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Text Excerpt
ואי צורבא מרבנן הוא, אפילו עצמו. כי הא דרב אשי הוה ידיע ליה בסהדותא לרב כהנא. אמר ליה: מי דכיר מר האי סהדותא? אמר ליה: לא. ולאו הכי והכי הוה? אמר ליה: לא ידענא, לסוף אידכר רב אשי, אסהיד ליה. חזייה לרב כהנא דהוה מחסם. אמר ליה: מי סברת עלך קא סמיכנא? אנא הוא דרמאי אנפשאי ואדכרי.
And if the witness is a Torah scholar, then even if the litigant himself jogged the witness’s memory, the witness may testify. A Torah scholar would not testify if he did not actually remember the testimony himself, as in that case involving Rav Ashi, who knew testimony relating to Rav Kahana. Rav Kahana said to Rav Ashi: Does the Master remember this testimony? Rav Ashi said to him: No. Rav Kahana said to him: Didn’t the incident transpire in such and such a manner? Rav Ashi said to him: I don’t know. Ultimately, Rav Ashi remembered the testimony and testified for Rav Kahana. He saw that Rav Kahana was hesitant [meḥassem] with regard to accepting his testimony, concerned that he had influenced the content of Rav Ashi’s testimony. Rav Ashi said to him: Do you think that I am relying on you? I made an effort, and I remembered the incident.
תנן התם: התלוליות הקרובות בין לעיר ובין לדרך, אחד חדשות ואחד ישנות — טמאות. הרחוקות, חדשות — טהורות, ישנות — טמאות. איזוהי קרובה — חמשים אמה, ואיזו היא ישנה — ששים שנה, דברי רבי מאיר. רבי יהודה אומר: קרובה — שאין קרובה הימנה, ישנה — שאין אדם זוכרה.
§ Apropos recalling testimony, the Talmud adds that we learned there in a Mishnah (Oholot 16:2): Mounds of dirt that are near either to a city or a path, whether these mounds are new or whether they are old, are ritually impure due to the concern that a corpse is buried there. With regard to the mounds that are distant from the city: If they are new they are ritually pure, as, were there a corpse buried there, someone would remember, and if they are old they are impure. The Mishnah elaborates: What is a mound that is near? It is one at a distance of up to 50 cubits. And what is a mound that is old? It is one that was there for more than 60 years; this is the statement of R' Meir. R' Yehuda says: A mound that is near is one that there is no mound closer than it. Old is referring to a mound that no one remembers. According to R' Yehuda, the parameters are not quantifiable.