Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Baba Kama 66b - Rav Yosef Becoming Rosh Yeshiva: Shinuy HaShem

I had a cute thought b'derech d'rush [but i am not sure how true it really is]:
The gemara says that for 22 years Rabba (who held that yi'ush is koneh) asked Rav Yosef (who held yi'ush isn't ko'neh) a question from the mishnah in keilim. Finally when Rav Yosef was promoted to the Rosh Yeshiva he was able to answer the question. His answer was that the hides that were transformed into a table to eat on, was acquired by the ganve/gazlan, not through yi'ush alone, but rather a combination of yi'ush and shinuy hashem [change in status]. It seems a bit strange that only after Rav Yosef was promoted to rosh yeshiva was he able to answer this question.
The Ya'avetz explains that one who is zocheh from shamayim to be promoted to greatness will have hidden depths of torah revealed to him because he studied li'shma.
It seems that there is a definite connection between Rav Yosef being promoted to rosh yeshiva, and the answer that he came up with. Prior to becoming rosh yeshiva there was less expected of him. He had less responsibility to answer the questions that were asked of him, and less siyata d'shmaya in coming up with an answer. By becoming rosh yeshiva which was nothing more than a shinuy Ha'Shem, it was as if he became a different person with completely new responsibilities. When he realized this, he was zocheh to realize that a shinuy ha'shem, although nothing more than a change in title, can have a profound impact. He understood that a shinuy ha'shem qualifies as a shinuy, and in conjunction with yi'ush will work to acquire the object.

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