Question: Elsewhere, R. Yehudah does not make such a decree!

(Mishnah - R. Meir): Immediately after the Omer was offered, the markets of Yerushalayim were full of flour and parched grain of Chodosh (grain that took root after last Pesach; it is forbidden until the Omer is brought the next Pesach) - Chachamim disapproved (lest people come to eat grain while processing it before the Omer);

R.Yehudah says, Chachamim approved.

R. Yehudah does not decree lest one will eat it if he deals with it!

Answer #1 (Rava): Harvesting before the Omer must be done by hand [without a scythe] - this reminds him not to eat.

Question (Abaye): Granted, this reminds him not to eat while harvesting, but perhaps he will eat while grinding or sifting!

Answer (Rava): He must grind [unlike the usual manner] with a hand-mill [not with a water-mill], he turns the sifter upside down when sifting.

Objection: It is permitted to harvest Beis ha'Shelachin (a field that must be irrigated) normally - perhaps he will eat!

(Mishnah): One may harvest Beis ha'Shelachin in a valley, but one may not make piles of the grain.

Answer #2 (Abaye): People shun Chodosh (it is forbidden from its inception), they do not shun Chametz [which is permitted all year].

Question (Rava): Indeed, you answer the contradiction in R. Yehudah - but Chachamim also contradict themselves (they are concerned about Chodosh, but not about Chametz!)

Answer (Rava): You already answered for R. Yehudah; Chachamim do not decree about Chametz - since he searches in order to burn it, we are not concerned lest he eat [what he finds]!

Answer #3 (for R. Yehudah - Rav Ashi): R. Yehudah permits flour and parched grain (they are not normally eaten).

Rejection: This is wrong! Granted, we are not concerned lest one eat parched grain - however, perhaps he will eat before it is parched!

Suggestion: Perhaps we are not concerned because he must harvest by hand, like Rava answered!

Rejection: It is permitted to harvest Beis ha'Shelachin normally - perhaps he will eat!

Rav Ashi is refuted.

Question: You cannot say that R. Yehudah [always] decrees when people do not [normally] refrain from something!

(Mishnah): One may not puncture an eggshell and fill it with oil and put it on top of a lamp in order that the oil will drip into the lamp [on Shabbos, lest one take oil for consumption and transgress extinguishing];

It is forbidden to leave oil dripping even from a Kli Cheres [which is repulsive, and makes the oil less appealing];

R. Yehudah permits [both of these. Chachamim's opinion is not difficult - regarding Chametz they permit only because he seeks to burn it.]

Answer: There, people refrain because Shabbos is so severe.

Contradiction: Elsewhere, R. Yehudah is stringent regarding Shabbos!

(Beraisa): If the rope of a bucket broke, one may not tie it, he may make a bow;

R. Yehudah permits to tie a belt, but not to make a bow (he decrees on account of a knot)!

R. Yehudah and Chachamim both contradict themselves!

Answer - part 1 (for Chachamim): Chachamim forbid a weaver's rope on account of a regular rope, for these can be confused - they do not forbid a bow on account of a knot, people do not confuse them.

Answer - part 2 (for R. Yehudah): R. Yehudah does not forbid a bow on account of a knot - rather, he holds that a bow is considered a knot!

Question: Chachamim contradict themselves!

(Mishnah): One may tie a belt on a bucket [to hang it over a pit, for one will not leave it there permanently], one may not tie it with a rope;

R. Yehudah permits.

Question: What kind of rope is it?

Suggestion: It is a regular rope.

Rejection: R. Yehudah would not permit this - surely he will leave it there permanently, it a permanent knot!

Answer: It is a weaver's rope; Chachamim decree to forbid a weaver's rope on account of a regular rope.

Answer: People confuse different kinds of ropes, but they do not confuse a knot and a bow.

Question: Sometimes R. Yehudah decrees even when people refrain!

(Beraisa - R. Yehudah): If a Bechor is sick on account of excess blood, one may not let blood [even in a place that will not make a blemish], even if it will die [even though everyone evades Hekdesh, for fear of transgressing Me'ilah];

Chachamim permit as long as he does not make a Mum.

Answer: There, since a person is frantic lest he suffer a monetary loss, if we permit him in a place that will not make a Mum, he might do so in a place that will make a Mum;

Chachamim disagree - if you forbid everywhere, all the more so he will be frantic and might let blood in a place that will make a Mum!

Question: R. Yehudah does not decree because a person is frantic about his money!

(Mishnah - R. Yehudah): One may not Mekared (comb dirt off an animal), lest it make a wound, but one may Mekartzef (this will be explained);

Chachamim forbid to Mekared, and even to Mekartzef [lest he Mekared].

(Beraisa): Kirud is combing with a thin bristled comb, it wounds; Kartzuf is with a thick bristled comb, it does not wound.

Answer: If one will not let blood from a sick animal, it may die, therefore a person is frantic - if one refrains from combing, the animal will merely have pain, a person is not frantic about this.

Question: Why does R. Yehudah decree regarding Chametz [lest he eat what he finds], but not regarding Kartzuf?

Answer: One can confuse different kinds of bread (Matzah and Chametz) - one would not confuse Kirud with Kartzuf. (Chachamim say that these could be confused.)

(Mishnah - R. Meir): One may eat Chametz [on Erev Pesach] until the end of five hours of the day; we burn it at the beginning of the sixth hour;

R. Yehudah says, one may eat until the end of four hours; we Toleh during the fifth hour, and we burn at the beginning of the sixth hour.

R. Yehudah said further, that two [Chametz] loaves of a Pasul Todah (40 loaves accompany Korban Todah; 10 of them are Chametz) are left on a bench in Har ha'Bayis - as long as both are there, it is permitted to eat;

When one is removed, we Toleh - we may not eat, but we need not burn;

When the second is removed, everyone starts to burn.

R. Gamliel says, Chulin may be eaten until the end of the fourth hour; and Terumah may be eaten until the end of the fifth hour; we burn at the beginning of the sixth hour.

(Gemara - Mishnah - R. Meir): If Reuven and David testify about the same event [in a capital case], and Reuven says that it happened on the second of the month and David says that it was the third, their testimony stands - we assume that Reuven heard that the previous month had 30 days, and David did not hear (he thought it had only 29 days - people often err about this);

If Reuven says that it was the third and David says that it was the fifth, their testimony is disqualified.

If Reuven says that it was in the second hour of the day and David says that it was the third, their testimony stands;

If Reuven says that it was the third and David says that it was the fifth, their testimony is disqualified.

R. Yehudah says, it is valid;

If Reuven says that it was the fifth hour and David says that it was the seventh, [all agree that] their testimony is disqualified, because [people do not err about this -] in the fifth hour the sun is in the east, and in the seventh it is in the west.

Version #1 (Abaye): According to R. Meir, people do not err at all [about the time of day - when Reuven says two and Shimon says three, we assume that] Reuven means the end of the second hour, and David means the start of the third (these are the same);

According to R. Yehudah, people err by half an hour - [when they say three and five,] it really happened in the middle of the fourth hour; Reuven means the end of the third hour - he errs by a half hour in front [he thought that it was earlier];

David means the start of the fifth hour - he errs by a half hour in back.

Version #2 (Abaye): According to R. Meir, people err by Mashehu (a tiny amount) - it really happened at the end of the second hour or the start of the third, one of the witnesses errs Mashehu;

According to R. Yehudah, people err by an hour and Mashehu - it really happened at the end of the third hour or the start of the fifth - one of them errs by an hour and Mashehu (we do not attribute error to both witnesses). (end of Version #2)