Study Kiddushin folio 57A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
״את״ לא דריש. כדתניא: שמעון העמסוני ואמרי לה נחמיה העמסוני היה דורש כל אתין שבתורה. כיון שהגיע ל״את ה׳ אלהיך תירא״, פירש.
The Talmud answers: This Sage does not interpret the word “et” as a means to derive new halakhot. He considers the word “et” to be an ordinary part of the sentence structure and not a source for exegetical exposition. As it is taught in a baraita: Shimon HaAmasoni, and some say that it was Neḥemya HaAmasoni, would interpret all occurrences of the word “et” in the Torah, deriving additional halakhot with regard to the particular subject matter. Once he reached the verse: “You should fear YHWH your God” (Deuteronomy 6:13), which is written with the added word “et,” he withdrew from this method of exposition, as whose fear could be an extension of the fear of God?
אמרו לו תלמידיו: רבי, כל אתין שדרשת מה תהא עליהם? אמר להם: כשם שקבלתי שכר על הדרישה, כך קבלתי על הפרישה. עד שבא רבי עקיבא ולימד: ״את ה׳ אלהיך תירא״ – לרבות תלמידי חכמים.
His students said to him: Our teacher, what will be with all the occurrences of the word “et” that you interpreted until now? He said to them: Just as I received reward for the exposition, so I received reward for my withdrawal from using this method of exposition. The word “et” in this verse was not explained until R' Akiva came and expounded: “You should fear YHWH your God”: The word “et” serves to include Torah scholars, i.e., that one is commanded to fear them just as one fears God. In any event, Shimon HaAmasoni no longer derived additional halakhot from the word et.
בעגלה ערופה: מנלן? אמרי דבי רבי ינאי: ״כפרה״ כתיב בה, כקדשים.
§ The Mishnah teaches that if a man betroths a woman with a heifer whose neck is broken, she is not betrothed. The Talmud clarifies: From where do we derive that one is prohibited from deriving benefit from a heifer whose neck is broken? The school of R' Yannai said: An expression of atonement was written with regard to it. The verse: “Atone for Your people Israel” (Deuteronomy 21:8), was written with regard to a heifer whose neck was broken, as was also written with regard to sacrificial animals. Therefore, one is prohibited from deriving benefit from it, just as one may not benefit from an offering.