- Machlokes if a person blind in one eye is chayav in the mitzvah of re’iyah
The first Mishnah of the Masechta begins: הכל חייבין בראייה – All are chayav in the mitzvah of re’iyah, which Rashi explains is the mitzvah for all males to appear in the azarah of the Beis Hamikdash on the regalim. It then lists those who are patur from the mitzvah, such as a cheiresh, shoteh, and katan, among others. The Gemara asks, הכל לאתויי מאי – What does the word “All” come to include, and after two answers are pushed off, it answers that it is coming to include a סומא באחת מעיניו – a person who is blind in one eye, and our Mishnah is not going according to another Tanna, for it was taught in a Baraisa: Yochanan ben Dahavai says in the name of Rebbe Yehudah: סומא באחת מעיניו פטור מן הראיה – A person who is blind in one eye is patur from the mitzvah of re’iyah, for it was stated in the written form, "יראה" – All your men shall see G-d, but it is stated in in its pronounced form, "יראה" – All your men shall be seen by G-d. This teaches, כדרך שבא לראות כך בא ליראות - the way Hashem comes to see the men, He comes to be seen by the men. מה לראות בשתי עיניו אף ליראות בשתי עיניו – Just as Hashem comes to see with two eyes, so too He must be seen with two eyes.
- מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין
The Gemara initially was not satisfied with the first answer, that the Mishnah was coming to include someone who was half-slave and half-free. for Ravina said that such a person is patur from the mitzvah of re’iyah. The Gemara now suggests that the Mishnah is coming to include such a case, and that Ravina ruled according to the initial understanding of Beis Hillel. For it was taught in a Mishnah that Beis Hillel held that someone who is חציו עבד וחציו בן חורין is עובד את רבו יום אחד ואת עצמו יום אחד – He works for his master one day and works for himself one day. Beis Shammai said to Beis Hillel, תקנתם את רבו ואת עצמו לא תקנתם – You have fixed the situation for his master, but you have not fixed it for the half-slave, for he cannot marry a shifchah for he is half-free, and he cannot marry a free woman, for he is half-slave. Shall he not marry at all? והלא לא נברא העולם אלא לפריה ורביה – Was the world not created except for people to be fruitful and multiply? As it is stated, "לא תהו בראה לשבת יצרה" – He, referring to Hashem, did not create the world to be desolate, He formed it be settled. אלא מפני תיקון העולם – Rather, for a tikkun for the world, we force the master to make him free, and the slave must write a note for half his value, and Beis Hillel reversed themselves and ruled like Beis Shammai.
- One who can speak but not hear and one who can hear but cannot speak are chayav in re’iyah
The Mishnah stated that all are chayav in the mitzvah of re’iyah חוץ מחרש שוטה וקטן וכו'. The Gemara comes to clarify the term חרש = a deaf person. The Mishnah listed a cheiresh that is similar to a shoteh and a katan. מה שוטה וקטן דלאו בני דעה אף חרש דלאו בר דעה – Just as a shoteh and katan are not mentally competent, so too the cheiresh of our Mishnah is referring to one who is not mentally competent, and our Mishnah is teaching us what was taught in another Mishnah explicitly, חרש שדיברו חכמים בכל מקום שאינו מדבר ואינו שומע – That a deaf person of which the Chochomim speak of in all places is one who cannot speak and cannot hear. This implies a מדבר ואינו שומע – one who speaks but cannot hear, or a שומע ואינו מדבר – one who hears but cannot speak, is chayav in the mitzvah of re’iyah on the regalim.
