1)

(a)Prior to reciting the Berachah before Leining - Rebbi Meir requires one to roll the Sefer-Torah shut - because people might otherwise think that the Berachah is written in the Torah.

(b)Rebbi Yehudah does not consider this necessary - because everyone knows that it is not.

(c)Rebbi Meir's reason is similar to a statement of Ula (who says that the Ba'al Korei should not assist the translator - because people might otherwise think that the translation (i.e. Targum Unklus) is written in the Torah.

(d)Rebbi Yehudah will agree with Ula. Nevertheless, he does not consider it necessary to roll the Sefer-Torah shut whilst reciting the Berachah - because whereas such an error is feasible with regard to the translation, it is not with regard to the Berachah, which everyone knows is not written in the Torah.

2)

(a)Rebbi Zeira quoting Rav Masna rules that one opens the Sefer-Torah and Leins directly, without needing to first roll it shut. He does not rule specifically like Rebbi Yehudah - because he switches the names.

(b)He also rules that Luchos and Bimos have no Kedushah.

1. Luchos - are the covers of Sefarim that are not written in scroll form (see also Tosfos DH 'ha'Lichos').

2. ... Bimos - are similar to our Bimah (on which one rests the Sefer-Torah), but for the king, for the Mitzvah of Hakheil every eighth year. (See above 26b. where the Gemara already discussed the regular Bimah, referring to it as 'Kursaya'.)

3)

(a)The Golel (the person doing G'lilah) must ensure that when he finishes rolling the Sefer-Torah shut, the stitches are in the middle (so that should the Sefer tear from the pressure, it will tear by the stitches).

(b)When Rebbi Yochanan says that the Golel must ...

1. ... roll it from the outside and not from the inside - he means that an individual (in Shul) who is sitting down with the Seifer-Torah on his knees, rolling it from one place to another, should take care to roll it inwards, because if he rolls it outwards, the Seifer is likely to roll off his knees on to the floor.

2. ... tighten it from the inside and not from the outside - he means that when he has finished rolling, he should roll it shut and tighten it facing outwards, because if he tightens it inwards, he will cover the writing with his arms, and it is a Mitzvah to show the writing to the congregants.

(c)Gelilah - should be given to the most important person present (because Hagbahah is the most important Aliyah). Note: Gelilah is interpreted as Hagbahah (raising the Seifer to show the people), which is the main part of the Mitzvah (and it appears that the two were normally performed by the same person, who is called the 'Golel').

(d)This Halachah is based on a statement of Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who said that the Golel takes the reward of all of them - meaning that he receives as much reward as all the other Aliyos combined (but not that they do not receive any reward at all, as the wording of his statement implies).

4)

(a)When Rebbi Yochanan said 'Mishtamshin be'Bas-Kol' - he meant that if someone who has a query as to whether to go ahead and do something or not, he is permitted to act upon the advice of a Bas-Kol.

(b)Before one can assume it to be a Bas-Kol, the voice ...

1. ... in town - must be that of a man (because women were more commonly found in town, and if the voice had been that of a women, it would probably have been that of a woman, and not a Bas-Kol at all).

2. ... out of town - must be that of a woman (because there it was men who were more frequently found, and had it been the voice of a man, it would probably have been that of a man, and not of a Bas-Kol at all).

(c)One would not accept the advice of the Bas Kol if it said 'Yes' or 'No' - unless it said 'Yes yes' or 'No no'.

5)

(a)Initially, Rebbi Yochanan is quoted as interpreting the Pasuk in Yechezkel "ve'Gam Ani Nasati Lahem Chukim Lo Tovim, Mishpatim Lo Yichyu Bahem" - to refer to someone who learns Torah she'bi'Ch'sav without the Trop (the Neginos) or Torah she'b'Al Peh without a tune.

(b)Abaye objects to that explanation however - on the grounds that it is simply not feasible for someone to be penalized because he is perhaps, not musically inclined.

(c)So we finally quote Rebbi Yochanan as saying - that the Pasuk refers to two Talmidei-Chachamim who live in the same town and who do not intercommunicate in their learning.

6)

(a)Rebbi Yochanan is also quoted as saying that anyone who holds the (parchment of the) Sefer-Torah without a cloth is buried naked. Since it can neither be meant literally nor that he will be buried without any Mitzvos - what he must really means is that he will lose whichever Mitzvah he was performing at the time.

(b)One should not attach the cloth of the Sefer-Torah to the Sefer-Torah - by rolling the Torah round the cloth.

7)

(a)Moshe instituted the Takanah - of Leining the Parshah of each Yom-Tov on that Tom-Tov.

(b)We learn it from the Pasuk in Emor - "va'Yedaber Moshe es Mo'adei Hash-m el B'nei Yisrael" (which is otherwise superfluous).

(c)He also instituted - that on each Yom-Tov, one should learn the Halachos of that Yom-Tov (Pesach, Shavu'os and Sukos).