Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Musar for Gittin 133:14

רב נחמן אמר כשר ולא תעשה רב ששת אמר כשר ותעשה רבה אמר כשר ולא תעשה רב יוסף אמר כשר ותעשה

R. Johanan b. Nuri was a basket of fancy goods.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Apparently this indicates that while his knowledge was well arranged like that of R. Akiba, it was not so well unified and correlated. ');"><sup>14</sup></span> R. Eleazar b. Azariah was a basket of spices.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Apparently, less in quantity than R. Johanan's. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> The Mishnah of R. Eliezer b. Jacob [the Elder] was little and good.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'a kab and fine'. So that wherever he gives an opinion, the halachah follows him. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> R. Jose always had his reasons. R. Simeon used to grind much and let out little. A Tanna [explained this to mean that] he used to forget little, and what he let go from his mind was only the bran.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., those statements which were not followed by the halachah. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> So too said R. Simeon to his disciples: My sons, learn my rules,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'measures'. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> since my rules are the cream of the cream<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the terumah of the terumah'. ');"><sup>19</sup></span> of R. Akiba's. The text above [states]. 'If a man said to two persons, Tell the scribe to write and So-and-so and So-and-so to sign, R. Huna said in the name of Rab that [the Get is] valid, but this should not be done in Israel.' Said 'Ulla to R. Nahman (or, according to others, R. Nahman said to 'Ulla): Seeing that [the Get is] valid, why should this not be done in Israel? — He replied: We are afraid lest she might suborn witnesses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To say this to the scribe and the witnesses in the name of her husband. ');"><sup>20</sup></span> But do we entertain any such fear? Has it not been taught: Once the witnesses have signed to a deed of purchase of a field or the Get of a woman, the Sages entertain no doubts about their reliability? They would not do anything wrong,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., sign their own names. ');"><sup>21</sup></span> but they might say something. If a man said to two persons, Tell the scribe to write and do you sign, R. Hisda said [that the Get would be] valid but this should not be done; Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said that it is valid and this may be done; R. Nahman said it is valid and this may not be done; R. Shesheth said it is valid and this may be done; Rabbah said it is valid and this may not be done; R. Joseph said it is valid and this may be done.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

If Rabbi Yehudah chose "Moses received the Torah," as his introductory words to that tractate, he wanted to emphasize that it was the humility of a Moses that enabled him to "receive" the Torah in all its aspects. G–d's example of humility had inspired Moses to model himself after that example. This is the major challenge of ethics as we understand it. What Moses "received," is what our sages call אספקלריא מאירה, "a clear, unblurred vision." We have it on good authority that the attributes of Rabbi Akiva were essentially the same as those of Moses. In Gittin 67a Rabbi Shimon tells his students: "study my מדות, attributes, for my attributes are a tiny fraction of the attributes of Rabbi Akiva." [Clearly, even if we accept Rashi who explains the word מדות there to mean תורה, it is clear that Rabbi Akiva is held up as the ultimate model to follow. Ed.]
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