Study Megillah folio 23A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
and Rava, who would bend their heads and not actually prostrate themselves on the ground.
We learned in the Mishnah: On a Festival, 5 people read; on Yom Kippur, 6 people read; and on Shabbat, 7 people read. One may not decrease the number of readers, but one may add to them. The Talmud asks: Who is the tanna of the Mishnah? It is not R' Yishmael and not R' Akiva, as it is taught in a b
Who is the tanna of the Mishnah? If you say it is R' Yishmael, it is difficult due to the ruling with regard to adding, as the Mishnah states that one may add additional readers but R' Yishmael holds that one may not do so. If you say it is R' Akiva, it is difficult due to the ruling concerning t
Rava said: It is the tanna of the school of R' Yishmael, as it was taught in the school of R' Yishmael: On a Festival, 5 people read from the Torah; on Yom Kippur, 6 people read; on Shabbat, 7 people read. One may not decrease these numbers but one may add to them. This is the statement of R' Yish
The Talmud comments: If so, there is a contradiction between the opinion of R' Yishmael, as expressed in the Mishnah, and the opinion of R' Yishmael himself, as recorded in the baraita. The Talmud responds: Two tanna’im, students of R' Yishmael, expressed different opinions in accordance with the