Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

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Zevachim 80: הָא ״תַּחְתּוֹנִים עָלוּ לוֹ״ קָתָנֵי! לְשֵׁם שִׁירַיִם

jyungar December 3, 2025

For the source text click/tap here: Zevachim 80

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Rav Ashi says that Rabbi Eliezer says that liquids do not necessarily mix evenly, but since only a minute amount fell in, between the two sprinkles, at least one will include chatas water. Tosfos (80a Rav Ashi) asks why Rav Ashi did not agree with Rish Lakish, and only emphasize that only a minute amount fell in? Just as Rav Ashi says that between two sprinkles we assume some chatas water is included, we can apply the same logic to say that between the two sprinkles, a minimum amount of chatas was included.

Tosfos says that Rav Ashi must be saying that we assume that there is valid chatas water between the two, and not that one is exclusively chatas water, since it is impossible for the minute amount to be too small to split in two. Tosfos Yom Tov (Para 9:1) cites this Tosfos, and agrees that mathematically, any amount can be divided into two.

We explore Xeno’s paradox as to how something may continually be divided and talmud mathematics in general.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​