01
The words
פְּלִיגִי
they disagreeבְּמַאי קָמִיפַּלְגִי
what do they disagree about?מָר סָבַר... וּמָר סָבַר...
this one holds... and that one holds...הָא... וְהָא...
this... and that... (two different cases)Course map
Chapter 4 · Aramaic: the words of debate
Dispute formulas - pligi, mar savar u-mar savar
Lesson 18 of 37 17 min
Dispute is the heart of the Gemara. We learn the formulas that present a dispute and the key question: "be-mai ka-miflegi" - what exactly is the disagreement?
Lesson goals
- 01Recognise common dispute formulas
- 02Phrase the root of a dispute
- 03Distinguish a dispute in reasoning from one about a source
02
Building the dispute
- 1What is the ruling according to each side?
- 2What is each side's reasoning ("mar savar...")?
- 3What single point separates them?
- 4Phrase it: "The dispute is whether..."
Insight
A dispute is not noise but two blueprints for the same structure. Understand both and you understand the topic deeply.
Practice
Pick a Beit Shammai / Beit Hillel dispute and phrase its root in one sentence.
Lesson wrap-up
"Be-mai ka-miflegi" is the question that turns a reader into a learner.
Check your understanding
Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.
Question 1 of 3
What does "be-mai ka-miflegi" mean?