About this episode
One gets excommunicated if one refuses a subpoena to the court. Rava explains various details of a subpoena to court. Who sends it? What details need to be there? Some of these laws are derived from the story of Korach. From where do we derive that someone can be excommunicated for not showing up to court and that we publicize their sins? That and other related issues are derived from verses in the Song of Deborah (Shoftim 5:23). An excommunicated person's possessions are rendered ownerless. What else can be done to him/her? A story is told of a butcher who was excommunicated for acting brazen with a rabbi. Once they made peace, they wanted to undo the excommunication. There was a deliberation about whether or not that could be done. A distinction is made between one who is excommunicated over a monetary issue and disrespect for a Torah scholar. One could be excommunicated to a particular section of people but not to everyone - how? If one excommunicated someone and dies, can the excommunication be repealed by another? What is the standard amount of time for nidui and nezifa? What was the difference between the custom in Israel and Babylonia regarding this? Nezifa in Israel is seven days. However, this is difficult as in a story with Rebbi and Rabbi Chiya, it is thirty days. Rebbi decreed that teaching should only go on in the beit midrash. Rabbi Chiya taught Torah in the marketplace. They engage in a debate but Rebbi wins and Rabbi Chiya puts himself in nezifa . Nezifa in Babylonia is one day. This is proven from a story of Shmuel and Mar Ukva and another story of a woman who partially blocked the road when a Torah scholar was passing. A third story on this same topic relates to verses in Shmuel 2 Chapter 22 and 23 regarding songs of King David. After the story is told, the Gemara delves into verses from those chapters and explains them.