I see that there are different approaches from the achronim how to fix the words "mi'Tzad Shani". The Bach seems to hold that the words should just be omitted. Upon further investigation I looked up the Bomberg Shas and it had the words mi'Tzad Shani just like ours. However,I checked the Munich manuscript(circa 1300s) and found that it did not have these words at all. Is this something that should be taken into consideration or we are not Gores such a find since the Gra already said a pshat?
Shmuel Lefkowitz, United States
Dear Shmuel,
See the Teshuvah of the Noda Beyehudah (II, C"M 39) that points out that none of the main Rishonim - including Rashi and Tosafos - seem to have these words in their text. So the Bach is not alone in saying that they should be omitted.
Interestingly, the Noda Beyehudah comes to the same conclusion as the GR"A regarding the correct text. He says the Gemara should read "MB"D" (MeBeis Din), similar to the GR"A who says "BB"D" (BeBeis Din). (The Noda Beyehuda offers two other possibilities as to the correct text).
It is not surprising that the Vilna Shas and the Bomberg Shas have the same mysterious text. I don't know if the Widow and the Brothers Romm (the publishers of the Vilna Shas) were using the Bomberg Shas as the basis for their work but no doubt the Bomberg Shas figures prominently in the development of all the editions of the Talmud of the modern era being as it is the originator of the basic pagination and layout that we use today.
Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler
This is not a Psak Halachah