1)

(a)The Beraisa describes Nega'im and Ohalos as 'Mikra Mu'at and Halachos Merubos'. This description as inaccurate as far as Nega'im is concerned - because there are many Pesukim written about Nega'im.

(b)To answer this Kashya, Rav Papa amends the Beraisa to read - 'Nega'in Mikra Merubeh v'Halachos Mu'atos; Ohalos Mikra Mu'at v'Halachos Merubos'.

(c)We need to know this so that - should a Safek occur, we will know to look for the resolution in the Pasuk for Nega'im, but in the Mishnah for Ohalos.

2)

(a)Dinin, the first in the list described in our Mishnah as 'Yesh Lahen al Mah she'Yismochu' (in the form of a broad hint, though they are not mentioned explicitly), are in fact, clearly spelled out in the Torah. So the Tana must be referring to Rebbi's interpretation of the Pasuk "v'Nasata Nefesh Tachas Nafesh" - which speaks about someone who meant to strike a man, but inadvertently hit a pregnant woman and killed her.

(b)Rebbi Darshens 'Nesinah ("v'Nasata Nefesh Tachas Nafesh") from Nesinah' ("v'Nasan bi'Felilim"), which speaks in the same case, but where he killed, not the woman, but the baby). He learns - that just as there, ("v'Nasan bi'Felilim" means that) he pays monetary compensation according to the judges' decision, so too here, does "v'Nasata Nefesh Tachas Nafesh" mean that he pays money but is not sentenced to death.

3)

(a)The second item in the current list is Avodos. These too, are well described in many Pesukim. The Tana however, is referring to the Holachas ha'Dam, a major aspect of the Avodas ha'Korbanos which is not clearly mentioned in the Torah.

(b)The Pasuk in Vayikra "v'Hikriv ha'Kohen es ha'Kol v'Hiktir ha'Mizbeichah" - refers to the Avodah of carrying the limbs to the Mizbe'ach, and ...

(c)... "v'Hikrivu Bnei Aharon ... " (written after "v'Shachat es ben ha'Bakar) - to the Kabalas ha'Dam.

(d)It cannot refer to 'Holachas ha'Dam', as it implies - because it is written immediately after the Shechitah, and the Avodah that follows the Shechitah is Kabalas ha'Dam.

4)

(a)Taharos is also spread out over many Pesukim. The aspect of Taharos that is not clearly written in the Torah - is the Shi'ur Mikvah.

(b)We learn from the Pasuk ...

1. ... "v'Rachatz ba'Mayim" - that it has to be water that has automatically gathered in a pool, and not water that has been drawn. We learn this from the fact that "ba'Mayim" is punctuated with a 'Patach' and not with a 'Sheva' (implying special water). See also Tosfos DH 'b'Mei'.

2. ... "es Kol Besaro" - that a Mikvah must contain sufficient water to cover an average person, which is ...

(c)... one Amah by one Amah by three Amos = forty Sa'ah.

5)

(a)The fourth item in the current list is Tum'os, which, like the previous three, are covered by numerous Pesukim in the Torah - except for volume of Tum'as Sheretz - which Chazal assess as the volume of a lentil), which is not written explicitly.

(b)The Torah writes ...

1. ... in Shemini "Kol ha'Nogei's Bahem" - to preclude a minimal amount (less than a lentil-volume), which is not Metamei.

2. ... "Kol Asher Yipol Alav Meihem ... " - that the Shi'ur pertains only to part of the creature, but not to an entire Sheretz.

(c)The Tana Kama of the Beraisa interprets the combination of Bahem and Meihem to mean the size of a lentil - because the smallest size of any Sheretz is that of a baby snail, which is the size of a lentil when it is born (fitting the description 'a bit of it which is like all of it').

(d)Rebbi Yosi b'Rebbi Yehudah interprets it to mean - the tail of a lizard, which shudders like a live animal after it has been cut off (rendering it similar to a complete creature).

6)

(a)Last on the current list is Arayos, which are clearly spelled out in Acharei-Mos and Kedoshim. The case of incest which is not expressly written - is that of a man with the daughter that was born to him from a woman whom he raped (but did not marry).

(b)Rava, quoting Rav Yitzchak bar Avdimi, learns it from a combination of two sources, in Acharei Mos and Kedoshim: "Henah" "Henah" and "Zimah" Zimah". The Torah explicitly writes that if a man raped a woman, her granddaughter is forbidden; whereas the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' of "Heinah" "Heinah" teaches us that relations with a daughter born to him from a woman whom he raped, is considered incest too, just as the Torah does not differentiate between incest with a daughter born to him from a woman whom he married and incest with her daughter (his granddaughter).

(c)We need "Henah" "Henah" to teach us the Isur, and "Zimah" Zimah", that he is sentenced to be burned.

(d)We cannot learn the prohibition by his daughter from that of his granddaughter with a 'Kal va'Chomer' - because of the principle 'Ein Onshin min ha'Din' (Beis-Din cannot derive a Lav or a punishment through a Kal va'Chomer).

7)

(a)The Tana concludes 'Hen Hen Gufei Torah' - suggesting that only the last group referred to in the Mishnah, that are written specifically in the Torah are major parts of Torah. But surely, they all are!

(b)To solve the problem, we amend the statement to read - 'Hen v'Hen Gufei Torah', incorporating all the groups.

8)

(a)When our Mishnah writes 'Ein Dorshin ...

1. ... ba'Arayos bi'Sheloshah' it means - that one may not Darshen the Parashah of Arayos when there are three people (including the Darshen) present.

2. ... v'Lo b'Ma'aseh Bereishis bi'Shenayim' - that one may not Darshen Ma'aseh Bereishis to one person.

3. ... v'Lo b'Merkavah b'Yachid' - that one may not Darshen Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah even on one's own.

(b)After permitting a Chacham who understands to study Ma'aseh ha'Mekavah on his own, the Tana states that if someone delves into one of four things (which we will now discuss) 'Rasuy Lo k'Ilu Lo Ba l'Olam' (it would have been preferable for him not to have been born). 'Rasuy Lo' might also mean - 'it would have been merciful for him not to have been born'.

(c)The meaning of ...

1. ... 'Mah l'Ma'alah u'Mah l'Matah' is - what is above the heads of the Chayos and what is below them.

2. ... 'Mah l'Fanim u'Mah l'Achor' is - what exists beyond the sky to the east and to the west.

(d)'Mah l'Fanim u'Mah l'Achor' might also mean what happened before the world was created, and what will happen after it comes to an end [see Tosfos DH 'Yachol']).

(e)The Mishnah concludes that - somebody who is unsympathetic towards the Honor of his Creator - like the person who asks the above questions, 'Rasuy Lo k'Ilu Lo Ba l'Olam'.

9)

(a)The problem with the continuation of the Mishnah ' ... Ela im Ken Hayah Chacham u'Mevin mi'Da'ato' is - that having just stated that one person (who obviously understands what he is learning) is not permitted to study Ma'aseh ha'Merkavah on his own, how can the Tana then say that if he understands, he may?

(b)We therefore amend it - by replacing the 'Beis' with a 'Lamed' (in all three cases ... 'Ein Dorshin ba'Arayos li'Sheloshah', v'Lo b'Ma'aseh Bereishis li'Shenayim', v'Lo b'Merkavah le'Yachid', meaning to three disciples, to two disciples and to one disciple respectively.

10)

(a)We reject the initial suggestion that the source for the prohibition of Darshening Arayos to three people is the Pasuk "Ish Ish (two) el Kol She'er Besaro (one)" - because then, what will we learn from the same double expression used in connection with the prohibition of cursing Hash-m and that of giving one's children to Molech?

(b)We learn from the double Lashon "Ish Ish" in all three cases, - that Nochrim are included in the prohibition of cursing Hash-m, handing their children to Molech and incest.

11)

(a)And we reject the suggestion that the source for 'Arayos bi'Sheloshah' is the Pasuk in Acharei-Mos "u'Shemartem (two) es Mishmarti" (one) - because if that is so, how will we then Darshen the same expression "u'Shemartem es ha'Shabbos" (Vayakhel), "u'Shemartem es ha'Matzos" (Bo) and "u'Shemartem es Mishmeres ha'Kodesh" (Korach)?

(b)We finally establish the prohibition of teaching 'Arayos' to three people - as being a Rabbinical Isur to teach the aspects of Arayos that are not explicitly mentioned in the Torah to three people, which Chazal forbade, for fear that, whilst he is teaching the Halachah to one of the Talmidim, the other two will get involved in another issue, and not hear what he is telling their friend. This in turn, could result in the most serious consequences regarding the Halachos of Arayos (when the two Talmidim go on to permit incest).

(c)We cannot however, apply the same logic to learning in depth ...

1. ... the rest of the Torah - because we restrict the fear of that happening to Arayos, on the basis of the Mishnah in Makos, which says that a person longs for the opportunity to steal and to commit adultery (for which one has a natural tendency).

2. ... the laws of theft - because a person's Yetzer ha'Ra only overcomes him when he is confronted with the opportunity (and the temptation) to steal (certainly not when he is sitting in a Shi'ur); and it is only in matters like Arayos that the Yetzer ha'Ra works on a person even at a time when the opportunity to sin is not present (even in the middle of a Shi'ur).

12)

(a)We learn from the Pasuk in Va'eschanan ...

1. ... "Ki She'al Na l'Yamim Rishonim" - that only one person Yachid may ask questions about Ma'aseh Bereishis, but not two.

2. ... "l'Min ha'Yom Asher Bara Elokim Adam al ha'Aretz" - that even a Yachid is forbidden to ask about things that pertain to the period before the creation (though we will soon retract from this Derashah).

3. ... "l'Yamim ha'Rishonim Asher Hayu l'Fanecha" - that one is permitted to ask about matters that pertain to after the creation.

4. ... "ul'Miktzeh ha'Shamayim v'Ad Ketzei ha'Shamayim" - that one may not ask about what is above, what is below, what happened before and what will happen afterwards.

(b)Now that we know the prohibition of delving into what existed beyond the boundaries of space and time from the latter Pasuk, Rebbi Elazar learns from "l'Min ha'Yom Asher Bara Elokim Adam al ha'Aretz" - that Adam's initial height was from the earth to the heaven (five hundred year's walking distance).

(c)And he learns from the Pasuk in Tehilim ...

1. ... "Achor va'Kedem Tzartani" - that Hash-m created Adam twice (so to speak), first tall and then, short.

2. ... "va'Tashes Alai Kapecha" - that after Adam sinned, Hash-m placed His Hand on him and reduced his size.