Ask A Question on the daf

Previous daf

1) A SICK PERSON THAT MAY NOT BENEFIT

(a) (Gemara) Question: Who may visit whom?

1. Suggestion: If Shimon may visit Reuven - he should even be allowed to sit (since Shimon is doing a Mitzvah)!
2. Suggestion: If Reuven may visit Shimon - he should be forbidden even to stand (for he benefits from being allowed to walk in the house)!

(b) Answer #1A (Shmuel): Really, Shimon may visit Reuven; the Mishnah is in a place where people receive wages for visiting the sick and sitting, but not for standing.

1. Question: Why should the Mishnah deal with such a case?
2. Answer: The Mishnah teaches, even where people take money for visiting the sick, they may only take for sitting, not for standing.

(c) Answer #1B (As Shmuel said, Shimon may visit Reuven): He may not sit because of a decree, lest he come to stay too long.

1. We see that R. Shimon Ben Elyakim (elsewhere) made a similar decree, lest he stand too long.

(d) Answer #2 (Ula): Really, Reuven may visit Shimon; the vow did not forbid Reuven from providing Shimon with essentials to his life.
(e) Question: If so, he should be allowed even to sit!
(f) Answer: It is possible to stand (it is not essential that Reuven sit).
(g) Question (Beraisa): If he got sick, he may visit him; if his son got sick, he may inquire about his welfare.
(h) This fits well according to Ula - the vow did not forbid Reuven (the visitor) from providing essentials to Shimon's life (but there was no provision to allow essentials for Shimon's son).

1. But according to Shmuel, the one that may not give benefit is the visitor (Shimon) - it makes no difference if Reuven is sick or Reuven's son!

(i) Answer: Shmuel admits that in the Beraisa, the visitor may not get benefit; in the Mishnah, he said that the visitor is the one that may not give benefit.
(j) Question: Why does Shmuel say that the Mishnah and Beraisa deal with different scenarios?

(k) Answer (Rava): (The Beraisa can only be explained as Ula;) the Mishnah forced Shmuel to explain differently.

1. The only reason to allow standing and forbid sitting is when the visitor may not benefit the sick person.

(a) (Reish Lakish): "If they will die as normal people, and the visitation of normal people" - this hints at the Mitzvah of visiting the sick.
(b) Question: How is this?
(c) Answer (Rava): "If they will die as normal people" - they are sick and bedridden, and people visit them - (this will prove that) "Hash-m did not send me".
(d) (Rava): "If Hash-m will create a creation" - if Gehenom was already created, fine; if not, Hash-m should create it now.
(e) Objection (Beraisa): 7 things were created before the world - Torah, repentance, the garden of Eden, Gehenom, the throne of glory, the Beis ha'Mikdash, and the name of Moshi'ach.

1. Torah - "Hash-m acquired me, the beginning of his way.
2. Repentance - "Before the mountains were born, and was hollowed out ... you return man to the breaking point (and say, 'Return, men') ".
3. The garden of Eden - "Hash-m planted a garden in Eden, before".
4. Gehenom - "For arranged from yesterday, you entice".
5. The throne of glory - "Prepared is your throne, from then".
6. The Beis ha'Mikdash - "The throne of glory, elevated from the first (the place of our Mikdash)".
7. The name of Moshi'ach - "His name will be forever (before the sun, Yinon is his name)".

(f) Correction: Rather, Moshe said 'If the mouth (of Gehenom) was already created, fine; if not, Hash-m should create it now.'
(g) Question: But "There is nothing new under the sun"!
(h) Correction: Rather, 'If the mouth is not close to here, let Hash-m bring it close".
(i) Question (Rava): What is the meaning of "The sun, the moon stood in Zvul (a level of Heaven)"?

1. The sun and moon are in Reki'ah (a lower level of Heaven)!

(j) Answer (Rava): They ascended to Zvul to petition Hash-m: If you will stand up for Moshe, we will illuminate; if not, not.

1. Hash-m shot arrows at the sun and moon. Every day, people bow to them, and they did not protest for Hash-m's honor - but they stood up for the honor of flesh and blood!

i. From then on, every day Hash-m shoots arrows and spears at them and they illuminate - "They go to the light of your arrows".

(a) (Beraisa): There is no measure to visiting the sick.
(b) Question: In what sense?
(c) Answer #1 (Rav Yosef): There is no limit to its reward.
(d) Objection (Abaye): To say that there is limit to the reward of other Mitzvos?

1. (Mishnah): Be careful with a light Mitzvah as with a severe one, for you do not know the reward of Mitzvos!

(e) Answer #2 (Abaye): Even a great person should visit a lower person.
(f) Answer #3 (Rava): One should visit a sick person even 100 times in a day.
(g) (Rav Acha Bar Chanina): One who visits a sick person alleviates 1/60th of his pain.
(h) Question (Abaye): If so, we should have 60 people visit a sick person, and this will cure him!
(i) Answer (Rava): 1/60th is as the 1/10th of Rebbi (1/60th of the remaining sickness is removed);

1. Only a person of the same Mazel removes 1/60th of the sickness.

(j) (Beraisa - Rebbi): A daughter that is fed by the brothers (after the father died) receives 1/10th of the estate when she gets married.
(k) Question: If so, if a man left 10 daughters and a son, the daughters will receive the entire estate!
(l) Answer (Rebbi): The 1st daughter to get married receives 1/10th of the estate; each subsequent daughter receives 1/10th of what remains.

1. If they come to get married simultaneously, we calculate how much they would collectively receive (if they came in succession - about 63%), and they split this equally.