Avodah Zarah, Daf Kaf Heh, Part 2

 

Introduction

The Talmud continues to discuss how long the sun stood still for Joshua.

 

ר’ אלעזר אמר שלשים ושית אזיל שית וקם תריסר אזיל שית וקם תריסר עמידתו כיום תמים.

 

R. Elazar said: Thirty-six hours; it moved for six hours and stood still for twelve, it then moved for six and stood still for twelve so that its ceasing alone equaled a whole day.

According to R. Elazar the sun stopped for a full 24 hours, divided into two periods. This is the meaning of a whole day the sun stopped for a whole day.

 

רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר ארבעים ושמונה אזיל שית וקם תריסר אזיל שית וקם עשרים וארבעה [שנאמר] ולא אץ לבוא כיום תמים מכלל דמעיקרא לאו כיום תמים [הוה].

 

R. Shmuel b. Nahmani said: Forty-eight; it moved for six and stood for twelve, it then moved for six and stood still for twenty-four, as its says, and hastened not to go down for about a whole day, which implies that the previous stoppage did not equal a whole day.

 

R. Shmuel b. Nahmani says that its second period of stopping was a full day, but that the first time it stopped was not a full day.

All of these amoraim are interpreting the verse, And the sun stayed in the midst of the heaven and hastened not to go down for about a whole day. The verse seems to hint at two stoppages stayed in the midst of the heaven is the first stoppage and hastened not to go down is the second. Then the question is how long were these stoppages and what does the phrase for about a whole day mean? Was the whole process one day? Were the two stops one day? Or was one stop a day in and of itself?

 

א"ד בתוספתא פליגי ר’ יהושע בן לוי אמר עשרים וארבעה אזיל שית וקם תריסר אזיל שית וקם תריסר עמידתו כיום תמים

ר"א אמר שלשים ושש אזיל שית וקם תריסר אזיל שית וקם עשרים וארבעה ולא אץ לבוא כיום תמים

ר’ שמואל בר נחמני אמר ארבעים ושמונה אזיל שית וקם עשרים וארבעה אזיל שית וקם כ"ד מקיש עמידתו לביאתו מה ביאתו כיום תמים אף עמידתו כיום תמים

 

There are those who say that that it was over the additional hours which they disputed. R. Joshua b. Levi said: They were twenty-four; it moved for six and stood for twelve, then moved for six and stood for twelve its halt thus equaled a whole day;

R. Eleazar said: Thirty-six; it moved for six and stood for twelve, then moved for six and stood for twenty-four, and hastened not to go down about a whole day.

R. Shmuel b. Nahmani said: Forty-eight; it moved for six and stood for twenty-four, then moved for six and again stood for twenty-four; comparing its standing still [at noon] with that of setting time; just as the one at setting time equaled a whole day, so the standing still [in the middle of the sky] equaled a whole day.

 

This is a different version of the tripartite dispute over how long the sun stood still. Here the dispute is characterized as being not over the total time, but over how long the total stoppage was 24, 36 or 48.