Q&A: Now That You’ve Come to This
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Now That You’ve Come to This
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Does the Rabbi have a sense whether this expression indicates the conclusion of the Talmudic discussion, or whether it suggests a possible way of understanding it?
I’d be happy for references to additional sources that discuss this, because I haven’t found anything relevant.
Thank you very much.
Answer
I’m not familiar with sources on this. But simply speaking, it really does indicate a conclusion, and from there moves on to the next stage of the discussion.
Discussion on Answer
I think both usages exist. Literally, of course, it’s the same thing: “once we have arrived here,” and “since we have merited this line of reasoning…” The difference is what one does once we have arrived here.
The usual usage is that someone says point A (a resolution or an objection), and afterward has to say point B, and that point B makes point A unnecessary (directly or indirectly). So once you’ve come to point B, point A is also unnecessary or no longer difficult. Right? For example, someone is told: but after all, you already committed yourself in the past to such-and-such and you aren’t fulfilling it, and he twists himself into a resolution. Then again he is told: you committed yourself to such-and-such and you aren’t fulfilling it, and this time he answers: indeed, past commitments do not interest me.