This Daf analyzes the various machlokisim between Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yehoshua, whether certain events happened in Tishrei or Nissan.
- Machlokes when the world was created
The Gemara brings a Baraisa in which Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yehoshua give their sources. Rebbe Eliezer says: מנין שבתשרי נברא העולם – From where do we know that the world was created in Tishrei? For it is stated: "ויאמר אלקים תדשא הארץ דשא עשב מזריע זרע עץ פרי" – And Hashem said: Let the land be covered with vegetation – herbage yielding seed, trees of fruit. איזהו חדש שהארץ מליאה דשאים ואילן מלא פרות – הוי אומר זה תשרי – Which month is it, in which the land is filled with vegetation and the tree is laden with mature fruits? You must say: This is Tishrei. Rebbe Yehoshua brings the passuk that states: "ועץ עשה פרי" – and trees producing fruit. איזהו חדש שהארץ מוציאה דשאים ואילן מוציא פירות - Which month is it, in which the land brings forth vegetation and the trees bring forth fruit? You must say: This is Nissan. The Gemara explains what each Tanna would say about the other Tanna’s derashah.
- Hashem ensures that tzadikim will die on the day in which they were born
The Gemara now explains why each Tanna holds that the avos died in the month that they were born, for it is stated: "ויאמר אלהם בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום" – And he (Moshe) said to them: I am one hundred and twenty years old today. Why does the Torah add the word “today”? To teach that Moshe meant to say the following: היום מלאו ימי ושנותי – Today my days and years are full. ללמדך שהקדוש ברוך הוא יושב וממלא שנותיהם של צדיקים מיום ליום מחדש לחדש – This comes to teach you that HaKadosh Boruch Hu, sits and makes full the years of the tzadikim, from day to day and from month to month. That is, Hashem ensures that the tzadikim will die on the very day in which they were born. As it stated regarding tzadikim, "את מספר ימיך אמלא" – The number of your days I will make full.
- Machlokes regarding when the mabul started
The Gemara brings another machlokes between Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yehoshua, which is based on their machlokes regarding which month the world was created. It was taught in a Baraisa: The passuk states: "בשנת שש מאות שנה לחיי נח בחדש השני בשבעה עשר יום לחדש" – In the six hundredth year in Noach’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all of the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heaven were opened. Rebbe Yehoshua says: That day was the seventeenth of Iyar, a day on which the mazal of Kimah normally sets during the daytime, and the subterranean fountains normally become depleted. But because the generation שינו מעשיהן - altered their practices to deviate from the natural order, HaKadosh Boruch Hu altered upon them the works of creation, and He brought the mazal of Kimah up during the daytime and took two stars from Kimah והביא מבול לעולם – and He brought the mabul to the world. Rebbe Yehoshua says that the mabul was brought on the seventeenth of Marcheshvan, when Kimah comes up during the day, and the subterranean fountains become strengthened. Their dispute hinges on their machlokes regarding creation. If the world was created in Tishrei, the mabul began in Marcheshvan, and if it was created in Nissan, then the mabul began in Iyar.