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Often, Rabbis will question why different Tosafot (even in different Mesechtas) disagree with each other, finding a way to make them congruent.

If Tosafot was written by multiple authors (at least 100 by name), why would this be an issue?

Elie
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    Although Tosafot is composed of the ideas of many, in my experience, people treat the compilation as a uniform work. That is, they treat the compiler as a single person (which is incorrect), who should come to the same conclusion everywhere. – magicker72 Mar 10 '23 at 18:54
  • Often, Rabbis will question... It might help to include some examples. – shmosel Mar 10 '23 at 23:30
  • @magicker72 Even the same person doesn't come to the same conclusion everywhere; internal contradictions can be "resolved" by saying he changed his mind. And even two different people from the same school can agree on things. Most Jews agree on most things in fact. "Rules" about when there can or can't be a contradiction are stupid. – Double AA Mar 12 '23 at 00:55
  • @DoubleAA Your disagreement isn't with me but with the people described in this question/my comment. – magicker72 Mar 12 '23 at 01:17
  • @magicker72 people treat the compilation as a uniform work I've had literally the exact opposite experience in my years in yeshiva and amongst those with yeshiva experience. No comparison can be made from one Tosfos to the next unless the individual is cited explicitly, e.g. Rabbeinu Tam. – Yehuda Mar 12 '23 at 02:33
  • @Yehuda My yeshiva experience has been very different - questions from one Tosfot to the next happened all the time. Halachapedia brings a source (note 14) that we try to reconcile differences, which implies those differences are often thought as bothersome. – Elie Mar 12 '23 at 03:09
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    @Elie All differences are bothersome. Every time there's an apparent machloket in Judaism you have to double check and think if straight machloket is the only or best way to approach the sources. – Double AA Mar 12 '23 at 18:56

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While there were many sages in the times of the Tosafot, the main Tosafot printed in the Gemara to most tractates were mostly written by R' Eliezer of Toques, based on the Tosafot of R' Shimshon of Sens. So it is assumed that they are generally the same opinion.

However, there can be contradictions due to the variant opinions, so a contradiction in Tosafos is not as problematic as a contradiction in works known to be by a single author.

N.T.
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  • Written or edited? This answer seems to mention R' Eliezer as the compiler of a number of tractates, but using multiple sources (RaSH of Sens being one). – Elie Mar 12 '23 at 00:02
  • You could also say edited. – N.T. Mar 12 '23 at 07:13
  • I would accept the answer, but if R' Eliezer was the compiler, the source material may still be different enough where contradictions wouldn't remain an issue (looking at Baba Kama, Metzia, and Basra, at least two of three seem to source from different Baalei Tosfot). – Elie Mar 12 '23 at 12:56
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    That is what I said in my answer. – N.T. Mar 12 '23 at 18:25