Yaakov - Your point is well-received, that is an excellent question!

(a) Yes, it is true that in Nidah 42a when Rashi translates the phrase "Karkish Lei Reishei," he not only writes "he agreed," but he adds "and he shook his head in assent." Here, he leaves out the second phrase.

But I don't think that shows that our Sugya is referring to a verbal agreement more than the Sugya in Nidah. The same term is used in the Gemara in both places, and the term has no connotation of speaking. (In Bava Basra 143a, the Rashbam translates the same phrase as Rashi does here, even though Rav Yosef was not involved.)

(b) Your other conjecture, that Rav Yosef was not born blind, seems to be correct as the Ran says explicitly in Kidushin 31a. The Ran is basing this premise on a Teshuvos Ge'onim (Sha'arei Teshuvah #178) that explains why Rav Yosef chose to become blind. It was the only way he felt confident that he would be able to control what he saw like the late Gadol ha'Dor that he was trying to emulate - Rav.

(c) However, the truth is that I have not been able to find any other reference where Rav Yosef bar Chiya (the colleague of Rabah - Chulin 18b), or Rabah, studied under or cited Rav Sheshes. They all seem to have been from the same generation (students of Rav's students), and they were colleagues rather then mentor/student (as Tosfos notes in Kesuvos 104b regarding Rav Yosef and Rav Sheshes).

In addition, Rabah is always described as the sharper of the pair (Berachos 64a), and thus it would be strange for Rav Yosef to be catching Rabah on a slip (see Rashi Kesuvos 42b, as the Me'ir Nesiv notes).

I would therefore conjecture that our Rav Yosef was not Rav Yosef bar Chiya (the usual "Rav Yosef"), but rather Rav Yosef bar Chama, the father of Abaye's friend Rava (Eruvin 54a, Bava Kama 104b, Chulin 77a) who was indeed a Talmid Muvhak of Rav Sheshes (Gitin 14b) and often quoted from Rav Sheshes' teachings (Shabbos 63a, Sotah 21b, Avodah Zarah 26b, Bava Metzia 72b). Since he was not blind, your question would therefore be resolved.

(d) But then who was the Rabah who shook his head to Rav Sheshes, if not Rav Yosef bar Chiya's colleague?

The Aruch (Erech Abaye) writes that the names "Rabah" and "Rava" are contractions for people named Rebbi Abba, who are at times referred to by their full names as well. We find that Rav Yosef bar Chama also had a friend named Rebbi Abba, with whom he learned Torah (Bava Basra 127b-128a). This could be the Rabah of our story.

(e) By the way, the common experiences of Rebbi Abba and Rav Yosef bar Chama may add insight to the Gemara in Bava Basra that we just mentioned. In that Gemara, Rebbi Abba sent Rav Yosef messengers bearing a number of Halachos that Rebbi Abba had taught. The first deals with a person who seizes his friend's slave and claims it to be his. The second deals with a person who dies before paying his debts; the creditor may collect the loan from the slaves of the deceased that remained in his estate.

These may have been discreet hints to Rav Yosef bar Chama. We find (Bava Kama 104b) that Rav Yosef bar Chama defaulted on a loan that he received from Rebbi Abba, and Rebbi Abba tried to collect the loan in a number of ways. When Rav Yosef bar Chama was in a similar situation, he would seize the slaves of his debtors and use them for personal use before returning them (a practice which he later retracted from), as it says in Bava Metzia 64b.

Perhaps Rebbi Abba was trying to remind Rav Yosef about the outstanding loans by alluding to seizing servants and collecting outstanding loans from them.

Best regards,

Mordecai Kornfeld

Kollel Iyun Hadaf

I understand that you mean to ask how could Rav Sheshes and Rav Yosef know that Rabba was nodding his head. This is a very good question. Perhaps Rabba did not intend to inform Rav Sheshes of his agreemient, but merely nodded because he agreed. We could say that Rav Yosef had not yet suffered his illness and was not yet blind.

The Kollel has received a question about this in the past and we have attached for you below a copy of the question and the answer given by the Rosh Kollel Rav Mordecai Kornfeld Shlita.

Dov Freedman

Yaakov - Your point is well-received, that is an excellent question!

(a) Yes, it is true that in Nidah 42a when Rashi translates the phrase "Karkish Lei Reishei," he not only writes "he agreed," but he adds "and he shook his head in assent." Here, he leaves out the second phrase.

But I don't think that shows that our Sugya is referring to a verbal agreement more than the Sugya in Nidah. The same term is used in the Gemara in both places, and the term has no connotation of speaking. (In Bava Basra 143a, the Rashbam translates the same phrase as Rashi does here, even though Rav Yosef was not involved.)

(b) Your other conjecture, that Rav Yosef was not born blind, seems to be correct as the Ran says explicitly in Kidushin 31a. The Ran is basing this premise on a Teshuvos Ge'onim (Sha'arei Teshuvah #178) that explains why Rav Yosef chose to become blind. It was the only way he felt confident that he would be able to control what he saw like the late Gadol ha'Dor that he was trying to emulate - Rav.

(c) However, the truth is that I have not been able to find any other reference where Rav Yosef bar Chiya (the colleague of Rabah - Chulin 18b), or Rabah, studied under or cited Rav Sheshes. They all seem to have been from the same generation (students of Rav's students), and they were colleagues rather then mentor/student (as Tosfos notes in Kesuvos 104b regarding Rav Yosef and Rav Sheshes).

In addition, Rabah is always described as the sharper of the pair (Berachos 64a), and thus it would be strange for Rav Yosef to be catching Rabah on a slip (see Rashi Kesuvos 42b as the Meir Nesiv notes).

I would therefore conjecture that our Rav Yosef was not Rav Yosef bar Chiya (the usual "Rav Yosef"), but rather Rav Yosef bar Chama, the father of Abaye's friend Rava (Eruvin 54a, Bava Kama 104b, Chulin 77a) who was indeed a Talmid Muvhak of Rav Sheshes (Gitin 14b) and often quoted from Rav Sheshes' teachings (Shabbos 63a, Sotah 21b, Avodah Zarah 26b, Bava Metzia 72b). Since he was not blind, your question would therefore be resolved.

(d) But then who was the Rabah who shook his head to Rav Sheshes, if not Rav Yosef bar Chiya's colleague?

The Aruch (Erech Abaye) writes that the names "Rabah" and "Rava" are contractions for people named Rebbi Abba, who are at times referred to by their full names as well. We find that Rav Yosef bar Chama also had a friend named Rebbi Abba, with whom he learned Torah (Bava Basra 127b-128a). This could be the Rabah of our story.

(e) By the way, the common experiences of Rebbi Abba and Rav Yosef bar Chama may add insight to the Gemara in Bava Basra that we just mentioned. In that Gemara, Rebbi Abba sent Rav Yosef messengers bearing a number of Halachos that Rebbi Abba had taught. The first deals with a person who seizes his friend's slave and claims it to be his. The second deals with a person who dies before paying his debts; the creditor may collect the loan from the slaves of the deceased that remained in his estate.

These may have been discreet hints to Rav Yosef bar Chama. We find (Bava Kama 104b) that Rav Yosef bar Chama defaulted on a loan that he received from Rebbi Abba, and Rebbi Abba tried to collect the loan in a number of ways. When Rav Yosef bar Chama was in a similar situation, he would seize the slaves of his debtors and use them for personal use before returning them (a practice which he later retracted from), as it says in Bava Metzia 64b.

Perhaps Rebbi Abba was trying to remind Rav Yosef about the outstanding loans by alluding to seizing servants and collecting outstanding loans from them.

Best regards,

Mordecai Kornfeld

Kollel Iyun Hadaf