Kesubos - Daf 103
- The audio shiur is in the works.
- ברכת הבית ברובה
The next Mishnah states: אלמנה שאמרה אי אפשי לזוז מבית בעלי – If an almanah said to her husband’s heirs, “I cannot bear to move from my husband’s house,” the heirs cannot say to her, “Go to your father’s house and we will support you.” Rather, she may stay there, and they must support her, ונותנין לה מדור לפי כבודה – and they must provide her with a dwelling that is fitting for her status. If she said, “I cannot bear to move from my father’s house,” the heirs may say to her: אם את אצלנו יש ליך מזונות – “If you are living with us, you will receive support, but if you are not living with us, you will not receive support. The Gemara asks why the heirs can deny her support if she lives in her father’s house, and answers that the Mishnah’s rule supports a statement made by Rav Huna, who said: ברכת הבית ברובה – The berachah of a bayis is in its numerous inhabitants. The greater the number of people living there, the greater the financial berachah. Rashi explains that many people working together help one another accomplish more, and the mazal of a group is greater than the mazal for an individual. The Gemara clarifies that they do provide support for her if she lives in her father’s house, but only the amount that it would have cost them if she had remained with them.
- What happened after Rebbe said prior to his death that Chanina bar Chama should head the academy
The Gemara begins a lengthy description of Rebbe’s instructions that he gave to his sons, and the Rabbanon prior to his death. He commanded: חנינא בר חמא ישב בראש – Chanina bar Chama shall sit at the head of the academy. Rebbe Chanina did not accept the position for Rebbe Afeis was two and a half years older than him and he felt it would be disrespectful to be the head. Therefore, Rebbe Afeis sat at the head, and Rebbe Chanina sat outside the Beis Midrash. Rashi explains that Rebbe Chanina would not subordinate himself to him. Levi came to sit with him there, as he felt it was not honorable for Rebbe Chanina to sit alone. When Rebbe Afeis died, Rebbe Chanina became the head, and since Levi did not have someone to sit with him outside the Beis Midrash, he went to Bavel to find a chavrusa. When Levi arrived, Rav deduced that Rebbe Afeis died and Chanina bar Chama became the head. When the Gemara questions how Rav knew, when perhaps Levi came because Chanina bar Chama passed away, it answers that Levi would have stayed and subordinated himself under Rebbe Afeis. Alternatively, since Rebbe declared that Rebbe Chanina should be the head, it was not possible for it not to come to fruition, for regarding tzadikim the passuk states: ותגזר אמר ויקם לך – And you will pronounce a decree, and it will be fulfilled for you.”
- How Rebbe Chiya prevented the Torah from being forgotten from Yisroel
When Rebbe Chanina bar Chama and Rebbe Chiya were debating, Rebbe Chanina asked how he could argue with him, דאם חס ושלום נשתכה תורה מישראל מהדרנא ליה מפלפולי – for if chas v’shalom Torah was forgotten from Yisroel I would restore it through my analysis. Rebbe Chiya responded, אנא עבדי דלא משתכחה תורה מישראל – But I perform actions that ensure Torah will not be forgotten from Yisroel in the first place! For I bring flax seed and sow it, and then I weave nets with it once it grows and use them to trap deer. I feed the meat to orphans and prepare parchment from the hides and then go to a city where there are no teachers for children. I write the five Chumashim for five children, one Chumash per child, and teach the six sedarim by heart to six children, one seder per child, and then tell each child, אתני סידרך לחברך – “Teach your seder to your friend”, so that they will all know six sedarim of Mishnah. This is why Rebbe said: כמה גדולים מעשה חייא – “How great are the deeds of Chiya!”
