Continuing from yesterday' heated debate, the rabbis argue about halachot. Does the halacha always accord with the unattributed ruling in a Mishna? A number of examples are shared that suggest that halachot might sometimes follow the rulings of certain known rabbis.
A debate about utensils begins this exploration. If a tool/utensil is broken or changed in some way, is it still a tool/utensil? The rabbis look at the brush used for combing wool. If it looses all but one tooth, is it still a utensil? What about two or three remaining teeth? The rabbis rule - based on an unattributed Mishna - that if the utensil is still useful as a tool in any way, even a different way, it is still a utensil. This is important because utensils are subject to ritual impurity.
We move along to better understand the three month waiting period between betrothal and marriage to a yevama by her yibum. The rabbis suggest that certain external events, such as the 9th of Av, affect betrothal in general and with regard to yibum. We learn more about celebration in the times of our Sages. Weddings, which really entailed consummation, were celebrated with feasts and parties. Betrothals, however, were private affairs. The legal work was complete, but the couple was not celebrated as 'married' until consummation.
As often happens, I have found some of the 'beside-the-point' notes far more engaging than the formal subject of the daf. Hmmm...
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