Chapter 5 · The Mishnah

Tannaitic disputes in the Mishnah - the Sages and an individual

Lesson 21 of 37 16 min

Many mishnayot present an anonymous view and an individual sage's view. We learn to identify the sides and the rule: individual versus majority - the law follows the majority.

Lesson goals

01Identify the tanna kamma and the individual view
02Know the rule "individual and majority - law follows majority"
03Mark where each view begins and ends

An example from the first mishnah in the Shas

Mishnah Berakhot 1:1

מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין, משעה שהכהנים נכנסים לאכול בתרומתן, עד סוף האשמורה הראשונה, דברי רבי אליעזר. וחכמים אומרים, עד חצות

From when may the evening Shema be recited? From when the priests enter to eat their teruma, until the end of the first watch - the words of Rabbi Eliezer. The Sages say: until midnight.

The first view is attributed to Rabbi Eliezer - an individual. Against him, "the Sages say" - the majority. The phrase "the words of so-and-so" closes his view.

The rule and the understanding

The basic rule: in a dispute between an individual and the majority, the law follows the majority. But learning is not just "who won". We ask the reasoning of each side - that is how understanding is built.

Practice

Read Mishnah Berakhot 1:1 to the end and find the third view - Rabban Gamliel's.

Lesson wrap-up

Each view in the mishnah is a pillar. The law picks one; learning builds them all.

Check your understanding

Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.

Question 1 of 3

According to the Sages in Berakhot 1:1, until when is the evening Shema recited?

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