The Beraisa says 'Techilas ha'Seifer ve'Sofo' K'dei Lagul'. Based on the Beraisa that we just learned, the problem with this statement is - that Mah Nafshach, if 'Lagul' means enough space to surround the Eitz Chayim, then 'Sofo' is a Kashya, whereas if it means enough space to surround the entire Seifer, then 'Techilas ha'Seifer' is a Kashya.

Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak answers 'li'Tzedadin Katani', by which he means - that when the Tana speaks about 'Techilas ha'Seifer', he means enough space to surround the Eitz Chayim, whereas when he speaks about 'Sofo', he means enough space to surround the entire Seifer.

According to Rav Ashi's answer, the Tana is talking (not about Torah, Nevi'im and Kesuvim, but) about Torah alone, and as we learned in another Beraisa, although all other Sefarim are rolled around one Eitz Chayim from beginning to end - Sifrei-Torah are rolled to the middle around two Atzei Chayim (hence the Tana says 'K'dei Lagul' both at the beginning and at the end).

Rebbi Eliezer b'Rebbi Tzadok gave testimonial - that this was indeed the Minhag of the Sofrim of Yerushalayim.

The Beraisa requires the length of a Seifer-Torah - to be equal to its circumference.

Rebbi gives the length of a Seifer-Torah written on G'vil as six Tefachim. G'vil - is a parchment manufactured from the full skin of an animal, whereas K'laf is one half of the skin after it has been spliced.

He does not know the appropriate length of a Seifer-Torah written on K'laf (for its circumference to equal its length).

Out of seventy Sifrei-Torah that Rav Huna wrote on K'laf, only one of them fitted the specifications of Rebbi. Rav Acha bar Ya'akov wrote only one on calf-skin, yet he managed to get it right first time. As a result - the Rabbanan gave him an Ayin ha'Ra from which he died.

When the Rabbanan told Rav Hamnuna that Rebbi Ami wrote four hundred Sifrei-Torah - he retorted that what they probably meant was that he wrote "Torah Tzivah lanu Moshe, Morashah Kehilas Ya'akov" four hundred times (see Tosfos DH 'Dilma').

And when Rava told Rebbi Zeira that Rebbi Yanai planted four hundred vineyards - he retorted that what they probably meant was that he had planted four minimum-size vineyards consisting of five vines, four in a square, and the fifth, sticking out like a tail.

The Mishnah in Sotah considers this a vineyard - with regard to a soldier who planted a vineyard and has not yet redeemed its fruit having to return from the battlefront.

According to Rebbi Meir in a Beraisa, each Amah of the Aron that Moshe made (2 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2) comprised six Tefachim. The Luchos measured - six by six Tefachim.

After the Luchos were placed inside it side by side along the length of the Aron, two Tefachim space remained inside the Aron (not counting the thickness of the walls).

Each wall of the Aron was - half a Tefach thick.

We learn from the Pasuk "Ein ba'Aron Rak Sh'nei Luchos ha'Avanim" that the Seifer-Torah was placed inside the Aron, too - because of the principle that two exclusions next to each other ("Ein" and "Rak") come to include.

Widthwise, the Torah took up six of the eight Tefachim space inside the Aron - leaving two Tefachim empty, so as not to squash the Seifer-Torah into a cramped space.

Rebbi Yehudah concedes that the Amah of the Luchos comprised six Tefachim, but he argues - that each Amah of the Aron comprised only five.

The total length of the Aron was therefore twelve and a half Tefachim. According to him ...

... the walls were - an Etzba (a quarter of a Tefach) thick.

... no space at all remained inside the Aron once the Luchos were inside it.

After deducting the six Tefachim taken up by the Luchos across the width of the Aron - one Tefach space remained, in which the two silver rods (referred to in Shir Hashirim) were placed (one on either side of the Luchos).

According to Rebbi Yehudah, the Seifer-Torah was placed - on top of the box containing the gifts that the P'lishtim sent to Yisrael. The box in turn, was placed beside the Aron.

Rebbi Yehudah learns this from the Pasuk in Vayeilech "Lako'ach es Seifer ha'Torah ha'Zos ve'Samtem Oso mi'Tzad ha'Aron B'ris Hash-m". According to him, the Pasuk "Ein ba'Aron Rak Sh'nei Luchos Avanim" comes to include - the broken Luchos.

They were placed underneath the whole ones.

We learned earlier that a Seifer-Torah is rolled on two Atzei Chayim to the middle - posing a Kashya on Rebbi Meir, since the Seifer-Torah would then have exceeded two Tefachim in width, and would not have fitted into the two Tefachim space in the Aron.

Rav Acha bar Ya'akov answers this Kashya - by differentiating between Sifrei-Torah in general and the Seifer-Torah that was placed in the Azarah, which was rolled onto only one Eitz-Chayim.

To answer the Kashya that in any event, how can an object of two Tefachim fit into a space of two Tefachim, Rav Ashi answers - that, in order to diminish its width, they rolled the first part of the Seifer into a second roll, placing the small roll on top of the larger one.

According to Rebbi Yehudah, before the episode with the P'lishtim, the Seifer-Torah was placed on a ledge attached to the outside of the Aron.

According to Rebbi Meir ...

... the term "mi'Tzad Aron B'ris Hash-m" - teaches us that the Seifer-Torah had to be placed at the side of the Aron, and not in between the two Luchos.

... the silver rods - were placed outside the Aron.

... we know that the broken Luchos were also placed inside the Aron - from the Navi's insertion of the extra "Shem" in the Pasuk in Shmuel (in connection with the Aron) "asher Nikra Shem Shem Hash-m Tzevakos Yoshev ha'Keruvim alav".

To explain what Rebbi Yehudah includes from this Pasuk, we cite Rebbi Yochanan in the name of Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai, who states - that the seventy Names of Hash-m were also placed inside the Aron.

We conclude that Rebbi Meir too, agrees with Rebbi Yehudah in this point. He learns from the Pasuk in Ki Sisa (in connection with the Luchos) "asher Shibarta ... ve'Samtem ba'Aron" that the broken Luchos were placed in the Aron, too - since the words "asher Shibarta" are superfluous.

Rebbi Yehudah Darshens from "asher Shibarta" - that Hash-m thanked Moshe for breaking the Luchos (as if it had written "Yeyasher (Kochacha) she'Shibarta"), as we learned in Shabbos.

The Beraisa lists the Sefarim of T'nach. The first four Sefarim in Nevi'im are Yehoshua, Shoftim, Shmuel and Melachim. The second four are - Yirmiyah, Yechezkel, Yeshayah and T'rei-Asar (the twelve 'minor' prophets).

When the Navi writes "Techilas Diber Hash-m es Hoshe'a", he cannot be taken literally, since there were many Ne'vi'im who preceded him, starting with the Avos and Moshe Rabeinu. So what he really means is - that Hoshe'a was the first of the Nevi'im who prophesied in that era, Hoshe'a, Yeshayah, Amos and Michah.

His Seifer listed in the T'rei-Asar after those of Yirmiyah, Yechezkel and Yeshayah - because it appears as part of the T'rei-Asar, which ends appropriately with Chagai, Zecharyah and Mal'achi, the last three prophets.

And the reason that it is listed there is - because it is too short to appear as an independent Seifer (of prophecy, bearing in mind that there are shorter Sefarim than Hoshe'a in Kesuvim), since it would then be insignificant.

The chronological sequence of the Nevi'im, Yirmiyah, Yechezkel and Yeshayah is - Yeshayah (whose prophesy began in the days of Uziyah, two hundred years before the Churban), Yirmiyah (who prophesied during the period leading up to the Churban) and Yechezkel (who prophesied in Bavel in the days of Tzidkiyahu, the last king, immediately prior to the Churban).

The reason that ...

... Yirmiyah precedes Yeshayah is - because, like the end of Melachim, which it follows, it deals entirely with the topic of the Churban.

... Yechezkel follows Yirmiyah is because the beginning deals with the Churban, whereas the end deals with consolation.

... Yeshayah follows Yechezkel is - because the latter ends with consolation, whereas the former deals entirely with consolation.

Kesuvim comprises eleven Sefarim. Iyov, Mishlei, Koheles, Shir Hashirim, Kinos (Eichah), Daniel and Esther comprize the middle seven.

The first two are - Rus and Tehilim.

The last two are - Ezra and Divrei Hayamim.

The sequence of the Sefarim in Kesuvim is clear (as we shall see shortly) assuming that Iyov was written in the days of the Queen of Sheba. Even if Iyov lived in the days of Moshe however, as some maintain, the first Seifer in Kesuvim is that of Rus. It cannot be Iyov - because it is inappropriate to begin Kesuvim with a book of suffering.

Indeed, Rus is full of suffering, too. But it does end on a happy note, inasmuch as it records the lineage of David Hamelech, who is the forerunner of Mashi'ach (and 'All's well that ends well').

Rebbi Yochanan explains that the name 'Rus' - is a derivative of 'Rivah' (satiate), a hint that David, who would satiate Hash-m with songs of praise, would descend from her.

Moshe wrote the Chumash, Parshas Bil'am (see Rabeinu Gershom) and Iyov (assuming that Iyov lived in his days, or even in the days of Avraham, as others maintain). Besides his own Seifer, Yehoshua wrote - the last eight Pesukim of the Torah (from the point where Moshe's death is recorded).

Besides his own Seifer, Shmuel wrote - Shoftim and Rus.

David wrote Tehilim with the help of ten Zekeinim. Six of them were Malki-Tzedek, Avraham, Moshe, Heiman, Yedusun and Asaf. The other three were - Adam and the three sons of Korach (Asir, Elkanah and Aviasaf).

Besides his own Seifer, Yirmiyah wrote - Melachim and Eichah.

Besides Yeshayah (who was murdered [see Tosfos DH 'Yirmiyah']) Chizkiyah and his contemporaries (who survived him) wrote - Mishlei, Shir Hashirim and Koheles.

Mishlei and Koheles are ascribed to Chizkiyah - because they are brimming with Chochmah and Torah, and Chizkiyah caused everyone to learn Torah (as we learned in Sanhedrin).

Besides Yechezkel and the T'rei-Asar, the Anshei Keneses ha'Gedolah wrote - Daniel and Megilas Esther.

Ezra wrote his own Seifer. When the Tana says that Ezra wrote Divrei-Hayamim until 'Lo', he means - that he wrote up to his own Yichus.

This bears out a statement made by Rav Yehudah Amar Rav, who says - that Ezra did not make Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael before writing his own Yichus.

Nechemyah ben Chachalyah completed Divrei Hayamim.