קְבָעָן פָּלָנְיָא. לָא הֲוָה יָדַע מַאי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ, אֲתָא שְׁאֵיל בֵּי מִדְרָשָׁא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גְּזָלַן אֲמַר לָךְ, דִּכְתִיב: ״הֲיִקְבַּע אָדָם אֱלֹהִים״ וגו׳. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא מִבַּרְנִישׁ לְרַב אַשִׁי: אִי הֲוַאי הָתָם הֲוָה אָמִינָא לֵיהּ: הֵיכִי קְבָעָךְ, בְּמַאי קְבָעָךְ, וְאַמַּאי קְבָעָךְ? וּמִמֵּילָא הֲוָה יָדְעִינָא. וְאִיהוּ סָבַר: מִילְּתָא דְּאִיסּוּרָא קָאָמַר לֵיהּ.

So-and-so keva’a from me. Levi did not understand what that man was saying to him, as he did not know the meaning of the word kava . So he went and asked in the study hall. They said to him: That man said to you: He robbed me, as it is written: “Will a man rob [ hayikba ] God?” (Malachi 3:8). Rava from a place called Barnish said to Rav Ashi: Had I been there in Levi’s place I would have tried to uncover the meaning of the word in a different way, for I would have said to him: How did he keva’a you? With what did he keva’a you? And why did he keva’a you? And from his answers I would have understood on my own what was being said. The Gemara comments: And Levi, who did not do this, thought that the man was talking about a matter of prohibition and not a monetary matter, and so asking the man these questions would not have helped, as they are relevant only to monetary matters.

לָא הָווּ יָדְעִי רַבָּנַן מַאי סֵירוּגִין. שְׁמָעוּהָ לְאַמְתָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי דְּחָזַתְנְהוּ רַבָּנַן דְּהָווּ עָיְילִי פִּסְקֵי, פִּסְקֵי. אֲמַרָה לְהוּ: עַד מָתַי אַתֶּם נִכְנָסִין סֵירוּגִין סֵירוּגִין!

The Gemara continues its discussion of unusual words: The Sages did not know the meaning of the word seirugin , which is found in a mishna. One day they heard the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house say to the Sages whom she saw entering the house not all at once, but intermittently: How long shall you enter seirugin seirugin ? and from this they understood that the word seirugin means: At intervals.

לָא הָווּ יָדְעִי רַבָּנַן מַאי חֲלוֹגְלוֹגוֹת. יוֹמָא חַד שְׁמָעוּהָ לְאַמְתָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי דְּחָזֵית לְהַהוּא גַּבְרָא דְּקָא מְבַדַּר פַּרְפַּחִינֵיהּ, אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: עַד מָתַי אַתָּה מְפַזֵּר חֲלוֹגְלוֹגְךָ?

It is similarly recounted that the Sages did not know the meaning of the word ḥaloglogot , which is mentioned in various mishnayot and baraitot . One day they heard the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house say to a certain man whom she saw scattering his purslane plants: How long shall you scatter your ḥaloglogot ? So they understood that ḥaloglogot means purslane.

לָא הָווּ יָדְעִי רַבָּנַן מַאי ״סַלְסְלֶהָ וּתְרוֹמְמֶךָ״. יוֹמָא חַד שְׁמָעוּהָ לְאַמְתָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי דַּהֲוַות אֲמַרָה לְהַהוּא גַּבְרָא דַּהֲוָה קָא מְהַפֵּךְ בִּשְׂעָרֵיהּ, אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: עַד מָתַי אַתָּה מְסַלְסֵל בִּשְׂעָרְךָ?

The Sages also did not know the meaning of the word salseleha in the verse: “ Salseleha and it will exalt you” (Proverbs 4:8). One day they heard the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house say to a certain man who was curling his hair: How long shall you mesalsel your hair? And from this they understood that the verse means: Turn wisdom about, and it will exalt you.

לָא הָווּ יָדְעִי רַבָּנַן מַאי ״וְטֵאטֵאתִיהָ בְּמַטְאֲטֵא הַשְׁמֵד״. יוֹמָא חַד שְׁמָעוּהָ לְאַמְתָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי דַּהֲוַות אֲמַרָה לַחֲבֶירְתָּהּ: שְׁקוֹלִי טַאטֵיתָא וְטַאֲטִי בֵּיתָא.

It is further related that the Sages did not know the meaning of the words in the verse: “And sweep it [ vetetetiha ] with the broom [ matatei ] of destruction” (Isaiah 14:23). One day they heard the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house saying to her workmate: Take a broom [ tateita ] and sweep [ ta’ati ] the house,” and they understood the meaning of these words.

לָא הָווּ יָדְעִי רַבָּנַן מַאי ״הַשְׁלֵךְ עַל ה׳ יְהָבְךָ וְהוּא יְכַלְכְּלֶךָ״. אֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה אָזְלִינָא בַּהֲדֵי הַהוּא טַיָּיעָא, הֲוָה דָּרֵינָא טוּנָא, וַאֲמַר לִי: שְׁקוֹל יְהָבִיךְ וּשְׁדֵי אַגַּמְלַאי.

The Sages also did not know the meaning of the word yehavkha in the verse: “Cast your load [ yehavkha ] upon the Lord and He will sustain you” (Psalms 55:23). Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: One day I was traveling with a certain Arab [ Tayya’a ], and I was carrying a load, and he said to me: Take your yehav and cast it on my camel, and from this I understood that yehav means a load.

מתני׳ שׁוֹפָר שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁל יָעֵל, פָּשׁוּט, וּפִיו מְצוּפֶּה זָהָב, וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת מִן הַצְּדָדִין. שׁוֹפָר מַאֲרִיךְ וַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת מְקַצְּרוֹת, שֶׁמִּצְוַת הַיּוֹם בְּשׁוֹפָר.

The shofar that was used on Rosh HaShana in the Temple was made from the straight horn of an ibex, and its mouth, the mouthpiece into which one blows, was plated with gold. And there were two trumpets, one on each of the two sides of the person sounding the shofar . The shofar would sound a long blast, whereas the trumpets would sound a short blast, because the mitzva of the day is with the shofar .

וּבְתַעֲנִיּוֹת בְּשֶׁל זְכָרִים, כְּפוּפִין וּפִיהֶן מְצוּפֶּה כֶּסֶף, וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת בָּאֶמְצַע. שׁוֹפָר מְקַצֵּר וַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת מַאֲרִיכוֹת, שֶׁמִּצְוַת הַיּוֹם בַּחֲצוֹצְרוֹת.

And in contrast, the shofarot used on public fast days were made from the curved horns of rams, and their mouths were plated with silver. There were two trumpets in the middle between the shofarot , and the shofar would sound a short blast, whereas the trumpets would sound a long blast, for the mitzva of the day is with the trumpets.

שָׁוֶה הַיּוֹבֵל לְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַתְּקִיעָה וְלַבְּרָכוֹת. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה תּוֹקְעִין בְּשֶׁל זְכָרִים, וּבַיּוֹבְלוֹת בְּשֶׁל יְעֵלִים.

Yom Kippur of the Jubilee Year is the same as Rosh HaShana with regard to both the shofar blasts that are sounded and the additional blessings that are recited in the Amida prayer. Rabbi Yehuda disagrees and says: There is a difference between the two days: On Rosh HaShana one blows with horns of rams, whereas in Jubilee Years one blows with horns of ibexes.

גמ׳ אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: מִצְוָה שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְשֶׁל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים בִּכְפוּפִין, וְשֶׁל כָּל הַשָּׁנָה בִּפְשׁוּטִין. וְהָתְנַן: שׁוֹפָר שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁל יָעֵל פָּשׁוּט! הוּא דַּאֲמַר כִּי הַאי תַּנָּא; דְּתַנְיָא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה הָיוּ תּוֹקְעִין בְּשֶׁל זְכָרִים כְּפוּפִין, וּבַיּוֹבְלוֹת בְּשֶׁל יְעֵלִים.

Rabbi Levi said: The mitzva of Rosh HaShana and of Yom Kippur of the Jubilee Year is to blow with curved shofarot , and that of the rest of the year, on fast days, is to blow with straight shofarot . But didn’t we learn differently in the mishna: The shofar that was used on Rosh HaShana was made from the straight horn of an ibex? The Gemara answers: Rabbi Levi said his statement in accordance with the opinion of that tanna , Rabbi Yehuda, as it was taught in a baraita : Rabbi Yehuda says: On Rosh HaShana they would blow with the curved horns of rams, and on the Days of Atonement of the Jubilee Years with the horns of ibexes.

וְלֵימָא: הִלְכְתָא כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה! אִי אָמְרַתְּ הִלְכְתָא כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, הֲוָה אָמִינָא אֲפִילּוּ שֶׁל יוֹבֵל נַמִי כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סְבִירָא לֵיהּ. קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן.

The Gemara asks: If so, let it simply say that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda. Why was it necessary to quote the baraita in full, as if it provided new information? The Gemara explains: If you had said that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, I would have said that he, Rabbi Levi, holds in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda even with regard to the shofar used in the Jubilee Year, i.e., that one must blow with the horn of ibexes at that time. Therefore, the Gemara teaches us that he agrees with Rabbi Yehuda only with regard to Rosh HaShana, and not with regard to any other matter.

בְּמַאי קָמִיפַּלְגִי? מָר סָבַר: בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה – כַּמָּה דְּכָיֵיף אִינִישׁ דַּעֲתֵיהּ טְפֵי מַעֲלֵי; וּבְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים – כַּמָּה דְּפָשֵׁיט אִינִישׁ דַּעֲתֵיהּ טְפֵי מַעֲלֵי. וּמָר סָבַר: בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כַּמָּה דְּפָשֵׁיט אִינִישׁ דַּעֲתֵיהּ טְפֵי מַעֲלֵי; וּבְתַעֲנִיּוֹת כַּמָּה דְּכָיֵיף אִינִישׁ דַּעֲתֵיהּ טְפֵי מַעֲלֵי.

The Gemara asks: With regard to what principle do these tanna’im disagree? One Sage, Rabbi Yehuda, holds that on Rosh HaShana the more a person bends his mind and humbles himself by bending in prayer, the better. Therefore, a curved shofar is sounded as an allusion to our bent minds and bodies. But on Yom Kippur, the more a person straightens his mind and prays with simplicity, the better. Therefore, a straight shofar is sounded. The other Sage, the anonymous tanna of the mishna, maintains the opposite: On Rosh HaShana, the more a person straightens his mind and avoids any crookedness, the better. On fasts, on the other hand, the more a person bends his mind and humbles himself, the better.