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Eduyos 2:10-3:1

Eduyos 2:10

Rabbi Akiva also used to say five things about 12 months: the generation of the flood was judged for 12 months; Iyov (Job) was judged for 12 months; the Egyptians were judged for 12 months; in the future, Gog and Magog will be judged for 12 months; the evil people in Gehinnom are judged for 12 months, as per Isaiah 66:23, “It will come to pass, from one new moon to the next” (i.e., from a given month to the same month in the subsequent year). Rabbi Yochanan ben Nun says that some are only judged from Passover until Shavuos, as the verse continues, “and from one Shabbos to the next” (“Shabbos” here referring to these holidays as in Leviticus 23:15-16).

Eduyos 3:1

Let’s say that something that can convey ritual uncleanliness by being under the same roof was divided into pieces smaller than the minimum size and brought into the house. In such a case, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas declares the contents of the house clean but the Sages declare them unclean. If someone touches or carries two half-olives in volume of carrion, or if someone touches a half-olive volume of a corpse and forms a tent over another half-olive volume, or if he touches a half-olive size piece of a corpse and half-olive volume of a corpse forms a tent over him, or if he forms a tent over two half-olive sized pieces, or forms a tent over a half-olive sized piece and a half-olive sized piece forms a tent over him – in all of these cases, Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas declares him ritually clean and the Sages declare him unclean. Regarding a person who touches a half-olive sized piece of a corpse, while something else forms a tent over both him and another half-olive sized piece of a corpse, or if he forms a tent over a half-olive sized piece of a corpse and something else forms a tent over both him and another half-olive sized piece of a corpse, he is clean. Rabbi Meir says that in these cases also Rabbi Dosa declares him clean and the Sages declare him unclean. Everything combines to convey ritual uncleanliness, Rabbi Meir says, except for contact and carrying, or carrying and forming a tent. The general rule is that when two things have the same name (i.e., contact with contact, carrying with carrying and tent with tent), they combine to convey ritual uncleanliness; when they have two different names, they do not.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz