15a. Middle
Why is the mishna not mechalek, in the case of 9 sherotzim and 1 frog, between reshus harabim and reshus hayachid. Like the mishna is later mechalek in he case of 9 frogs and 1 sherets?
Avrumi Hersh, London england
The two quotes in the Gemara are actually a quote from the Tosefta (Taharos 6:2) and are cited one after the other. The Gemara records them in short, but in the original source the Tosefta distinguishes between Reshus ha'Rabim and Reshus ha'Yachid in both cases. In the case of nine Sheratzim and one frog, the Tosefta starts off with Reshus ha'Rabim to teach us the Chidush that even in a case where we have 90 per cent reasonability of Tum'ah, the idea of Kavu'a that turns the Safek into a fifty-fifty one is used l'Kula in Reshus ha'Rabim, while in a case of nine frogs, the Tosefta's main Chidush is that the Kavu'a in Reshus ha'Yachid is Tamei, because the 90 per cent is considered again as a fifty-fifty case.
Kol Tuv,
Aharon Steiner