[Avodah] Farfetched Ukimtas

[Micha Berger]

My first thought was somewhat off topic but feel like it should be
related... R' Yirmiyah's banishment from Bavel was over his habit of
checking shiurim by posing implausible edge cases. He ends up in EY,
and succeeds in the Y-mi.

The final question (BB 23b) before his expulsion was whether we assume
owned a bird that had one leg within 50 amos of the dovecote (ie within
the shiur for the chazaqah for assuming that's its origin) and one
leg outside?

But there is also when he questions tevu'ah growing at least 1/3 before
RH if harvested on Sukkos. Veqim lehu lerabbanan? How can you measure
such a thing? (RH 13a)

And his question on hashavas aveidah of 1/2 qav in 2 amos, or 2 qav in
8 amos? We assume yi'ush if we find less than 1 qas scattered across 3
amos. Is that a ratio? (BM 2a)

How can you say that a revi'is is the amount of mayim chayim that the
blood of a metzorah's birds would be niqar within? Wouldn't it depend
on the size of the bird? (Sotah 16b)

What if a kohein becomes a baal mum while the dam is in the air between
his hazayah and it landing on the mizveiach? (Zevachim 15a)

According to R' Meir, a miscarriage that was developed enough to have
the shape of a beheimah causes tum'as leidah. (As opposed to saying it
must be human shaped.) So, R Yirmiyah asked R Zeira, according to R
Meir, what if a woman gives birth to such a baby, a girl and the
father was meqadeish her to a man? R' Zeira points out that the child
wouldn't live 3 years anyway, so bi'ah isn't an issue. R Meir asks:
but what about marrying her sister?
This one may or may not count, as R' Acha bar Yaaqov says that R
Yirmiyah's point was to get R Zeira to laugh. (Niddar 23a) But it
does reflect what kind of thing would come to his mind.

(Tangent: There are a number of stories that indicate R Zeira needed
chearing up. Like the golam Rava sent him. RMMS tied this to "Rav
shachat lei leR Zeira".)


But when he gets to EY, the Y-mi accepts his question. (Not that the Y-mi
ever answers questions that involve guessing what the tanna / amora would
have said...) A picker can eat a snack (quantity discussed) before tu"m
was taken from the crop. As long as he is holing them. R Yirmiyah asked
whether a picker can eat an olive he was juggling -- and thus didn't
put down but also isn't just picked. (Maaseros 3:4, vilna daf 17b)


Maybe the issue in the OP is about this time rejecting an absurd -- R
Yirmiyahu-like -- oqimta is just the difference in styles in different
batei medrash? Too haskala-ish to be satisfying?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 30th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        4 weeks and 2 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Gevurah sheb'Hod: When does capitulation
Fax: (270) 514-1507                  result in holding back from others?