1)

(a)When someone was sentenced to death by a king - they would place a piece of wood in his mouth to prevent him from cursing the king who had sentenced him - whereas when Hash-m sentences someone to death, he is silent;

(b)Furthermore, he praises Hash-m, and even more than that: his silence (in the face of suffering) - or the tears of remorse that he sheds, is considered as if he had brought a sacrifice.

2)

(a)We learn from the Pasuk "Gam Berachos Ya'ateh Moreh" - that the sinners accept Hash-m's sentence, and proclaim that Hash-m judged them fairly, and that Hash-m did well to create Gan Eden for the righteous and Gehinom for the wicked.

(b)Resh Lakish learns from the Pasuk "ve'Yazt'u ve'Ra'u be'Figrei ha'Anashim ha'Posh'im Bi" (from the use of the present tense - "ha'Posh'im Bi", rather than the past - "she'Pash'u Bi") - that even as they enter the portals of Gehinom, they continue to rebel, refusing to repent.

(c)The former Pasuk ("Gam Berachos Ya'ateh Moreh") - speaks about Jewish sinners, the latter ("ve'Yazt'u ve'Ra'u be'Figrei ha'Anashim ha'Posh'im Bi"), about non -Jewish ones.

(d)If the Mizbe'ach ha'Zahav, which is no thicker than a golden Dinar, withstood the heat of the fire that burnt on it constantly (for the Ketores that was brought twice daily) for many years, without getting burned - then the Jewish sinners, who are full of Mitzvos like a pomegranate is of kernels, should certainly be able to withstand the fire of Gehinom!

3)

(a)Resh Lakish learns from the Pasuk "ke'Felach ha'Rimon Rakasech" - that even the sinners in Yisrael are full of Mitzvos like a pomegranate.

(b)"Ovrei be'Emek ha'Bacha" - refers to the Jewish sinners who are due to go Gehinom, but only temporarily. However, Avraham Avinu comes and bails them out (due to the merit of the Bris Milah).

(c)Avraham Avinu only bails out those Jews whose Bris Milah is intact - but not someone who had relations with a non-Jewish woman, whose Orlah re-grows and covers the Milah (presumably, this includes those who stretched their Orlaos [like Esav did], and those who grew up and failed to circumcise themselves in the first place).

(d)Rav Kahana argues that, if we explain "ha'Posh'im Bi" to mean 'who continue to rebel against Me' (present tense) - then we will also have to explain the Pesukim "ha'Motzi Eschem me'Eretz Mitzrayim" (Kedoshim), and "ha'Ma'aleh Eschem me'Eretz Mitzrayim" (Shemini), in the present tense (which is obviously not the case)? Consequently, we will have to admit, he says, that "ha'Posh'im Bi" refers to the past (referring to those who rebelled against Hash-m when they were alive), and not to the present.

4)

(a)We learn from "ve'Yardu Kol Asher Lahem Chayim She'olah" - that there is an entrance to Gehinom in the desert; and from "mi'Beten She'ol Shiva'ti" - that there also one in the sea.

(b)the third entrance to Gehinom - is in Yerushalayim.

(c)Rebbi Yonoson ben Elazar did not preclude the location where smoke rises from between the two date-palms in the valley of Ben Hinom, from his list - because, he maintains, that is the exact location in Yerushalayim, which he has already listed.

5)

(a)She'ol, Avadon, Be'er Shachas, Bor She'on, Tit ha'Yaven, Tzalmaves and Eretz ha'Tachtis - are the seven names of Gehinom.

(b)

1. Gehinom is omitted from the list - because it is called by that name, not intrinsically (because it is the name of one of its seven levels), but because it is a very deep valley which was visited by all, for purposes of 'Chinam' (which refers to immorality).

2. Similarly, it is called 'Tofteh' - because people who are enticed by their Yetzer ha'Ra go there.

6)

(a)The Gemara thinks that Gan Eden is particularly in Beis She'an (in Eretz Yisrael), or in Beis Garam (in Arabia), or in Dumaskin (in between the Rivers), which according to some commentaries, is Damascus - because the fruit in those places is particularly luscious.

7)

(a)If the teams of cows are tied - that will be a Chumra in measuring the space between the Deyumdin, because the tighter the cows are, the less space they take up.

(b)We might have construed 'tied' to mean tied loosely. Therefore Rebbi Yehudah adds 'and not loose', to add to the stringency, instructing us to measure by means of cows that are tightly tied.

(c)'Achas Nichneses, ve'Achas Yotzes' - means that the teams must not be next to each other, but each one drawn slightly away from the other, so that they will be even closer together.

8)

(a)The width of a cow - is one and two thirds Amos.

(b)The reason that Rebbi Meir says approximately ten Amos, rather than just ten Amos - is because of the Seifa, where Rebbi Yehudah says approximately thirteen or fourteen Amos, which means more than thirteen Amos (thirteen and a third), but less than fourteen.

(c)If the well is exactly eight Amos in diameter - then allowing two Amos (for the head plus most of the cow's body) in each direction, will give a total length of twelve Amos. Since the size of each piece of Deyumad is one Amah, this leaves us with a gap of ten Amos between the Deyumdin. Ten Amos is a Pesach - which Rebbi Meir permits without the need to add boards.

(d)And Rebbi Yehudah will agree with Rebbi Meir, that a well of twelve Amos requires four boards - because by the same token as in the previous answer, allowing two Amos for the cows in each direction will leave us with a total length of sixteen Amos - including a gap of fourteen Amos between the Deyumdim; and Rebbi Yehudah permits a gap of up to thirteen and a third Amos (see Tosfos DH ' Bebor'), and no more. Consequently, in this case, Rebbi Yehudah will agree that additional boards are required.

9)

(a)When Abaye asked Rabah 'He'erich bi'Deyumdin le'Rebbi Meir, ke'Shi'ur Deyumdin, Mahu? - he meant to ask him whether, according to Rebbi Meir, by a well of between eight and twelve Amos, one needs to add straight boards, or whether it is sufficient to extend the length of the Deyumdin, until the gap between the Deyumdin is reduced to ten Amos?

(b)'u'Vilevad she'Yarbeh be'Pasin' implies extending the length of the Deyumdin - because otherwise, it should have written 'u'Vilevad she'Yarbeh Pasin'.

(c)The Gemara refutes this proof by simply changing the text to read 'u'Vilevad she'Yarbeh Pasin'.

(d)In the second Lashon - the Gemara began by suggesting that the Mishnah meant that one should add straight boards, but concludes that it must mean that one can extend the length of the Deyumdin, because of the Lashon 'u'Vilevad she'Yarbeh be'Pasin' - as the Gemara thought in the first Lashon.

10)

(a)Abaye's She'eilah is - whether, according to Rebbi Yehudah, it is better to add boards, because such a large gap requires a special Heker (and merely extending the Deyumdin is not sufficient), or whether, since either way, the gap has been reduced, it makes no difference how this is done - even by extending the Deyumdin.

(b)The Lashon 'Zu Mechitzah, ve'Eilu Pasin', used by Rebbi Yehudah to differentiate between a pen and a courtyard etc. on the one hand, and Pasei Bira'os, on the other - does indeed imply that by a large area, Rebbi Yehudah advocates adding boards (Pasin) rather than extending the length of the Deyumdin. However, we can explain Rebbi Yehudah to have meant that, whereas the pen and the courtyard are permitted by means of the Din of Mechitzah (which is why an area of even more than a Beis Sasayim is permitted), the area between the Deyumdin is permitted due to the Din of Pasei Bira'os (even if the extra space is permitted by extending the Deyumdim), in which case Chazal did not permit more than a Beis Sasayim.

11)

(a)A mound that rises ten Tefachim within four Amos - has the Din of a Reshus ha'Yachid with regard to Shabbos.

(b)A Deyumad that consists of a mound whose gradient is less steep than that - has the Din of the ground, and is not eligible to be used as a Deyumad?

(c)The reason that Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar concedes that a square stone can serve as a Deyumad - is because of the Din of 'Ro'in' (i.e. we consider the stone as if a square had been cut out of it, leaving the shape of a Deyumad). He argues by a round stone however, because there, we need to add a second 'Ro'in' (to also consider a square to be cut out of the circle), and whereas he does hold that we say one 'Ro'in', he does not hold of two. Rebbi Yishmael Bno shel Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah contends that we even say two 'Ro'in'.

(d)A mound that rises ten Tefachim within four Amos - will require two Ro'in (like a round stone). Consequently, according to Rebbi Yishmael Bno shel Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah, it can serve as a Deyumad, whereas according to Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar, it cannot.

12)

(a)A Chitzas ha'Kanim - is a series of canes set in the ground within three Tefachim of each other. Abaye asks whether Deyumdin made of Shesi is permissible (like a Mechitzas Shesi is), or not.

(b)The alternative interpretation of the Chitzas ha'Kanim mentioned in the Beraisa - is a bunch of canes which are joined below, but separate above (in which case, the Chidush of the Beraisa will be that we say 'Ro'in').

(c)Indeed, according to the second explanation - the Chitzas ha'Kanim of the Beraisa is similar to the tree also listed there; however, the Beraisa mentions two types of trees. Note: It is not clear why the Gemara does not resolve the She'eilah from a Geder (which the Gemara compares to the initial interpretation of Chitzas ha'Kanim i.e. a Mechitzas Shesi - see Ritva). It appears from the Lashon of the Ritva, that whenever the Gemara understands a Chitzas ha'Kanim to mean a Mechitzas Shesi, the Gemara asks 'But that is equivalent to a Geder, which could mean a Mechitzas ha'Kanim. But if Chitzas ha'Kanim were to mean a 'Gudrisa de'Kani', then we would have no proof from Geder, since it could also mean a plain stone wall (though what the Chidush will then be is not clear either).

13)

(a)A bunch of canes joined below may be worse than a square Deyumad - because whereas a square Deyumad is solid, and it is possible to cut from it a square, leaving the shape of a Deyumad, it is not possible to do this from a bunch of canes. It is not clear in fact, why it is eligible to be used according to anyone.