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Yevamot 14a:

... Beit Shammai are sharper than Beit Hillel...

What does it mean that Beit Shammai are sharper? Obviously, that cannot mean that they had better sources or arguments, otherwise they would not have been a minority.

How do we know that they were sharper?

(cf Beis Hillel vs Beis Shammai - so what that the latter are sharper?)

rosends
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  • What do you mean how do we know. That's what were told. Do you mean how was it determined? Anything we say would be conjecture. – robev Mar 24 '22 at 20:59
  • Yes, how was it established? – sds Mar 24 '22 at 21:03
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    Chazal says that God created the world with the perfect combination of justice and mercy. Shammai's "sharpness" may mean that he was big on justice -- perhaps too big. – Maurice Mizrahi Mar 25 '22 at 01:39
  • Interesting, after all binah is on the left with din, whereas chokhmah is on the right with hesed. We follow Hillel because it is better to be on the right hand with mercy and wisdom. – Mike Mar 25 '22 at 04:39
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    There is a popular academic view (that I myself am not really in favor of, even though it's interesting) that Beit Shammai's hashkafah was similar to that of the zealots, and therefore that means that during the Great Revolt they fought alongside the zealots, and that's why they were such a small group after the destruction - because most of them died during the war. Food for thought. – Harel13 Mar 25 '22 at 07:54
  • @Harel13: interesting, thanks! This goes well with the students of Beit Shammai ... killed the students of Beit Hillel. – sds Mar 25 '22 at 13:50
  • I put it as food for thought, but I'd be careful was the theory. It's certainly creative, and though whole doctorates have been written on the topic, I'm not sure it has much ground to stand on. The sources the theory is usually based on are pretty ambiguous and can be easily interpreted in man different ways. – Harel13 Mar 25 '22 at 14:54

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