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Sefer Chafetz Chayim
The Response of the Chavot Ya’ir

in his studies at the level of his ability. This law is brought down
in Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deh’Ah paragraph #246, sub-paragraph
#11. Therefore, since Rebbe knew Levi was a great man, incredible
in his learning abilities and the mistake (in learning) that Levi made
was totally inconsistent with his abilities because he slacked off
in his concentration on his studies. (Regarding this) The gemara
teaches at the end of Sotah (49a) “when Rebbe passed away,
humility ceased to exist in the world.”

Occasionally this type of language was used in a sarcastic (mocking),
joking way as Rebbe Yochanan said to Rebbe Chiyyah Bar Abba in
Gemara Babba Batra (107b) and Gemara Bechorot (18a) “While you
were eating Kafnayatah in Bavel” and there, in Gemara Bechorot,
Tosafot explain in the citation beginning with the words “While
you were eating” that “Kafnayatah” are bad (unripened) dates. It
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seems to me, using the approach of our sage (and commentator
on mishnayot) Rabbeinu M’Bartanura at the end of the first perek
of Mishnayot Orlah, explaining the word “Kafnayot (plural)” that
they are unripened fruit and that this is what Rebbe Yochanan said
to Rebbe Chiyyah Bar Abba: Bavel is a very low-lying country,
the deepest in the entire world, and most certainly the dates there
are exceedingly good, as the mishnah in the first perek of Bikurim
th
informs us (in the 10 mishnah), except that one must wait until
they have ripened before eating them. Someone who rushes to eat
these dates before they are ripe will obviously be eating bad dates.
Here too, Chiyyah Bar Abba (was too hasty and) did not delve into
the core of this mishnah (and made mistakes) and that is why Rebbe
Yochanan told him in two places in Shas “You should have learned
the meaning of the Mishnah from its conclusion.”

Similarly in Gemara Gittin (41a) (regarding Ami Shapir Na’eh,
his name, which translates as “Ami Good Looking,” meaning) just
because he is called Ami Shapir Na’eh it does not mean that what
he was saying is good. We see Amora’im calling their colleagues
“Tardah / foolish person” as that is how Rabbah addressed Rav
Amram in Babba Metziah at the end of the first perek (20a) and how
Rebbe Chiyyah addressed Rebbe Zerah (Gemara Zevachim 25b).

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