1)

(a)What did Rebbi Yochanan ben Gudgoda testify in our Mishnah with regard to ...

1. ... a Chereshes whose father married her off when she was a Ketanah? What about a Chereshes who accepted her own Kidushin as a Gedolah?

2. ... a Ketanah bas Yisrael who is married to a Kohen? What is the Chidush?

(b)Who inherits the latter in the event of her death?

(c)And what did Rebbi Yochanan ben Gudgoda testify with regard to ...

1. ... a stolen beam which the thief built into his mansion? Why is that?

2. ... a stolen Chatas which is not publicly known to have been stolen? What is the reason for this ruling?

(d)Why did Rebbi insert this Mishnah here?

2)

(a)Rava extrapolates a leniency regarding a Get from Rebbi Yochanan ben Gudgoda. What does the husband do after having shown the witnesses the Get (not in his wife's presence) that he is about to give his wife? What does he tell his wife as he hands her the Get?

(b)Why is not obvious that following the Tana's words, such a Get will be valid?

(c)How do we know that the husband did not in fact, cancel the Get?

(d)Why would a person do such a strange thing? Why does he not want to divorce his wife directly?

3)

(a)How do we know that a Chereshes who is married to a Kohen is not permitted to eat Terumah?

(b)Why can the reason for this Halachah not be because we are afraid that if she marries a Cheresh Kohen (who cannot acquire [a wife] min ha'Torah) he may feed her?

(c)We conclude that what we are afraid of is that perhaps a Cheresh Kohen will then feed his wife who is a Pikachas. Seeing as that Kidushin too, is only mid'Rabanan, why should he not be permitted to feed her Terumah d'Rabanan (such as vegetables and fruit [other than grain, wine and oil])?

(d)The ruling in our Mishnah that if a thief built a stolen beam into his mansion, he may pay the value of the beam is the opinion of Beis Hillel. What do Beis Shamai say?

4)

(a)And we learned in our Mishnah that a stolen Chatas which is not publicly known to have been stolen - will atone for its new owner. Ula explains that min ha'Torah, whether the Chatas is known to have been stolen or not, it will not atone for the thief. Why not?

(b)Ula adds that the reason the Chachamim decreed that it atones, is in order that the Kohanim should not be depressed. What does this mean? Why should the deeds of the thief cause the Kohanim to become depressed?

(c)If the reason is as Ula states, then why did the Mishnah give the reason as 'Tikun Mizbe'ach'?

(d)By what authority did the Chachamim exempt the thief from bringing the Chatas that he was obligated to bring? Why is this not considered uprooting the Torah?

55b----------------------------------------55b

5)

(a)Rav Yehudah disagrees with Ula. According to him, min ha'Torah, the Chatas atones for the thief whether the theft is publicly known or not. Why is that?

(b)Then why did the Chachamim decree that if it is, it will not atone?

(c)According to Ula, it is easy to understand why the Tana talks specifically about a Chatas, rather than the more common Olah. Why is that?

(d)But why does the Tana talk about a Chatas according to Rav Yehudah, seeing as we are only concerned with the Mizbe'ach eating something that is stolen?

6)

(a)According to Rav Yehudah, why does the Tana say 'Al Chatas ha'Gezulah she'Lo Nod'ah la'Rabim she'Hi Mechaperes ... ', since, according to him, the decree was on 'Chatas ha'Gezulah she'Nod'ah la'Rabim'?

7)

(a)What does the Mishnah in Bava Kama say about someone who steals an animal and then declare it Hekdesh before slaughtering or selling it with regard to payment of double and four or five times?

(b)In the latter case, why is the thief exempt from paying four or five times?

(c)What does the Beraisa add to the Mishnah regarding Shechutei Chutz?

(d)According to Ula, asks Rava, who maintains that Yi'ush does not acquire, how can he can possibly become Chayav Kares. How does Rav Shizbi answer Rava's Kashya?

8)

(a)Why did everybody laugh at Rav Shizbi? What did Rava comment when they all laughed at Rav Shizbi?

(b)So how did Rava explain Rav Shizbi's statement?

(c)Rava was initially in a dilemma whether the Rabanan placed the animal in the domain of the thief from the time of the theft, or from the time that he declared it Hekdesh. What are the ramifications of Rava's She'eilah?

(d)What made him conclude like the second side of the She'eilah?

9)

(a)What is a Sikrikun?

(b)Which battle is our Mishnah referring to when he says 'Lo Hayah Sikrikun bi'Yehudah ba'Harugei Milchamah'?

(c)According to the Mishnah Rishonah, why is the sale void, if someone purchases a field ...

1. ... from the Sikrikun and then from the owner?

2. ... that is designated for the wife's Kesuvah from the husband and then from the wife?

(d)What will be the Din if someone first purchased the field from the owner or the wife, and then from the Sikrikun or the husband?

10)

(a)The Mishnah Acharonah requires someone who purchases a field from a Sikrikun to pay the owner a quarter of the price (rather than go with him to Beis-Din). Why specifically a quarter?

(b)What will happen should the owner wish to redeem his field from the Sikrikun after the Sikrikun has offered it to the would-be purchaser (see Tosfos-Yom Tov)?

(c)What did Rebbi and his specially-appointed Beis-Din decide regarding this matter?

11)

(a)What problem do we have with the Tana's statement that there was no Sikrikun during the time of the final battle with Titus, but there was afterwards?

(b)Rav Yehudah therefore explains that what the Tana means is (not that there was no Sikrikun, but) that they did not judge the Din Sikrikun. What is the Din Sikrikun?

(c)How do we then interpret this statement? What does 'Lo Hayah Sikrikun bi'Yehudah ba'Harugei Milchamah' then mean?

(d)Why not? On what principle is this ruling based?

12)

(a)Rav Asi bases the opening statement in our Mishnah on the three orders issued by Titus. The first of these was that anyone who did not kill a Jew would himself be killed. What would happen to anybody who killed a Jew, following ...

1. ... the second command?

2. ... the third command?

(b)To which of these does the first half of the opening statement ('Lo Hayah Sikrikun ... ') pertain?

(c)What would be the owner's reasoning in selling to the Sikrikun, following the third command?

13)

(a)What advice can we learn from the Pasuk in Mishlei "Ashrei Adam Mefached Tamid ... "?

(b)In the same vein, why did a certain man instruct his servant to invite Kamtza to his Se'udah, but not bar Kamtza?

(c)What did he do when he discovered that the servant had inadvertently mixed up the two names and invited bar Kamtza instead of Kamtza?

(d)What did bar Kamtza offer the man to be allowed to remain after he refused his offer of ...

1. ... payment for his portion?

2. ... payment for half the Se'udah?

(e)What did the owner of the Se'udah then do?