json/Responsa/Geonim/Epistle of Rav Sherira Gaon/English/Sefaria Community Translation.json

{
    "language": "en",
    "title": "Epistle of Rav Sherira Gaon",
    "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org",
    "versionTitle": "Sefaria Community Translation",
    "actualLanguage": "en",
    "languageFamilyName": "english",
    "isBaseText": false,
    "isSource": false,
    "direction": "ltr",
    "heTitle": "אגרת רב שרירא גאון",
    "categories": [
        "Responsa",
        "Geonim"
    ],
    "text": [
        [
            "You asked, How was the Mishna written? Did the Men of the Great Assembly begin writing it and the sages of each successive generation added a little to it until Rebbi came and sealed it? [This would be reasonable] Since most anonymous statements are [Rebbi's] and [all] anonymous Mishnayot are Rabbi Meir's. [Additionally,] most of the sages that are mentioned in the Talmud are Rabbi Meir, R' Yehuda, R' Yosei and R' Shimon; all of them were students of R' Akiva. [Furthermore, drawing from] the principals that our sages of blessed memory taught us in the Talmud (that the law follows R' Akiva over his colleague, R' Yosei over his colleagues and Rebbi over his colleague) all of [these Rabbanim lived] at the end of the Second Temple. ... Why did the earlier Rabbanim give up most [of the Mishna] to the later [Rabbanim]? This could only be true if none of the Mishna was written until the end of Rebbi's life. ... Furthermore, if the orders [of the Mishna] were organized according to the order of the Tractates, why did they do it [?chronologically?] this way? Why did they precede Yoma to Shekalim, Sukkah to Haggigah and both of them to Rosh Hashana? [This question applies to] any tractate that is not ordered with its fellow [?chronologically?]. ... Furthermore, [regarding] the Tosefta [is it like what] we heard that R' Hiah wrote it after the sealing of the Mishna or [was it written] at the same time as [the Mishna]? And why did R' Hiah write it? If [R' Hiah] make [the Tosefta] as additional things that explain the topics of the Mishna, Why did Rebbi leave them and not write them? Isn't [the Tosefta] said in the name of the sages of the Mishna? ... Also the Braitot, how were they written? Also the Talmud, How was it written? Also the Rabbanan Savorai, How did they edit [the Talmud] after Ravina. Who ruled [i.e. ran the Yeshiva] after them? How many years did they rule from that time until now?         ",
            "ANSWER: Thus we have seen that without a doubt our Holy Master wrote (all) the six parts of the Mishnah, as they were taught, Halakha after Halakha, without adding or subtracting anything. Thus, we also see in the Gemara Yevamot in the chapter הבא על יבמתו: “When was the Mishnah written? in the time of Rabbi.”",
            "The question of why the elders (rabbis) left most of it to their successors, is by no means accurate. In reality, the elders did not leave the major part to their successors, but all of them only taught the doctrines of their predecessors by adding the principles of these. For the scholar Hillel said to the Sons of Bathyra when they elected him Nasi: \"What gave rise to my becoming your Nasi? Your inertia, since you have not remained in contact with the two great doctors of the century, Shemaiah and Abtalion.\"",
            "Thus, among the ancients, it was custom not to publish their names, except those [the names] of the Nasi and Vice-Nasi of the Sanhedrin, because among them there was no controversy, as all knew based on the rules as well as the Talmud, in their study they defended theses and did research on each word. For the Rabbis taught in the chapter יש נוחלין: Hillel, the scholar had 80 disciples; thirty among them would have been worthy that the Shekhinah rested on them as it did on Moses, 30 others would have been worthy that the sun had stopped at their command as at the command of Joshua, son of Nun, and the 20 who remained were of average merit. The most important of all was Jonathan ben Uzziel, the least important Rabban was Jonathan ben Zakkai. It is reported from R. Jochanan ben Zakkai that he had neglected to study neither a passage from the Bible, nor from the Mishna, nor from the Talmud; not a writing from the Halakhot, from the Aggadah, nor a research of Rabbis; not one of the conclusions a minori ad maius (קל וחומר), nor by analogy; not a solar or lunar calculation, not a fable of launderers or foxes, nor the language of trees, demons or angels; not \"a great thing\" (Theosophy) nor “a little thing”. These are the theses of Abaye and Rabba. This proves that even the theses named after Abaye and Rabba did not actually come from them, rather, they all together belonged to older people."
        ]
    ],
    "sectionNames": [
        "Question",
        "Paragraph"
    ]
}