Did only the women bring their flour and ask for "mayim shelanu" after hearing the Drasha; or was it "Kula Alma"?
and if there is an objective to teach things in the clearest manner as we learnt in the beginning of the mesechta why did this whole incident occur?
and if its important to teach things in the shortest manner; then why bring the whole story?
Alex Lebovits, Toronto
Rav Yehudah, and Rav Masnah after him, said "Ishah" because the women were the ones who used to knead the dough. However, anyone (including men) who would knead would have "needed" to come to Rav Masnah, and presumably did.
Rav Masnah clearly thought that the people were familiar with the term "Shelanu," which is a clear concise way of saying what he meant (if people are familar with the term).
There is nothing better than a story to hammer a lesson home: try to make sure to use terms that you are sure people understand, especially when giving a discourse in Halachah. For the sake of brevity, I'll end here.
A Freilechen Adar,
Yaakov Montrose