## Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II

###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:1
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ואחר שבקש שלמה ומצא את הגנוז בתורה שבכתב, החל לשבח כח דברי חכמים, ואמר דברי חכמים כדרבונות וכמסמרות נטועים בעלי אסופות. לפי פשוטו הביא כח שני אופני גדולי התורה שבכל דור. יש הנקראים חכמים, שמעמיקים להוציא הוראה ממקרא, ומיישבים רוכסי ההלכה, ויש בעלי אסופות, המה המאספים דינים מפוזרים עפ"י תורה שבכתב לסדר נכון, וכמש"כ באות ו' שהזהיר ישעיה הנביא שלא יהיה לנו דבר ה' זעיר שם זעיר שם, וכבר הזהירה התורה ע"ז כדאיתא בעירובין ד' נ"ד ב' ומנין עד שתהא סדורה בפיהם שנאמר שימה בפיהם,

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
**THE WISE AND THE “MASTERS OF COLLECTIONS”**
AFTER KING SOLOMON searched and found that which was concealed within the Written Torah, he began to praise the power of the words of the sages: “The words of the wise are like goads, and like implanted nails are the sayings of the masters of collections….”¹ According to the simple meaning, [Solomon] is discussing the strengths of the two categories of Torah giants that exist in every generation. Some are referred to as “wise” because they delve deeply into the Torah in order to produce [novel] laws from Scripture and return the lost laws [to us].² There are also “masters of collections” who gather the laws that are scattered throughout the Written Torah and organize them in a proper order. We wrote about this in Chapter 6 regarding the prophet Isaiah’s exhortation to [the scholars of his generation that their learning should not consist of], “a little here, a little there.” Indeed, the Torah [itself] exhorts [us] regarding this as well. As stated in Tractate *Eruvin* 54b, “From whence is it known that [the Jewish people must toil in the study of the Torah] until it is well organized within their mouths? [From the verse], ‘You shall place it [the Torah] within their mouths.’”³

footnotes:
¹ Eccl. 12:11.
² Perhaps this is a reference to laws that were forgotten during the mourning period for Moses. It may also include laws that would be forgotten in subsequent generations.
³ Deut. 31:19.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:2
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וכבר החל עתניאל ב"ק וחבורתו לאסוף ולכנוס ולעשות משנה אחת מדינים מפוזרים בתורה ומשום זה נקראו משפחות סופרים. ואי' בירושלמי שקלים פ"ה מה ת"ל סופרים, אלא שעשו התורה ספורות ספורות, חמשה לא יתרומו, ה' מינים חייבים בחלה, ט"ו נשים פוטרות צרותיהם, ל"ו כריתות בתורה, י"ג דברים בנבלת העוף הטהור, ארבעה אבות נזיקין, אבות מלאכות ארבעים תסר א', וכל אלו הפרטים אינם מפורשים כל אחד במקומו, כי אם אחר הקבוץ ממקומות מפוזרים, כמו חמשה לא יתרומו, חשו"ק והתורם את שאינו שלו ונכרי, והנה חשו"ק ונכרי אימעוט מפרשה של תרומת המשכן כדאיתא בירו' ריש מ' תרומות, והתורם את שאינו שלו אימעיט מדכתיב בפ' קרח כן תרימו גם אתם,

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Osniel ben Kenaz and his colleagues had already organized laws, as they gathered, categorized and produced a collection of the oral laws of one mishnah [i.e., those relating to a particular subject], from the precepts that were scattered throughout the Torah. It is for this reason that [Osniel and his yeshiva] are referred to as “families of *soferim*.” This is stated in the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate *Shekalim* 5:1 , [pertaining to I Chronicles 2:55, “The families of *sof’rim* who dwelled with Ya’abetz”]:⁴ Why [are the colleagues of Osniel] referred to as *soferim*, literally ‘enumerators’? Because they [grouped all the laws relating to specific topics, which] they then enumerated [according to category]:⁵ can be translated as both “scribes” and “those who enumerate.” “Five types of people should not separate *terumah*”;⁶ 1:1. “[There are] five types of [baked goods from which one is] required to separate *hallah*”;⁷ 1:1. “Fifteen categories of women cause their co-wives to be exempt from *yibbum*”;⁸ 2a. For example, if a man dies without issue, his brother is required to marry the deceased’s wife. However, if doing so constituted a violation of Torah law – for example, if the widow were his wife’s sister – then he would be exempt. The *Mishnah* adds that the co-wives of the deceased brother’s other wives would also be exempt from *yibbum* since one of his wives has already been exempted. This is explained in detail in chapter 11. “Thirty-six transgressions mentioned in the Torah are punishable by *kares*”;⁹ 1:1. *Kares* is Divine punishment by premature or sudden death. See chapter 11 where this concept is discussed in further detail. “Thirteen rules [pertain to ritual impurity] regarding the carcass of a fowl”;¹⁰ 1:1. “There are four principal categories of damages’;¹¹ ‘Thirty-nine major forms of work are forbidden on the Sabbath.”¹² 73a. All the details [of the examples cited, which were derived by the yeshiva of Ya’abetz], were not taken from the context of one [Scriptural] location. These [categorizations] were produced by collecting the laws from various, scattered sources. [For example], the mishnah in *Terumos*, “Five types of people should not separate *terumah:* a deaf person, an insane person, a minor, one who separates [*terumah*] from produce that does not belong to him, and a non-Jew.” The exclusion of the deaf person, the insane person and the minor are derived from the passage pertaining to tithes given for the Tabernacle,¹³ as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud at the beginning of Tractate *Terumos*,¹⁴ whereas the exclusion of the one who is not the owner of the grain comes from the verse in the section of *Korah*, “So shall you, too, set aside a *terumah* for God.”¹⁵ for someone else if he had permission from the owner to act as his agent.

footnotes:
⁴ See Part 1, chapter 6, in which Osniel is also referred to as Ya’abetz.
⁵ The word soferim
⁶ Terumah
⁷ Hallah
⁸ Yevamos
⁹ Taharos
¹⁰ Taharos
¹¹ Bava Kama 2a.
¹² Shabbos
¹³ Ex. 25:2 states, “They shall take for Me a portion; from every man whose heart motivates him, you shall take My portion.” The Jerusalem Talmud reads the words “every man” as excluding a minor and a deaf person. An insane person is excluded by use of the words, “whose heart (read here as understanding) motivates him.” According to Halachah, minors and the deaf are considered to lack understanding.
¹⁴ 1:1.
¹⁵ Num. 18:28. From this verse the Talmud derives that one can only set aside Terumah


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:3
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[הוספה מכת"י אלא בתנחומא פ' תרומה אי' דגם זה למדנו מדכתיב בזו הפ' מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו וגו'.]

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
[HOWEVER, [IT IS understood that my example does not] accord with the *Midrash Tanchuma* on the Torah portion of *Terumah.* This law is also derived from the passage about [the tithes given for the Tabernacle]: “‘From every man whose heart motivates him you shall take.’ [This teaches us] that you can only set aside for *Terumah*] that which is your own.”]


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:4
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וכן כל פרט, וזוהי חכמת בעלי אסופות. ואמר שלמה אשר דברי חכמים כדרבונות, שמלמדים האיך להוציא הוראה ממקרא, והאיך להבין שמועה, והמשיל זה לדרבן שמלמד את הפרה ליישר דרכיה לתת חיים לעולם, ודברי בעלי אסופות כמסמרות נטועים, שהם נקבעים בסדר נכון כמו נטע שיהא בנקל אפשר לספרן לדעת כמה מסמרות הן, משא"כ אם היו מעורבבים בלי סדר.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
This same [approach] is applied to all halachic details. This method of collecting and classifying the laws is [a reflection of] the wisdom of the “Masters of Collections.” When Solomon states that “the words of the wise are like goads,” [he is referring] to the method of deriving [novel] laws from Scripture and understanding tradition properly. He compares [this method] of deriving law from Scripture, to using a goad to train an ox to walk in a proper path so that it may provide life to the world.¹⁶ The words of the “Masters of Collections” are like “implanted nails,” as they are nailed in a well-organized fashion, [like] saplings [that are planted in rows] so that they are readily counted, thus enabling one to keep track of the number of plants. We would not be able to count the number of nails if they were not arranged in an organized manner.

footnotes:
¹⁶ When directing an ox in the proper path it plows the field properly, thereby bringing sustenance to the world.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:5
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והוסיף שלמה להמשיל בלשון נטועים ולא אמר סדורים, וכבר הרבו לדרוש ע"ז במדרש קהלת. ולפי דברינו יש להסביר דהתועלת מספורות התורה עפ"י בעלי אסופות, גדול הרבה מתועלת קביעת מסמרות בסדר נכוז, שהמסמרות אינם מועילים אלא לדעת המספר של המסמרות הנראים לנו, אבל ספורות התורה לא באו כדי לזכור הכללים לבד, שנזכור דחמשה לא יתרומו, דבזה אין תועלת לתכלית ההוראה, אלא בזה שזוכר הכלל שם לב לזכור הפרטים, שאם נשכח ממנו אחד מהני חמשה, ע"כ ייגע עצמו עד שבא למלוי המנין, מה שא"כ אילו לא היה יודע זה המספר לא היה יודע מה שחסר ממנו. מש"ה המשיל זה התועלת לנטיעים שגוף הנטע גורם התפשטות שרשים מתחת וענפים למעלה, ה"נ זכירת הכלל גורם לתזכיר הפרטים שהוא התכלית, עפ"י יגיעה ועמל תורה, זהו פשוטו של מקרא.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
The reason Solomon added that the nails are planted rather than well-organized (a question already addressed extensively in *Koheles Rabbah*)¹⁷ may be explained according to what we have just explained. The benefit derived from the enumerations of the laws by the “masters of collections” is much greater than the advantage of having nails arranged in a well-organized fashion. Organized nails only enable us to count what is visible, whereas enumerating the Torah laws not only assists us in remembering the Torah rules themselves, such as that there are five types of people who should not remove *Terumah* (which does not assist one in deciding the Halachah), but also [helps us to] take care to remember the particulars of this rule. For [by understanding why these five are listed and no other,] if one of the five [*Terumah*] laws should be forgotten, [a scholar] will be able to toil and analyze [the particulars of the four laws he remembers] deeply in order to derive [that forgotten law and thus list the proper number] that corresponds to that enumeration. If one did not know this enumeration, it would not be possible to determine [the scope of the *Terumah* rule] and reinstate the proper number. For this reason, Solomon compared the benefit of [well-organized laws] to planted nails [resembling] saplings. Just as a sapling’s stem causes the roots to spread in the ground below and the branches above, so is the main purpose of a rule to cause one to remember its particulars by toiling and exerting oneself in the study of Torah. This is the plain meaning of this verse [in *Koheles*].

footnotes:
¹⁷ Parashah 12.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:6
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וכמו שהיה בימי קהלת שני מיני גדולי תורה, חכמים ובעלי אסופות, ככה היה בכל דור, ור"ע נקרא אוצר בלום ותניא באדר"נ פ' י"א למה ר"ע דומה לפועל שנטל קופתו ויצא לחוץ מצא חטים מניח בה מצא שעורים מניח בה כוסמין מניח בה כו' כיון שנכנס לביתו מברר חטים בפ"ע שעורים בפ"ע כו' כך עשה ר"ע, ועשה כל התורה טבעות טבעות.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Just as there were two types of Torah giants in the time of Koheles, the “wise” and the “masters of collections,” so too do these two types of Torah giants exist throughout the generations. [For instance], Rabbi Akiva is described as being “an overflowing storehouse.”¹⁸ 67a. [Further,] in *Avos de-Rabbi Nasan*11,¹⁹. it is taught: “He was like a worker who carried a basket when he went to [market to purchase grain]. When he found wheat, he put it [in the basket], when he found barley, he put it [in that basket], when he found spelt he put it in the basket…. When he returned home, he separated the wheat, the barley, etc. R. Akiva did the same [with Jewish law], as he made the entire Torah into a number of various rings [groups].”²⁰

footnotes:
¹⁸ See Gittin
¹⁹ It is actually chapter 18 of Avos de-Rabbi Nasan
²⁰ Later in this chapter the Netziv explains the meaning of rings as referring to the gathering of laws.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:7
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הבאור, שר"ע היה בו שני הכחות בשלמות, בבהמ"ד פלפל בחכמה שנכנס מענין לענין, וכשהיה בפ"ע עשה סימנים לתורה וסדר כל פרטי הענין בפ"ע, ואח"כ מסר לתלמידיו לכ"א ואחד כפי כחו היותר שלם בו, ומסר לר' יהודה ת"כ ולר' שמעון ספרי, המה דרשות על סדר הכתובים ברוב חכמה ודקדוקי המקרא, אבל אינו מסודר כל ענין כל הלכותיו יחד, ולר' מאיר מסר סדרי משנה שאסף וקיבץ פרטים המפוזרים לענין אחד, כמו פרק ראשון בברכות נכלל בו דיני ק"ש שמקורם בפ' ואתחנן ועקב, וזכירת י"מ שהוא בפ' ראה, וברכות ק"ש שמרומז בפסוק שבע ביום הללתיך כדאי' בירו' שם, ור"מ קבצן כעמיר למקום אחד באשר שכל אלה נכללו במצוות ק"ש.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
The explanation of this [passage] is that R. Akiva possessed these two qualities of [Talmudic scholarship] in the most complete manner. When he was involved with teaching in the academy, he applied pilpul with wisdom to the various [subjects] that were discussed there. When he studied by himself, he created signs for the Torah by organizing the details of the various areas of [Jewish law] into separate collections organized [according to topic].²¹ Afterwards he transmitted these collections to his students, [being careful] to transmit to his [best] students [specific] areas [that matched] their talents.²² 86a: “Whenever an anonymous opinion is stated in the M*ishnah* [the statement is the view of] R. Meir…. An anonymous opinion stated in the *Sifra* [*Toras Kohanim*] is [the statement of] R. Yehuda, [and] an anonymous opinion stated in the *Sifrei*[is the statement] of R. Shimeon. All these [anonymous opinions] are in accordance with R. Akiva.” He transmitted the *Toras Kohanim* to R. Yehuda and the *Sifrei* to R. Shimon. These [works] consist of [R. Akiva’s] inferences organized according to the order of Scripture, to which he devoted much wisdom and exegesis. [Since these works follow the sequence of Scripture], not all the laws are organized according to topic. He transmitted the Orders of the Mishnah to R. Meir, who then gathered and collected the details of various laws organized according to topic [that had] been scattered [throughout the Torah]. For instance, in the first chapter of Tractate *Berachos* pertaining to the [reading of the *shema*: the sources of the laws of reading the *shema* are from the Torah portions of *Va-es’hannan* and *Ekev*; the law to remember the Exodus from Egypt is derived from *Re’eh*, and, as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud,²³ 1:5. the laws of the blessings of the *shema* are alluded to in the verse [from Psalms], “Seven times a day I have praised you.”²⁴ R. Meir collected the laws as stalks of grain and gathered them into a bundle [organized them in the first chapter of *Berachos*], as these laws relate to reading the *shema*.

footnotes:
²¹ The Netziv is explaining why the parable uses these examples. Going to market refers to meeting with others in order to engage in pilpul, as one interacts with others in the marketplace. When he returns home, he puts the produce in separate baskets, meaning he categorizes the laws, but this task is done on one’s own.
²² See Tractate Sanhedrin
²³ Tractate Berachos
²⁴ 119:164.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:8
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וכן עשו בעת בנין התלמוד, שהיו בהם דברי הכמים לחקור דקדוק ועומק המשנה, וגם היו בהם בעלי אסופות, וחברו מס' סופרים ועוד מם' קטנות, וגם בגמרא גופא נמצא טבעות מכמה מאמרים, וגם הזהירו ע"ז כדאיתא במס' שבת ד' ק"ד עשה סימנים לתורה וקנה אותה, ופרש"י סימנין של סדר שמועה דתנא או אמורא בגירסא שלא תשכח אחד מהן כגון אלו שבש"ס. וכן אחר התלמוד היה רבינו השאלתות ובה"ג ורי"ף בעלי אסופות שאספו מים התלמודים למקום אחד, וכן אחריהם הרמב"ם וכדומה, ובעלי התוס' היו חכמים להוריד שפע ידיעות בעומק התלמוד, וכן נמשך מדור לדור, שני מיני גדולי תורה אלו כל אחד לפי דרכו בחכמה, וכל אחד לפי דעתו בסדור. כל זה הוא משמעות אותו הפסוק.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
These [two approaches] were also applied during the time of the building of the Talmud. Among the writings of the Talmud were works that emanated from the “words of the wise,” who derived them by meticulous analysis of the words and by delving deeply into the deep meaning of the Mishnah. In addition, there were the “masters of collections” who compiled the smaller Tractates²⁵ such as Tractate *Soferim.* In fact, in the Gemara itself, we find [“rings”] groupings from many Amoraic statements. Indeed, [the sages] in Tractate *Shabbos* 104a cautioned, “Make signs for the Torah and acquire it.” Rashi explains that this refers to organizing the laws scattered throughout the six Orders of the Talmud; this constitutes “signs” for the legal traditions of a tanna or amora [that are reflected] in the wording [of the accumulated laws] so they should not be forgotten.

footnotes:
²⁵ The Smaller Tractates were compiled during the later part of the amoraic era.


###### Haamek Sheilah on Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon, Kidmat HaEmek, Part II 8:9
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וכן אחר התלמוד היה רבינו השאלתות ובה"ג ורי"ף בעלי אסופות שאספו מים התלמודים למקום אחד, וכן אחריהם הרמב"ם וכדומה, ובעלי התוס' היו חכמים להוריד שפע ידיעות בעומק התלמוד, וכן נמשך מדור לדור, שני מיני גדולי תורה אלו כל אחד לפי דרכו בחכמה, וכל אחד לפי דעתו בסדור. כל זה הוא משמעות אותו הפסוק.

**The path of Torah, introduction to Ha'amek she'elah. Trans. by Elchanan Greenman. Urim, 2009:**
Similarly, after the completion of the Talmud, our masters, the She’iltos, the Bahag and Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi, functioned as the “masters of collections,” as they gathered waters from the various sections of the Talmud into a single location. This continued after them with Rambam and the like, while the master Tosafists were the “wise” who delved deeply into the understanding of the Talmud, and they made accessible the plethora of knowledge contained therein. These two types of Torah giants continued from one generation to the next, each according to his approach in wisdom, each according to his method in organization. All that has been stated in this chapter is the understanding of this verse: [“The words of the wise are like goads, and the sayings of the masters of collections, are like implanted nails…”].