Yoma 85 - July 5, 25 Tamuz

Today's daf is sponsored by Jonathan Katz in memory of his mother Margaret Katz (Ruth bat Avraham), "who was always sensitive to mitzvot bein adam la'chavero and extended that to a sensitivity and care for all living creatures. And by Caroline Ben Ari on the shloshim of Judy Prager, Yehudit bat Rabbi Yehuda and Daya, the mother of a dear friend Anne. "Anne has been there for me through thick and think. May your mother's neshama have an aliya." And in memory of Hannah Plunka, Chanah Esther Bat Eliyahu Eliezer, whose yahrzeit is tomorrow. And by Amy Cohn for a refuah shleima for Ariyah Rachel Miriam bat Malka. 

Does Shmuel really hold that we do not follow the majority in cases of saving a life? Does that contradict something he says elsewhere? In the case of saving someone from under a pile of rubble, why did the mishna mention a list of three different doubts? What is the novelty in the sentence that if they find the person alive one can save him/her and if they find the person dead, they leave him/her? After all, isn’t that obvious! What determines death - that the person no longer breathes or that the heart no longer beats? Is the controversy over the determination of death similar to the controversy over from where do fetuses develop – from its head or its navel? Rabbi Papa limited the debate regarding heart beating or breathing. From where do we learn that saving a life, even if a doubt, will override Shabbat. The gemara brings a list of different opinions but at the end states that only one of them is really strong and the rest can be rejected in case of doubt. What types of things provide atonement? What is the difference in getting atonement for transgressions between one and God and one with fellow people? How is the atonement different for different levels of transgressions?