Menachos 31
Summary
- A Daf Yomi shiur on *Bava Batra* 31 begins from “Rav Papa amar” and is sponsored לעילוי נשמת מרת מרים שרה בת יעקב משה הירש, with a blessing that her נשמה should have an עליה. Rabbi Yochanan rules that the halacha follows Rabbi Shimon Shezuri, and the Gemara clarifies that this ruling refers either to the laws of a *shida* and its measurement for *tumah* or to a dispute about wine among liquids. The shiur then brings Rabbi Shimon Shezuri’s report of a *demai* mixture case and the resulting *girsa* and conceptual implications about whether רוב עמי הארץ מעשרין and whether יש קנין לעובד כוכבים בארץ ישראל להפקיע מיד מעשר. The daf returns to the earlier topic of *Sefer Torah* tears and the rules for sewing, and then moves into detailed halachos of *mezuzah* layout, including acceptable line structures and the placement of the concluding words על הארץ to express כגבוה שמים על הארץ or כהיכי דמרחק שמיא מארעא.
- A Daf Yomi shiur begins on בבא בתרא דף ל"א from ל"א עמוד ב', the last three words on the page, “רב פפא אמר.” A sponsorship is stated לעילוי נשמת מרת מרים שרה בת יעקב משה הירש, followed by the wish that her נשמה should have an עליה.
- A question is framed about Rabbi Yochanan’s statement that the halacha follows Rabbi Shimon Shezuri, and the Gemara concludes this halacha refers to one of two areas, either שידה or יין. Rav Papa says it refers to שידה, and Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak says it refers to היין.
- A *shida* is described as a large wooden utensil like a closet or carriage, and the dispute is presented: בית שמאי אומר נמדדת מבפנים and בית הלל אומר מבחוץ. A utensil that can hold 40 סאה of liquid or 2 כור of dry is not able to be *mekabel tumah*, and the dispute is how to measure its capacity: Beis Shammai measures only the inner hollow while Beis Hillel measures from the outside, including the wall thickness as if it could be hollowed out. It is stated that they agree שאין עובי הרגליים ועובי הלזבזין נמדד, while Rabbi Yosi says מודים שעובי הרגליים ועובי הלזבזין נמדד but וביניהן אין נמדד. Rabbi Shimon Shezuri rules that if the legs are a *tefach* high then ביניהן אין נמדד, but if they are less than a *tefach* high then ביניהן נמדד.
- Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak ties Rabbi Yochanan’s ruling to wine in the context of *tumah* for liquids. A teaching is cited: רבי מאיר אומר: שמן תחילה לעולם, חכמים אומרים אף הדבש, and רבי שמעון שזורי אומר אף היין, with the initial inference that the first opinion excludes wine. The Gemara resolves that the correct reading is רבי שמעון שזורי אומר יין, presenting Rabbi Shimon Shezuri as limiting the rule specifically to wine rather than adding wine beyond the first opinion.
- A baraisa records Rabbi Shimon Shezuri saying: פעם אחת נתערב לי טבל בחולין, explained as a case of *demai* rather than definite *tevel*. Rabbi Shimon Shezuri says he asked Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Tarfon told him: לך קח לך מן השוק, buy produce from an עם הארץ, and עשר עליו to address the mixture because דמאי can be tithed for דמאי. An important *girsa* change is stated as removing three words, taking out: קסבר, and removing the words דרישא ברוב בטל. The conclusion presented is רוב עמי הארץ מעשרין הן, and therefore the separation is framed as כמתקן מן הפטור על הפטור, since both the mixed produce and the newly purchased produce are treated as פטור דאורייתא and only obligated מדרבנן.
- The Gemara asks why Rabbi Tarfon did not advise buying from an עובד כוכבים, and answers that the view is אין קנין לעובד כוכבים בארץ ישראל להפקיע מיד מעשר, so non-Jewish produce in ארץ ישראל remains חייב במעשר and would create a problem of מן החיוב על הפטור. An alternate version states איכא דאמרי that Rabbi Tarfon did say לכי קח מן העובד כוכבים, implying יש קנין לעובד כוכבים בארץ ישראל להפקיע מיד מעשר, and the Gemara explains that this version holds אין רוב עמי הארץ מעשרין, so buying from an עם הארץ would raise concern of a דאורייתא obligation.
- Rav Yeiva bar Shalmi asks Rav Papa about the statement attributed to Rav Marchana in the name of Ulla in the name of Rabbi Chanina: דהלכה כרבי שמעון שזורי, ולא עוד אלא כל מקום ששנה רבי שמעון שזורי הלכה כמותו, and asks if this includes the case of נתערב לו טבל בחולין. Rav Papa answers אין. Rav Ashi reports that Mar Zutra said Rav Chanina of Sura found the question difficult because the formulation was not “במשנתנו” but rather כל מקום ששנה, which implies that wherever Rabbi Shimon Shezuri is taught, including a ברייתא, the halacha follows him.
- A ruling is cited: אמר רב זירא אמר חננאל אמר רב קרע הבא בשתי שיטין יתפור בשלוש אל יתפור, meaning a tear that enters two lines may be sewn, but a tear that enters three lines may not be sewn and requires replacing a full section of parchment. Rava is quoted via Rabbi Yirmiyah mi-Difti to limit the “three lines may not be sewn” rule to בעתיקתא, while בחדתא לית לן בה. The shiur clarifies that “old” and “new” refer not to actual age but to whether the קלף was treated with עפיץ, stated as לא אפיצן versus אפיצן, with עפיץ identified as gallnut juice used in processing and causing a darker, older appearance. The permission to sew is limited to בגידין and excludes sewing בגרדין. A question is raised about tears בין דף לדף or בין שיטה לשיטה, and the conclusion is תיקו.
- A ruling is cited: אמר רב זירא אמר חננאל אמר רב מזוזה שכתבה שתים שתים כשרה, validating a tall narrow mezuzah written two words per line. A question is raised about שתים ושלוש ואחת, and Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak rules it is valid because it resembles a *shira* pattern. A challenge is brought from a baraisa: עשאה כשירה או שירה כמעשיה פסולה, and the Gemara answers that this פסול applies to a *Sefer Torah* written like *shira*, not to a mezuzah. A further statement attributes to Rabbi Yochanan that מזוזה שעשאה שתים שלוש ואחת כשרה, with conditions that it not be made כקובה, defined as 1-2-3 like a tent, and not be made כזנב, defined as 3-2-1 like a tail, with Rashi’s diagrams referenced as illustrating these forms.
- Rav Chisda says that על הארץ is written בשיטה אחרונה, and alternate traditions say it is written בסוף שיטה or בתחלת שיטה. The view that it is at the end of the line expresses כגבוה שמים על הארץ by placing על הארץ beneath כימי השמים as a visual illustration connected to אריכות ימים. The view that it is at the beginning of the line expresses כהיכי דמרחק שמיא מארעא by creating visual distance between כימי השמים and על הארץ to represent the same theme of extended days.
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