1Rabbi Yoḥanan says in response: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi accepted Rabbi Yosei’s opinion not because it was a compromise, but rather because he said it according to a tradition he had from the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
2§ The mishna states: Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas says that the mitzva of the first sheared wool applies to five sheep, each of whose shearing weighs one hundred and fifty dinars, whereas the Rabbis say: Five sheep, each of whose shearing is any amount. The Gemara asks: And how much is signified by the phrase: Any amount? Rav says: It is a total weight of one hundred dinars [ maneh ] and half of one hundred dinars [ peras ], provided that they are divided equally between the five sheep. And Shmuel says: It is a total weight of sixty sela , of which he gives the weight of one sela to the priest.
3Rabba bar bar Ḥana says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: It is a total weight of six sela , of which he gives to the priest the weight of five sela , and he leaves one sela for himself. Ulla says that Rabbi Elazar says: We learned in the mishna that according to the Rabbis the obligation of the first sheared wool applies to any amount, even if the total weight is only one sela .
4We learned in the mishna (135a): And how much does one give to the priest? One gives him sheared wool of the weight of five sela in Judea, which are the equivalent of ten sela in the Galilee. Granted, according to the opinions of Rav and Rabbi Yoḥanan, the mishna works out well, as their statements do not contradict the mishna. Rav does not discuss the amount one is required to give the priest, and Rabbi Yoḥanan states that one gives the priest five sela . But according to Shmuel and Rabbi Elazar, the mishna is difficult, as Shmuel states that one is required to give one sela , while Rabbi Elazar states that the obligation of the first sheared wool applies even for a weight of less than five sela .
5The Gemara responds: And according to your reasoning, does it work out well according to the opinion of Rav? But Rav and Shmuel both say that the first sheared wool given to the priest is one part in sixty. Rav holds that the weight of one hundred and fifty dinars renders one obligated in the first sheared wool, and one-sixtieth of this weight is less than one sela . Therefore, Rav’s opinion is also not in accordance with the mishna.
6The Gemara answers: It was stated with regard to that mishna that Rav and Shmuel both say: The five sela stated in the mishna is not referring to the total amount given from the sheared wool. Rather, in the mishna we are dealing with a Jew who has a large amount of shearing, and he wishes to give them to the priest, i.e., to several priests. And we say to him: With regard to each and every one of the priests, do not give him less than five sela . But if one has only a small amount of shearing, he gives the priest one-sixtieth of the shearing, even if it is less than five sela .
7§ The Gemara mentioned a ruling of Rav and Shmuel with regard to the amount that one is required to give as the first sheared wool. The Gemara discusses the matter itself. Rav and Shmuel both say: The first sheared wool given to the priest is one part of sixty. Likewise, the amount one is required to separate as teruma is one part of sixty, and the amount one must leave in his field as pe’a is one part of sixty.
8The Gemara asks: Is the amount one is required to separate as teruma one part of sixty? But didn’t we learn in a mishna ( Terumot 4:3): With regard to the measure one should separate as teruma , if one is of generous disposition he gives one-fortieth. The Gemara answers: By Torah law, it is sufficient to give one part of sixty; by rabbinic law the requisite amount is one part of forty.
9The Gemara asks: Is the measure of teruma by Torah law one part of sixty? But doesn’t Shmuel say: By Torah law, even one grain of wheat given as teruma exempts the entire pile [ keri ] of grain? The Gemara answers: By Torah law the measure is as stated by Shmuel, that even one grain of wheat is sufficient. By rabbinic law , with regard to produce that is obligated in teruma by Torah law the measure is one-fortieth, whereas by rabbinic law , with regard to produce obligated in teruma by rabbinic law the measure is one part of sixty.
10Rav and Shmuel said above that the amount one is required to leave in his field as pe’a is one part out of sixty. The Gemara raises a difficulty: But didn’t we learn in a mishna ( Pe’a 1:1): These are the matters, i.e., mitzvot, that have no measure: Pe’a , and the first fruits, and the burnt offering of appearance sacrificed on the pilgrimage Festivals. The Gemara answers: By Torah law, pe’a has no fixed measure; by rabbinic law the measure is one part of sixty.
11The Gemara asks: What is the statement of Rav and Shmuel teaching us? We already learn in the subsequent mishna ( Pe’a 1:2): One should not give for pe’a less than one part of sixty, even though they said that the mitzva of pe’a has no measure. The Gemara answers: The mishna there is referring to the obligation to leave pe’a in Eretz Yisrael, whereas here, the statement of Rav and Shmuel is referring to the obligation of pe’a outside of Eretz Yisrael.
12§ When Isi bar Hini ascended from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael, Rabbi Yoḥanan found him teaching the mishna to his son. Isi taught that the obligation of the first sheared wool applies only in the case of sheep [ reḥelim ], the masculine plural form of raḥel , meaning a sheep. Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Isi: You should teach him using the term reḥelot , the feminine plural form. Isi said to him in reply: I teach the mishna in accordance with that which is written: “Two hundred reḥelim ” (Genesis 32:15). Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Isi: The language of the Torah is distinct and the language of the Sages is distinct, i.e., these are like two separate languages, and the Sages do not always use the same forms that appear in the Bible. In this case, they use reḥelot rather than reḥelim .
13Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Isi: Who is the head of the yeshiva [ reish sidra ] in Babylonia? Isi said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: It is Abba the tall, i.e., the amora Rav. Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Isi: You call him Abba the tall, in such a familiar manner? I remember when I sat seventeen rows behind Rav, who sat before Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and fiery sparks emerged from the mouth of Rav to the mouth of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and from the mouth of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi to the mouth of Rav, and I did not know what they said, due to the profundity of their discussion. And yet you call him Abba the tall?
14Isi said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: With regard to the first sheared wool, to how much fleece does the mitzva apply? Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him: The first sheared wool applies to fleece weighing sixty sela . Isi asked: But didn’t we learn in the mishna (135a) that the first sheared wool applies to any amount of fleece? Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him in reply: If so, i.e., if the halakha could be understood by a simple reading of the mishna, what is the difference between my knowledge and yours? In fact, you know only the mishna’s statement, whereas I know the halakhic conclusion in this matter.
15§ When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said: With regard to the first sheared wool, Rav says that the mitzva applies to sixty sela , and Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Yannai says that the mitzva applies to six sela . Abaye said to Rav Dimi: You have made one statement work out well for us, but you have made another statement difficult for us.
16Abaye elaborates: Granted, you have resolved a contradiction between two statements of Rabbi Yoḥanan. Rabbi Yoḥanan said above that the amount of fleece to which the obligation of the first sheared wool applies is six sela , whereas in his answer to Isi he stated that the amount is sixty sela . According to Rav Dimi, the apparent contradiction between one statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan and the other statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan is not difficult, as this statement is his and that statement is his teacher’s. Rabbi Yoḥanan holds that the obligation applies to sixty sela , whereas his teacher Rabbi Yannai maintains that it applies to six sela .
17But the contradiction between one statement of Rav and another statement of Rav poses a difficulty, as Rav said that fleece weighing one hundred dinars [ maneh ] and half of one hundred dinars [ maneh ] is obligated in the first sheared wool, whereas Rav Dimi stated that according to Rav the obligation applies to sixty sela , which are 240 dinars. The Gemara answers: The apparent contradiction between the one statement of Rav and the other statement of Rav is also not difficult, as what is the maneh of which Rav said that a maneh and a half are obligated? Rav was referring not to a maneh of one hundred dinars but to a maneh of forty sela , i.e., 160 dinars, a maneh and a half of which is