrong reed what does it mean is being reed obviously we understand that here is to decide but it's almost impossible to even think that we can accept פסוקים so this is the first exleקריע is what is really to decide אוהמלאכת המשכן so this is ancient from the time of the basic there is a description there of the tabernacle and vess and all of it so it was firstint century inenbach איסי בן יהודה אומר חמישה דברים בתורה אין להם הכראה there [כחכוח] are five פסוקים in theורה that אין להם הכרעה what does it mean אין להם הכראה wa ואלו הן setור מחר משוקדים וקם הלא וקם areפסוקים אין להם הכראה אין להם הכהפסוקים השם הלא after his sacrifice was rejected he was very angry to him why are you so angry הלא דמרש אם לא תיב השםסים הלא אם תיב what is be good what is >> to carry or >> to what >> to mar you ‏Oh so what is set we just had this last week you will be elevated which means I was just inור so if you will repent in if you will better yourself you will be elevated ‏ative set now clear says here or can be the opposite side like the other side of the if you will be ‏It's hard. It's hard to understand what does it mean? Therefore means what? You are not sure where to put the words. I'll give you the best example is when ניצב על ראש הגבעה. The war against you remember. יהושע here you going to be the chief of you will go to war מחר אנוכי ניצב על ראש הגיבה ומתה האלוקים בידי theפסוק there say one ‏I think that will illustrate it the best. אוקיי וי אומר משה ליהושע בחר לנו אנשים משהו יהושע choose people וצא הלחם בעמלק and go out and f עמלק מחר אנוכי ניצב על ראש הגיבה ומתא אלוקים בידי tomorrow i will be on the top of the mountain and i will have the god staff with me so question the word מחר where do you put it ילחם בעמלק מחר and ‏Ahad and tomorrow I will go to the mountain you put the word of them meaning that this is the meaning of what of there no contradiction in this is where I put ‏before the you go and go to we all go now the interpretations on one hand if you told go today and just go tomorrow the problem is we know that what that they want because also because of so why is mos waiting for another day if you tell me that he told let's ‏are yes required what is the where the came from how you know because in the you don't have and you don't ‏not going back here becauseה להכריע soה להכריע one here is where toate word ‏with the sentence which obviously creates a meaning a different meaning to the so the word here is to it's also to decide but it's not to decide between two different contradiction the just in one it is not clear how to the inarify the matter of how to ‏option הוא היה אומר זאת אצל רבי יוחנן בן זכאי אם יהיו כל חכמי ישראל בכף מוזניים you put all the sages of Israel on one side of the scale ואליעזר בן הורקנוס בקו שנייה אן אליעזר בן הורקנוס מכריע את כולם not equal you have a scale you put the apples here and then you put a stone here okay so the stone will do what is called להכריע את כף המזניים ‏inic terminology all the canז can say what and he should be right which obviously brings us to what story you remember that story that was against all the rabis until stood up and said לא בשמעזר בן רבי יוחנן בן זכי and he said what that you need to listen to me until was בן זכי יבי ים להכרי ‏is to basically give him to his opinion. So he doesn't say that all the other rabis are wrong but when they you compare them toנוס you need to know that what that you should follow him. אבא שאול אומר משמו אבא שאול אם יהיו כל חכמי ישראל בכף מוזניים ורבי אליעזר בן אורקנוס אף עמהם הוא now all the אין רבי אליעזר בןקנוס on one side ורבי אלעזר is רבי אלעזר בן הרח בכף שנייה מכריע את כולם so no רבי לזר בן הרח is even more than רבי אליעזר בן אורקנוס and all the other ‏in the desired decisor. Let's leave that aside I just want to focus on the word. ‏here is what is putting the weight on me to try to tell you what is more important more valid more influential can also to defeat him and to show that you are the strongest one ‏So now we have already three different examples right. What the first one? second the and all the five מקראות שאין להם הכרעה. ‏And the third one is אליעזר בן אורקס another one תוספתה פסחים אמר לו רבי אליעזר לרבי יהושע שם רבי אליעזר בן הורקנוס סס לו רבי יהושעך אתה אומר שמפרישים חלה בטומאה ביום טוב וה כתוב אומר שבעת ימים שאור לא ימצא בבתיכם אמר לו רבי יהושע מנט הרי הוא אומר אך אשר יחל לאכול נפש אמר לו רבי ליזר עד אין הדבר שקול מי מכריע או יום טוב ‏You can cook, you can bake, right? Everything that you could do before, you can you can do it. Can you bake a? Why not? We don't do that. But why not? It's No, it's already ready. The dough is ready. Dough is ready. Everything is ready. Yeah, you can. ‏I'm not suggesting that you should you should I think you should as much as we can do before it will be nicer because then you have time to enjoy and not just to be in the kitchen but you can do it so if you are you shouldn't be you with me you what I'm saying however on יום טוב if I want to do to make חלה and I need to do הפרשת חלה and I'm ‏What are the two values that confront each other? On hand there is יום טוב which comes from the אך אשר יאכל לכל נפש הוא לבדו יעשה לכם. This is part of what of שמחת יום טוב ושמחתם ושמחת בחגך. ‏is also of what of separating it while you are and especially if you are making let say if you make you need to use ‏I'm not a baker. I would assume you are not either right so we will just admit that we have no idea what we are talking about but I guess this is the thing that makes it rise. Okay. So I think it's called so whatever it is yeast whatever it is. ‏But he says לא ימצא בבתיכם. So what do you do? So you have to conflicting I want to make this I can't in I want to giveה I can. At the same time without the I will not have יום טוב. So what do you do? So that's so said his comment. He says you can't do that. Obviously I can. So say ריע means what? אמר לו רבי יהושע אני אחרי דית כשאני עושה בידי נמצאת יובר לא תעשה והרי היא בידי כשאני מתיחה כמו שהיא נמצאת יובר על לא תעשה ואינה בידי טוב take a look like that but let take a look at you תוספת כפשוטה byberman so he says the אמרנו רבי אליעזר לרבי יהושע איך אתה אומר שמפרישן חלה בטומאה במשנתינו פרק ג משנה ג כיצד מפרישים חלה בטומאה ביום טוב how do you be מפריש ח while you are on יום טוב רבי ליזר אומר לא תקרא לשם עד שתופה basically don't callחלה until it's being baked אמר רבי יהושע לא זה הוא חמץ שמוזרים עליו בלי להמצא creating חמץ אלא מפרישתה ומניחתה עד הערב separate it ואם החמיצה החמיצה and if someh it becomes חמץ I didn't do it הוא מוכח משיטת הבבלי של רבי יהושע אינו עובר על בעל יראה מפני שהחלה אינה לא שלו ולא של כהן because I separated it but I didn't call it the name yet so it's not mine but it's not חלה will take so because it does not have and so we can go into more in ‏I see the faces I will say the following that was asked me and says and his comes from his logic he says it is better for me to do something that will not cause too much problems rather than not to do something that will ‏do the teaches here is really to say a b and will you right i ‏B [אנחות] skip two sources before before the end you see אוקיי. מתי אמרו פסח בא בטומאה? אוקיי, introduction. אוקיי. ‏can bring any no can bring when you are you are prevented from going into the however there is a case where all of us are and we will bring a which is קורבן פסח if everyone is or the majority are we will bring it as a nation ‏So the מתי אמרו פסח בא בטומure פסח בזמן שרוב של ציבור majority of the conation is now by the way is the majority 51 92 ‏seems to be 51 majority היו חציין תאורים וחציין טמאים you need to love those cases 4 million people are pure 4 million people are impure. ‏So what do you do? We said that you bring it only if the majority which means we need to take one person and make him טמ אוהor. Right? So he says what? עושין את הראשון sorryי הטהורים עושים את הראשון והטמאים עושים את השני. ‏So in a case 5050 we are not going to push anyone to touch a dead body or to push him into the we this 50% you will do and the other 50% will do what שני we have to exctly אבל היחיד מכריע את הפסח לעשותו בטומאה דברי רבי יהודה ‏May even push to touch a dead body he basically מכע את הציבור לעשות בטומ what he do he forces the other 50% minus one person to do what now that everyone is going to do one meaning you שני menורים soים will פסח ראשון בטומאה why because if the majority are they will do פסחומה and the majority means one person according to יהודה רב לזר בן מטיה אומר רב לזר בן מטת אין היחיד מכריע את הפסח לעשותו בטומאה no are you kidding me one ‏for another 99000 people to doה מכריע את הפסח לעשות בטומה שנאמר לא תוכל לסבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך what how do you learn from that one person cann force everyone else to בטומ באחד על ידי אחד by one person רבי שמעון אומר היו חציין תיאורים וחציין טמאים התיאורים עושים לעצמם והטמיעים עושים לעצמם soב שמעון comes up with another idea. תמים they should also do whatור will do first will do their own פסח אמרו לו אין חולקים את הציבור או כולן עושים בטהרה או כולם עושים בטומ you need to make a decision עושים בטהרה או עושים בטומפסit while everyone is becoming ‏in my but not today I again just want to focus on one thing להכריע >> it's very similar to the scales exactly which means it's to put your weight on something and ובירושלמי ירושלמי משנהגמר correspond what theפ אין שוחטים את הפסח על היחיד דברי רבי יהודה ורבי יוסי מתיר אפילו חבורה של 100 שנולים כזית אין שוחטים עליהם so the about the possibility ential possibility that the person brings the can eat must be able to eat at ‏sacrifice indat people together can you still bring what the so where is that opinions from גמר אמר רבי יוחנן תמה דרב יהודה the reason forה is לא תוכל לסבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך כלומר you can bring the corבן פסח בשביל אחד what is בשביל אחד for one person you always need to have what חבורה a מה מקיים רבי יוסי תמד רבי יהודה so how יוסי will react to רב יהודה פטרק רב לזר בן מתיה דתני רב לזר בן מתיה אומר יכול יהיה היחיד מכריע על הטומ תלמוד לומר לו תוכל לסבוח את הפסח באחד so רבי יוסי will hold like רבי מתיה לא תוכל לסבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך מואט רגע פסוק לא תוכל לזבוח את הפסח באחד שעריך יהודה תזב באחד >> בשביל אחד you can bring a sacrifice for one person according to matסי what does that mean good which means you cannot bring the for converting one person from ‏to so י that you cann determine for the entire based on one person who is converting from to or to I know it's a bit heavy it's okay you can do it the idea is what you >> [כחכוח] >> ‏So now asking you שוב נכון רבי עקיבה רבי עקיבה is in that good company but only so what you do here so skip the ‏I already that go to תלמוד ירושלי מסכת פסחים פרק ז על חו על דעתי דרבי יהודה ההן מחצה על מחצה מה את אבדלה soגמר ask so understood the sacrifice פסח for one individual it needs to be what a group so how עקיבא learn רבי בא משם רב מטמאין אחד בשרץ שמואל אמר משלחין אותו לדרך רחוקה את כמן דאמר היחיד מכריע על הטומ ברם כמן דאמר אין היחיד מכריע על הטומ משלחים ‏So he says the first we have a question so basically he says I disagree with and I really think that what that this individual can be for everybody now the question is how do you do that so according to r you basically take a shs you take an insect and what and you call you and ‏Hey, come here. I want to show you something. Touch it. Hug it and now you become what? Shuel is little bit more gentle and he says, "I really have a mission for you. Please go outside of Jerusalem to deliver this letter and then you become what onך רחוקה. You are far away from you can bring the so what did I do? Mission accomplish. Right? ‏I basically I didn't make you I made you so you can do a but the rest of the nation will do including all the bas on the opinion that says that ידיע by the way this is the power of an individual but according to the לא מכריע that one person does not decides for the entire congregation how many people does he ‏need 2000 people this is can people volunteer for not joking can people volunteer to become in order to create a majority which is interesting because that you pring on your ‏So okay I'll think I'll try to sum up so you will be ready for next week בעזרת השם next week I think we have some of the will be little bit more familiar for you but this one I know some of the concepts are foreign but in order to understand the philological meaning of a world we need to look first and foremost where in the ancient sources because they are the ones who coined it ‏So when we say להכרי in modern Hebrew it's one thing it might be that it's a different thing or only one interpretation of what it was before. So until now we saw that is can function as a decisive factor. It can be something that puts your weight on it but it does not say that the other one is wrong. ‏the other and the third interpretation is מקראות שאין להם הכרה that you don't know exactly where to put the means this is more of a linguistic question not necessar something and we also see that sometimes the are basically pushing call it an agenda but pushing an idea on the others which פסח בטומטה ‏Not exactly not exactly it's not they were very sure about their interpretation is from us we need to come and say at the end of the day you know one פסח פסח שני או will ask you just for for next week רגע one of the prime examples is שבועות ז מן השמיים דיברתי עמכם other וירד השם על הר סיני so מהשמיים או מההרפסים