Yevamos - Daf 81

  • Machlokes regarding what a wife of an androgynous Kohen is permitted to eat

The next Mishnah states: Rebbe Yose and Rebbe Shimon say: אנדרוגינוס כהן שנשא בת ישראל מאכילה בתרומה – An androgynous Kohen who is married to a bas Yisroel, entitles her to eat terumah. The Gemara brings a machlokes Amoraim. Reish Lakish said: מאכילה בתרומה ואין מאכילה בחזה ושוק – He entitles her to eat terumah but not the breast and thigh of kodshim kalim. But Rebbe Yochanan says: אף מאכילה בחזה ושוק – He even entitles her to eat the chozeh v'shok. Rashi explains that Reish Lakish holds that an androgynous is a ספק איש ספק אשה – a safek whether it is male or female. The Gemara clarifies that he permits him to eat terumah nowadays since it is only terumah d’Rabbanon but he forbids him from eating from the d’Oraysa chozeh v’shok, since it is a possible that he is a female, and the androgynous wife would not be considered a wife of a Kohen. Rebbe Yochanan holds that an androgynous is a זכר מעליא – a certain male, and therefore his wife is even permitted to eat from the d’Oraysa chozeh v’shok. The Gemara clarifies that Reish Lakish does not permit her to eat from terumah d’Rabbanon when the Beis Hamikdash will stand, since she might come to eat terumah d’Oraysa.

  • Machlokes whether items that are commonly counted are subject to bitul

When Rebbe Yochanan asked Reish Lakish whether he holds that terumah nowadays is only d’Rabbanon, Reish Lakish responded that he does, for he learned in a Baraisa, עיגול בעגולים עולה – that a round cake of pressed figs of terumah that got mixed with other round cakes of figs becomes batul. Rashi explains that if terumah nowadays were a d’Oraysa, it would not become batul, for items that are commonly counted when they are sold are considered a דבר חשוב – something of significance, which the laws of bitul do not apply to. Even though terumah from figs is only d’Rabbanon, if terumah d’Oraysa also applied nowadays, they would decree that terumah d’Rabbanon that is significant should not become batul, so people will not come to be mevatel terumah d’Oraysa that is significant. Rebbe Yochanan responded that he learned in a Baraisa that a piece of tamei chatas meat that became mixed with slices of tahor chatas meat does become batul, which demonstrates that d’Oraysa prohibited foods that are commonly counted when sold are subject to bitul. Rather it is only items that are exclusively counted that are deemed a דבר חשוב and are not subject to bitul.

  • Rebbe Yochanan’s case of a piece of tamei chatas meat

The Gemara asks what the case of the piece is that Rebbe Yochanan referred to and brings a Baraisa that taught: חתיכה של חטאת טמאה שנתערבה במאה חתיכות של חטאות טהורות – A piece of chatas tamei meat that got mixed with one hundred pieces of tahor chatas meats, and similarly, a piece of lechem hapanim that is tamei that got mixed in with one hundred pieces of tahor lechem hapanim pieces, תעלה – it becomes nullified. We see from here that the tamei slice of meat, even though it is commonly counted when it is sold, becomes batul! This contradicts Reish Lakish’s opinion that any item which is commonly counted is a דבר חשוב and is not batul! Rebbe Chiya brei d’Rav Huna defended Reish Lakish’s ruling by explaining the case is בנימוחה – with a piece of tamei chatas meat and a piece of tamei lechem hapanim that dissolved. Therefore, they are no longer commonly counted and are subject to bitul.