Reading Ta'anit Daf 30, I do not understand how many died each year.
I read Mefarshim that calculated simple. 60 Ribbo / 40 years = 1.5 Ribbo a year = 1,500.
Then I read Tossafot that says 21,000. Where can I find one?
One of the explanations I heard is that the 40 years are calculated from leaving Egypt. As the spies were sent on the second year, and the gezera was made thirs year, then we have 38 years left. The last one was forgiven, now 37. 9 years out of the 40 Tish'sh B'Av fell on Shabbat, and as they were not allowed to dig graves on Shabbat, we have 37 - 9 = 28 years.
28 years x 21,000 = 588,000.
630,000 left Egypt. 630K - 588K=24,000.
24,000 / 28 years = 860 , and this is the "protrot" that Tosafot talks about.
Am I right?
thanks,
aaron, Fair Lawn, NJ USA
In my (Vagshal) Gemara there is a note on Tosfos that instead of the words "21,000 and a Protrot" it is supposed to say "from the 600,000 a Protrot." This note is based on the Maharsha, who says that the text of Tosfos cannot be anything besides this, as Tosfos is quoting the Rashbam who explicitly states 15,000 (and never states 21,000). This obviously blends better with the next words of Tosfos as well, that the Protrot amounted to 15,000 every year for forty years.
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose