אמר ליה רב פפא לאביי מאי שנא ראשונים דאתרחיש להו ניסא ומאי שנא אנן דלא מתרחיש לן ניסא אי משום תנויי בשני דרב יהודה כולי תנויי בנזיקין הוה ואנן קא מתנינן שיתא סדרי וכי הוה מטי רב יהודה בעוקצין האשה שכובשת ירק בקדרה ואמרי לה זיתים שכבשן בטרפיהן טהורים אמר הויות דרב ושמואל קא חזינא הכא ואנן קא מתנינן בעוקצין תליסר מתיבתא ואילו רב יהודה כי הוה שליף חד מסאניה אתי מטרא ואנן קא מצערינן נפשין ומצוח קא צוחינן ולית דמשגח בן
Rab Pappa asked Abbai : How were our predecessors different from us that miracles occurred for them but not for us? Is it a question of learning ? In the time of Rab Judah, their whole study was limited to the Order "Damages," whereas we study the six Orders; and when Rab Judah reached the paragraph in Mishnah 'Uksin : "If a woman presses vegetables in a pot" (some declare it was the paragraph : "Olives which are pressed with their leaves are clean"), he said, "We see here the conflicts of Rab and Samuel," whereas we study 'Uksin in thirteen lessons ! Yet, with respect to Rab Judah, when he took off one of his shoes, the rain descended ; but we afflict our souls and cry aloud and there is none that takes notice of us !
Tosafot on Berakhot
Thirteen schools. There are those who explain that they maintained experts [in Okatzin] in thirteen yeshivot; “thirteen” is not to be taken literally, rather it is a common amplification throughout Talmud, e.g. “thirteen coins” (Chulin 44a). Rashi explains it in a different manner.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The Fourth Order of the Mishnah. The detailed division of the Mishnah is given in an Appendix by Oesterley and Box.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The last Tractate of the Sixth Order.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
The disputations between Rab and Samuel are proverbial for their complexity.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
Others explain: with thirteen different methods of interpretation. In either case, the intention is that the superiority of earlier generations could not be on the score of learning.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
He merely prepared himself to fast and pray for rain. On any occasion of mourning or self-humiliation, the shoes are taken off.
