• Congealed liquids

Rav Yosef said that Rebbe Nassan, who was discussing congealed wine, and Rebbe Yose b’Rebbe Yehudah, who was discussing congealed blood of a neveilah, both hold that a revi’is of a liquid substance will congeal into a solid substance the size of a kezayis.

Abaye suggests that this is not necessarily so.

• Perhaps Rebbe Nassan only holds of this for congealed wine, which is a thin liquid and loses much of its volume when it congeals, but blood which is thicker may not require a revi’is to produce a kezayis when congealed.

• Perhaps Rebbe Yose b’Rebbe Yehudah only holds this for congealed blood which is thick and does not lose much of its volume when it congeals, but wine which is a thin liquid, requires more than a revi’is to congeal into a kezayis.

• Everything has a purpose

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: כל מה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא בעולמו לא ברא דבר אחד לבטלה – In all that HaKadosh Baruch Hu created in His world, He did not create even one thing needlessly. Among the few examples he brought are:

• The slug was created as a remedy for a sore.

• The fly was created as cure for the sting of a hornet. Rashi explains that one crushes the fly and places it on the place of the sting.

• The gnat was created to be a cure for a snake bite.

• The meaning behind the names of various garments

Rebbe Zeira once encountered Rebbe Yehudah who was in a lighthearted mood, so he decided to ask him about curiosities in the world, such as the meaning of names of various items. Rebbe Yehudah answered:

• An outer cloak is called a לבושה, because wearing it keeps one from being embarrassed (lo bushah).

• An overcoat is called a גלימה, because the one who wears is shapeless like a golem.

• A headwrap worn by the Rabbis is called a סודרא, because the secrets of Hashem are revealed to those who fear Him (sod Hashem lirai’av).