Study Yevamot folio 14A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Reish Lakish said to him: Do you hold that Beit Shammai actually acted in accordance with their own statement? Beit Shammai did not in fact act in accordance with their own statement, as the dispute was merely theoretical. And R' Yoḥanan said: Beit Shammai certainly did act in accordance with thei
The Talmud inquires: When does this question apply? If we say that it is referring to the period prior to the bat kol that declared that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel, then what is the rationale of the one who said that Beit Shammai did not act in accordance with their
The Talmud answers: Neither of these options poses a difficulty. If you wish, say that it is referring to the period prior to the bat kol, and if you wish, say instead that it is after the bat kol. The Talmud elaborates: If you wish, say it is prior to the bat kol, and it is referring to the period
And the one who said that they did act in accordance with their opinion maintains that when do we follow the majority? It is in a case where the disputing parties are equal in wisdom to one another. Here, however, Beit Shammai are sharper than Beit Hillel, and therefore they acted in accordance wi
And if you wish, say instead that it was after the bat kol. The one who said that Beit Shammai did not act in accordance with their opinion would say that this was due to the pronouncement of the bat kol. And the one who said that they did do so, this is in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehoshua