succah 11

what covers them?
these two who argue about fire and water.

is the succah like the cover of clouds of glory, mists rising from the ground.

or are they like the actual shelters in the wilderness years. and preparing them is like preparing the festive offerings that will be consumed in fire.

(- yet another argument between Resh Lakish and R. Yohanan. Resh Lakish argues that the succah is like a mist, cloud. a watery substance. R. Yohanan is fiery, and he makes a connection to the offerings on the altar. These two men have long intrigued me. Their relationship, intimate yet adversarial, is echoed in a theme in their continual debates - fire v. water. opposites that can destroy each other)

yoma 4

R.Yohanan v. Resh Lakish
temple or mountain

arguing about the derivation the 7 day preparation time for forming a cloud of incense on Yom Kippur.

derived from the descent of another cloud.

but was it on the newly made temple, or on Moshe at Sinai?

(R. Yohanan argues that the derivation of the 7 day sequestering/prep time for the High Priest on Yom Kippur is derived from the requirements of the inauguration service. Resh Lakish derives it from Moshe being in a cloud at Sinai before God called to him. One of the unique features of the Yom Kippur temple service is that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and perform a ritual with incense that would cause a cloud of smoke to rise. cloud rising to echo the cloud descending. but which cloud and where?)

pesachim 63

does "with" always have to mean "close"

eg to argue with someone. do they have to be near or can it still be done even though you are estranged?

the pair who argued constantly with each other ended up apart. a wall came up and they couldn't continue. their argument. their life. their sanity.

(R Yohanan and Resh Lakish are quoted as constantly argued if with = in physical proximity. the pesach sacrifice cannot be brought with leven, does that apply to people in the group still owning chametz, even if they are not physically there. or just the priest and those there? if a sacrifice needs to be brought with 40 loaves of bread, which side of which wall do the bread need to be... R Yohanan argues that they don't need to be physically present to be with. R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish ended up estranged after an argument, no longer speaking. Resh Lakish died. R. Yohanan went mad. it seems "with" still needs a connection.)