The question posed by Rav Ada may look complicated but is actually quite straightforward. The basket has not changed by being swallowed, and the Mishnah in Kelim (25:9) says that the item must have a significant change if it is to lose its status of Tum'ah, so that part is straightforward.

The more complex question would be if the elephant swallowed the flax leaves and then a basket was made after they were extricated from the elephant. Do such leaves have the status of Kli Glalim - a more lenient type of utensil for Tum'ah purposes?

Rav Ada expected Rav Dimi to at least fend off the first question and deal with the more complex one, but he did not answer either.

The Agadic aspect is unclear here but the moral of the story is that one must be very careful of insulting a Talmid Chacham and one way to do this is to ask him on matters which are not generally studied. In the Gemara, we find (Bava Metzia 114) that the Amora'im were sometimes not familiar with the laws of Tum'ah and therefore this should not be a test of their knowledge.

It is possible that Rav Ada is hinting to Rav Dimi that one can study and "swallow" one's learning and then regurgitate it without it really affecting him, hinting that such study does not make a person a Talmid Chacham.

Yoel Domb