Sanhedrin: A Literal Diagnostic


In a series of articles exploring Talmudic Logic, discovery displays interpreted text in an understandable manner, free from rabbinical propagation soliciting adherence to rigid traditional dogma.

Today we address Sanhedrin 5b and illogical logic.

Sanhedrin 5b

מש למר דקא קרי בן אחי ומש למר דקא קרי בן אחותי וכי תימא הכי הוה מעשה והאמר מר איבו וחנה ושילא ומרתא ורבי חייא כולהו בני אבא בר אחא כרסלא מכפרי הוו רב בר אחוה דהוה בר אחתיה רבה בר חנה בר אחוה דלאו בר אחתיה

This incident raises several questions, which the Gemara asks in sequence. What is different concerning this Sage, Rabba bar Ḥana, that Rabbi Ḥiyya called him: My brother’s son, and what is different concerning that Sage, Rav, that Rabbi Ḥiyya called him: My sister’s son? And if you would say that this was the situation: Rabba bar Ḥana was his brother’s son and Rav was his sister’s son, but doesn’t the Master say: Aivu, Rav’s father, and Ḥana, the father of Rabba bar Ḥana, and Sheila, and Marta, and Rabbi Ḥiyya, were all sons of Abba bar Aḥa Karsala from Kafrei? Consequently, Rav would also be Rabbi Ḥiyya’s brother’s son.

The Gemara answers: Rav was his brother’s son who was also his sister’s son, as Rabbi Ḥiyya’s half-brother married Rabbi Ḥiyya’s half-sister; while Rabba bar Ḥana was his brother’s son who was not his sister’s son. Therefore, he referred to Rav in a manner that emphasized the additional relationship.

ואי בעית אימא

And if you wish, say instead that he called him: My sister’s son, for a different reason:

5bה׳ ב

על שם חכמתו דכתיב אמור לחכמה אחותי את

It was due to his extraordinary wisdom, as it is written: “Say to wisdom: You are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4). Therefore, calling him: My sister’s son, was an indication of his great wisdom.

יתיר בכורות אל יתיר מאי טעמא אילימא משום דלא חכים הא קא אמרינן דחכים טובא אלא משום דלא בקיע במומי

The Gemara had related that Rabbi Ḥiyya asked Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: May Rav declare a firstborn animal permitted, and that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had responded: He may not declare such an animal permitted.

The Gemara asks: What is the reason that he denied him this permission? If we say that it was because Rav was not sufficiently wise and learned, but that is difficult, as we already said that he was exceedingly wise. Rather, it must be that it was because, although he was quite knowledgeable about the halakha, he was not an expert with regard to blemishes, meaning that he lacked the practical expertise to apply the halakha to actual cases.

Here the discussion deals with whether an animal should be permitted for sacrifice or not. The logic used for wisdom is the following:

It was due to his extraordinary wisdom, as it is written: “Say to wisdom: You are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4). Therefore, calling him: My sister’s son, was an indication of his great wisdom.”

This connotates that EVERY sister’s son indicates great wisdom over all those who are not a sisters son, but not necessarily correct in understanding a situation “because, although he was quite knowledgeable about the halakha, he was not an expert with regard to blemishes” according to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.

In short, if you have a sister, who has a son, that son has great wisdom with this logic.

This we know is a false statement.

Not EVERYONE who has a nephew from a sister can say that nephew has great wisdom! Far from this opinion cries logic and wisdom.

Examples such as above can be found throughout Talmud and can be easily misunderstood AND TAUGHT incorrectly as applying to logic, where in reality this was a nice opinion by the Rabbi.

We have many instances where there are equally bad opinions by Rabbi and not so nice commentary.

Moving on we see a further explanation from Gemara.

והאמר רב שמונה עשר חדשים גדלתי אצל רועה בהמה לידע איזה מום קבוע ואיזה מום עובר אלא לחלק לו כבוד לרבה בר חנה

The Gemara rejects this answer. But didn’t Rav say: I apprenticed with a shepherd for eighteen months in order to be able to know which blemish is a permanent blemish, and which is a temporary blemish? Evidently, he had a high level of practical expertise in this matter.

The Gemara explains: Rather, it was in order to bestow honor upon Rabba bar Ḥana. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi wanted to ensure that Rabba bar Ḥana would be treated with respect, so he made sure that there was an area of halakha with regard to which the people would not be able to consult with Rav and would need to consult with Rabba bar Ḥana instead.

ואיבעית אימא משום הא גופיה דרב בקיע במומי טפי ושרי מומי דלא ידעי אינשי ואמרי כי האי גוונא שרא רב ואתו למשרי מום עובר

And if you wish, say instead: It is due to this fact itself: Since Rav was a great expert with regard to blemishes, he would permit blemishes that average people do not know about. And as a result, they would erroneously say with regard to a different blemish: In a case like this Rav declared the animal permitted, and in this way they would come to erroneously permit an animal with a temporary blemish, believing it to be identical to the blemish that Rav had declared permitted. Due to this concern, Rav was denied the authority to declare firstborn animals permitted on the basis of a blemish.

Here we find a further answer that basically says since Rav is too much of an expert, since he was trained to spot blemishes for 18 months, average people might mistake what he is saying and make an error.

We now must have further explanation why Rav cannot teach about animal sacrifice, although he is an expert, since the average person will error or perhaps misunderstand his expertness, or what he says without Rav catching on or correcting them.

This is told though another incident,

וטעו נמי בהא מי קרמיון ומי פיגה פסולין מפני שהן מי (בצעים) ואינהו סבור מדלגבי חטאת פסילי אכשורי נמי לא מכשרי ולא היא התם לענין חטאת בעינן מים חיים הכא אכשורי כל דהו מכשרי

And the residents of that same place erred also with regard to this: It was taught in a mishna (Para 8:10): The waters of the Keramiyyon River and the waters of the Piga River are not fit for mixing with ashes of the red heifer to use as water of purification, since they are water from swamps.

And they erroneously thought: Since this water is not fit for use as water of purification, this means it is not considered water, and therefore it also does not render food susceptible to contracting impurity. But it is not so, as there, with regard to water of purification, we need: “Running water” (see Numbers 19:17), and water from swamps is not running water. But here, with regard to rendering food susceptible to impurity, any water renders food susceptible.

תנא באותה שעה גזרו תלמיד אל יורה אלא אם כן נוטל רשות מרבו

It was taught: At that time, when Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi discovered the consequences resulting from a Torah scholar who was not precise with his terminology, the Sages decreed: A Torah scholar may not teach halakha unless he receives permission from his teacher to do so. The teacher should not grant him this permission if he does not know how to express himself in a clear manner.

What it all comes down to, the logical answer – through an illogical explanation is this,

The Sages decreed: A Torah scholar may not teach halakha unless he receives permission from his teacher to do so.”

That’s it in a nutshell and what defines all Yeshiva.

You must receive permission to teach, not only the “the correct opinionated version” of Torah, but have the approval of your “mentor” or head Rabbi, the Rosh HaYeshiva from which you were produced.

Why do I say produce?

Production or indoctrination is a requirement. The thoughts are not your own thoughts, nor can they be.

The thoughts must adhere to the teaching approved by Rosh through Rashi and RamBam agreed upon dogma.

Outside interpretation or linear opinion have no place in Talmudic Logic unless approved by those who control the narrative.

The interpretation of Sanhedrin 5b here can be argued five different ways from five different Rabbi, from five different Yeshiva.

Who is correct? The sages said…and the Gemara answers.

In actuality it is the Rabbi of your Yeshiva that tells you the interpretation and that word is final, unless countered directly by a superior Rabbi.

In Israel, we have multiple factions Hasidic, Haredi, Sephardic. The Haredi Senior board of Rabbi’s determine all decisions and Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman is the Rosh of Bnei Brak Yeshiva’s.

Other influential Seniors are Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, Rabbi Yaakov Zissholtz, Rabbi Nissan, and Rabbi Kanievsky who claims he is speaking directly with Moshiach.

The Ger Hasidic had a split in 2019, which was a long time coming and is now under the banner of Rebbe Yaakov Alter and his cousin Shaul Alter, Rosh of Ger Yeshiva.

The Sephardic is under Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, the son of deceased Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who was the top rabbinic leader. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/176100

According to Haaretz,

Ger, also known as Gur, is special. The largest Hasidic court in Israel (and one of the three largest in the world along with Chabad and Satmar) has unparalleled political and financial power, and its thousands of Hasidim are ruled with an iron fist. It’s a community with branches across Israel and in the United States and Europe, but with the characteristics of a closed cult where the leader dictates the most intimate details of the lives of his followers, who are dependent on him for everything.” source

The Haaretz article goes on to say,

The generation of all-powerful rabbis has died out. Even the tiny handful of holy nonagenarians like Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky at 91, the current senior “Lithuanian” rabbi, have to be carefully packaged and sold to the public — which is why his boosters invented the title “minister of Torah” for him. The people just know too much about the rabbis and are no longer afraid of them.”

Obviously all communicable Talmud ideology still flows from these branches of newly created Sanhedrin dogma which was written by the RamBam (Egyptian Nagid) and Rashi (French rabbinical) proselytes.

Rashi from France was a prolific intelligent scribe versed in multiple lingua of Greek, Latin, Masoretic, Arabic, and slavic language. He was also able to coin new French words like “sage” translated from Greek sophos and integrating these words into tractate.

The word sage today is used by every rabbis as an English word translation, however the word is translated from Greek into French, not Masoretic or Aramaic.

Abraham Maimonides succeeded his Father, the RamBam, as Nagid in Egypt and through his Islamic sufi mystic beliefs the kabbalah would take a foothold in Talmudic logic.

Through the edification of his son Abraham, Maimonides, considered a heretic by both French and Spanish Yeshiva up until his death, would become solidified as a scribe second only to Moses for their new religion developed after the 11th century CE and finally to the printing press during the Partitions of Poland in the 16th century by Daniel Bomberg.

The Islamic roots of RamBam and his son Abraham’s writings, notably the phrase “The Holy One, Blessed be He,” are clear fingerprints of Muslim scribes interlaced within tractate. The aggadah, or fictional texts prove as much, as well as the immense use of greek and latin words translated to Masoretic.

Scholars must acknowledge during this time, and in fact for 900 years, Islam dominated the landscape for both Christians and Jews from the Levant to Cordoba, and their traditions as well as superstitions would become a joint intercession within the diaspora trek for those considered Zydom.

I have no doubt as Rabbi Kanievsky claims, that HaMashiach will be here soon, but He won’t be the Moshiach the Sanhedrin is looking for.

Leave a Comment