Siman - Yoma Daf 29
- Thoughts of sin and relearning forgotten material
Rav Nachman made several statements and included a siman for each one.
●הרהורי עבירה קשו מעבירה וסימניך ריחא דבישרא – Thoughts of sin are worse than sin, and the siman is the aroma of roasting meat. Rashi explains that the smell of roasting meat is very disturbing to someone who cannot eat it.
● מיגמר בעתיקתא קשיא מחדתא וסימניך טינא בר טינא – Relearning old, forgotten material is harder than acquiring new knowledge, and the siman is cement made from old cement. Rashi explains that it is harder to make cement by crumbling and reconstituting an old cement wall, than by crumbling fresh dirt.
- Why Esther is compared to the morning
Rav Assi said, למה נמשלה אסתר לשחר – Why is Esther compared with the morning? Rashi brings the Gemara in Megillah that Esther said the Psalm of למנצח על אילת השחר – For the conductor, about the morning hind, when she reached the chamber of idols to speak to Achashverosh. לומר לך מה שחר סוף כל הלילה אף אסתר סוף כל הנסים – To tell you that just as the morning is the end of the entire night, so too the redemption wrought by Esther is the end of all the miracles.
When the Gemara asks about the miracle of Chanukah that occurred after Purim, the Gemara answers, ניתנה ליכתב קא אמרינן – We meant to say that Purim is the last miracle allowed to be recorded as part of Tanach.
- קמיצת מנחה בלילה תשרף
The Mishnah had taught that an animal offering that was shechted at night was invalid and required burning. The father of Rebbe Avin taught a Baraisa that said, אף מליקת העוף וקמיצת מנחה בלילה תשרף – Also the melikah of a bird or the kemitzah of a minchah that was performed at night, must be burned. The Gemara asks that while it is understandable that a bird olah that was nipped at night must be burned, because it had already been nipped and therefore there is no way to reverse the process, but why should the kometz be burned? Let the Kohen return the flour to the pan containing the rest of the minchah and then take a new kometz at daytime? Rebbe Avin’s father stated the explanation: כלי שרת מקדשין אפילו שלא בזמנו – A kli sharais consecrates an offering even not at its proper time. Therefore, once the kometz was placed in the kli sharais, even at night, it can no longer be returned to the rest of the minchah.
When Rebbe Avin’s father’s teaching is challenged based on a Baraisa that teaches that anything offered by day is sanctified by day, but not at night, the Gemara answers that the kometz is not sanctified regarding being able to offer it, but it is sanctified enough to become invalid. The Gemara further clarifies that the Tanna of the Baraisa holds לילה אין מחוסר זמן – that the time frame of night, does not render something premature, since the night begins the day in Jewish law, whereas יום מחוסר זמן – the time frame of day, does render something premature if it is to be done the following day.
