Siman - Megillah Daf 28
- What Rebbe Zeira attributes his long life to – not getting angry in his home
The majority of Amud Aleph continues with various Rabbanim explaining to their talmidim the reasons for their longevity. Rebbe Zeira told his talmidim, מימי לא הקפדתי בתוך ביתי – In all my days, I never showed anger in my house, ולא צעדתי בפני מי שגדול ממני – and I never walked in front of someone greater than me, nor did I think in learning while walking in dirty alleyways, nor did I ever walk dalet amos without learning Torah and wearing tefillin, nor did I sleep in the Beis Hamidrash, not a full sleep or a nap, ולא ששתי בתקלת חבירי – nor did I rejoice in the stumbling of my friend, nor did I call my friend by his nickname. Some say that Rebbe Zeira said that he did not call his friend by his surname, if it had a negative connotation.
- What should a person do if he needs to enter a shul to call someone out
Rav Acha brei d’Rava asked Rav Ashi: What should a person do if he needs to call someone out of shul, being that one is not permitted to enter a shul except to learn Torah and daven? Rav Ashi answered: אי צורבא מרבנן הוא לימא הילכתא – If he, referring to the caller, is a young Torah scholar, he should enter and recite a halachah. ואי תנא הוא לימא מתניתא – If he is a talmid of Mishnah, meaning one who commits Mishnah and Baraisos to memory, he should recite a Mishnah. ואי קרא הוא לימא פסוקא – If he is talmid of Tanach, he should recite a passuk. If he is none of these, he should tell a child that is in the shul, אימא לי פסוקיך – Recite your passuk for me, or else, נישהי פורתא וניקום – he should delay for a while in the shul, and then get up to leave.
- כל השונה הלכות מובטח לו שהוא בן עולם הבא
It was taught in a Mishnah in Pirkei Avos, ודאשתמש בתגא חלף – And one who uses the crown of Torah will pass from this world. Reish Lakish taught a Baraisa: זה המשתמש במי ששונה הלכות כתרה של תורה – This refers to one who uses a person who learns halachos, the crown of the Torah. Ullah said: A person should rather use one who has learned four sedarim of Mishnah and not use one who has taught four sedarim. The Gemara continues, bringing an incident when a certain man came and carried Reish Lakish across a pool of water. When Reish Lakish asked the man if he had learned four sedarim of Mishnah, and the man responded that he had, Reish Lakish told him that he should toss Reish Lakish into the water. The man replied, ניחא לי דאשמעינן למר – It is a pleasure for me to serve the master. Reish Lakish said that since he persists, he should learn something from Reish Lakish, and Reish Lakish taught him a halachah. The Maharshah explains that Reish Lakish’s intent was to make this man a talmid, in which case it is appropriate for a Rebbe to let a talmid serve him. The Gemara concludes, תנא דבי אליהו – It was taught in the academy of Eliyahu, כל השונה הלכות מובטח לו שהוא בן עולם הבא – Whoever learns halachos is assured that he is destined for olam habah, and it says in the passuk, "הליכות עולם לו" – The ways of the world are His. אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות – Do not read, הליכות – ways, but הלכות - halachos.
