Chagigah 11 - February 20, 19 Adar 1

This week's learning is sponsored by Sivya Twersky in loving memory of her father Harav Pesach Zachariah Halevi ben Harav Reuven Halevi (Rabbi Pesach Levovitz) on his 10th yahrzeit that was on the 5th of Adar. “He was a lifelong Daf Yomi learner, a community rabbi for 57 years, an international Rabbinic leader, responsible for generations of Jewish souls. He was the patriarch of his family, he would be proud and somewhat bemused by both the female and male Daf Yomi learners amongst his children and grandchildren as well as the leadership role that his granddaughter, Shoshana Baker, has taken in the Hadran movement. May his neshama have an aliya in the zechut of their learning.”

This week’s learning is sponsored by Tuvia Hausdorff in loving memory of Moshe Aharon ben Eliezer Aryeh, Tuvia Levi ben David Meir, Tziona bat Sudia and Menucha bat Moshe Yechezkel.

Today’s daf is sponsored by Susie Handelman in loving memory of her grandfather, Shmuel Ben Meir HaCohen (Katzin) Z"l. “He was a talmid hacham who immigrated to the US from Kovno in 1900 and died in 1936 before I was born. He would be in awe to know he has a granddaughter living in Jerusalem studying Talmud! May he hear from above and take pleasure from the sweet sounds of Rabanit Michelle and her students studying today's daf.”

The Gemara finishes up the previous discussion regarding meila - what aspect of it is "like a mountain hanging by a hair"? A braita lists negaim and ohalot as also being in the category of few verses and many halakhot. Is that really so? The Mishna had listed several things that had verses to clearly rely upon in the Torah. This seem to imply that while they were more firmly based in the Torah than the previous sections, they still were not explicitly written in the Torah. The Gemara then questions each item on the list as they seem to be halakhot that were explicitly mentioned in the Torah. To answer the question, examples for each topic are brought that were not explicitly written in the Torah. The second chapter deals with topics that one needs to be cautious when teaching to others and should therefore limit the amount of students that one teaches it to. Topics include the forbidden sexual relationships, creation of the world, and maase merkava (in Ezekiel). One should also not delve into what is above, below, before and after. Where are these laws derived from?