In this sugya, the Rabbis take a step back and question the very foundation of their project. This short text allows us to encounter some Mishnah, Gemara, and even a bit of Torah. We broke this down into three chevruta sessions, but (as always!) y’all are encouraged to learn at the pace that feels best to you.
Prep the Sugya
Just like in the bet midrash, the SVARA method for DIY Learning starts with prepping the text in chevruta. In this step, you’ll move through a section of the sugya word by word, identifying each word’s root and core meaning, and creating an inside translation. Use the Hint Sheet to help break down any tricky words and the Kra Sheet to get context for any scriptural quotations you encounter. If you don’t have a bound masechet, you can download a digital daf to learn from.
We recommend breaking down the sugya into smaller sections as you cycle through the four steps of the SVARA method. This sugya begins with the mishnah in the middle of Kidushin 40b. We suggest learning this text in the following sections:
1) מתני׳ כל שישנו … אינו מן היישוב
This sugya continues in the Gemara severa lines after the end of the Mishnah.
2) וכבר היה רבי טרפון … או מעשה גדול
3) נענה רבי טרפון … מביא לידי מעשה
Create an Outside Translation
After you’ve prepped a chunk of text, going word-by-word, in chevruta, it’s time to move from your inside translation to an outside translation. Make your best guess by identifying the verbs, subjects, and objects, inserting punctuation, and getting a feel for the back-and-forth structure of the text. In a SVARA Bet Midrash it would now be time for Shiur—time to unpack the text with a teacher all your bet midrash comrades. For DIY learning, listen to these recordings to compare your translation with a SVARA teacher’s. Coming soon, we’ll post some videos of SVARA staffers unpacking this sugya a little deeper in chevruta!
Below are recordings of a teacher reading and translating each section of text.
1) מתני׳ כל שישנו במקרא ובמשנה ובדרך ארץ לא במהרה הוא חוטא שנאמר והחוט המשלש לא במהרה ינתק וכל שאינו לא במקרא ולא במשנה ולא בדרך ארץ אינו מן היישוב
Reading
Translating
2) וכבר היה רבי טרפון וזקנים מסובין בעלית בית נתזה בלוד נשאלה שאילה זו בפניהם תלמוד גדול או מעשה גדול
Reading
Translating
3) נענה רבי טרפון ואמר מעשה גדול נענה רבי עקיבא ואמר תלמוד גדול נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה
Reading
Translating
Go Deeper
Can’t get enough of this sugya? Neither can we! Our DIY Chevruta resources now include a range of SVARA commentary on our all-time favorite texts. Check out the articles below by our faculty and fairies in Hot Off the Shtender and the discussion of this sugya by Rosh Yeshiva Benay Lappe and Dan Libenson on The Oral Talmud.
Did this sugya inspire you to make art, music, poetry, pottery, or another type of creative expression? We’d love to display your commentary in whatever form it takes in the SVARA gallery. (You can check out what others have made too.)
Want to dig in even further? Let’s connect in fairy hours!