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Why are Sh'kalim (Y'rushalmi) and Kinim and Midos (mishnayos) learned as part of the standard daf yomi cycle for Talmud Bavli?

And if the answer relies on some fact of publication, then (a) why were they published that way and (b) why did the founders of the daf-yomi system rely solely on that publication system instead of skipping those masechtos?

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  • This question could be easier to answer if someone wants to tell us how many days/pages those mesechot take up :)
    – avi
    Feb 12, 2012 at 17:05
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    @avi, I don't see why/how this makes the question easier to answer, but Sh'kalim is three weeks, Kinim is about three and a quarter days, and Midos is four days.
    – msh210
    Feb 12, 2012 at 20:20
  • related: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/16240/759
    – Double AA
    May 10, 2012 at 3:25
  • Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/18597
    – msh210
    Aug 20, 2012 at 6:03
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    Apparently, Shekalim was only added the second time through.
    – Double AA
    Oct 20, 2013 at 17:21

2 Answers 2

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With regard to Sh'kalim, I believe the answer does indeed rely on publication practices. The practice of printing (and therefore studying) Sh'kalim with the rest of Talmud Bavli Seder Moed can be traced as far back as the times of the Geonim. [The idea is that Sh'kalim is short and therefore relatively inexpensive to print with the rest of Seder Moed to complete the entire seder, compared to something like completing Seder Zera'im with the Yerushalmi. (See here.)] Thus, the inclusion of Sh'kalim in the Daf Yomi cycle is simply a continuation of long-standing tradition of its study together with the rest of Talmud Bavli.

Tractates Midos and Kinim, though, are a separate issue. Why the completion of Seder Kodshim with mishnayos but not the other sedarim? The answer I've always heard given (as well as is speculated here) is that we attempt to finish Seder Kodshim based on the statement of the gemara in Menachos (110a): "When Talmidei Chachamim study the laws of the Temple service, it is considered as though the Beis HaMikdash was rebuilt in their days."

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  • +1, eminently plausible; thanks. Note that the page you link to that gives the "study the laws of the Temple service" reason gives it for Sh'kalim also.
    – msh210
    Feb 12, 2012 at 17:22
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    It may also be that Kinnim and Middos are included because in fact they are paginated continuously with Me'ilah and Tamid (Kinnim between them, Middos after Tamid). Arguably, it would be more confusing to say that we should study only until 22a (the end of Me'ilah) and then skip to 25b (beginning of Tamid).
    – Alex
    Feb 12, 2012 at 19:41
  • @Alex, that answers part (b) of my question, but not (a).
    – msh210
    Jun 11, 2012 at 0:09
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    @msh210: very likely Bomberg's staff found it that way in the manuscripts they used. (The Munich manuscript of Shas, as well as other manuscripts - they can be viewed here - do contain these masechtos, although not in the same order.)
    – Alex
    Jun 11, 2012 at 0:27
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    +1 - can you give a source to the Gaonic practice referenced? Feb 25, 2015 at 18:43
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"What the Halacha is" is to found in "contemporary" anthologies such as Mishnah Brurara, etc.; HOWEVER "What is Halacha: is to be better understood from the Logic of Mesechet Kinnim (Avot 3-18 "R. Eliezer ben Hisma says...") wherein bird offering are the "easiest" practical example upon which to practice the logic of How much you can know without any doubt - even in the absence of simuhnim (identification detail) vrs Piske Nidah (onset of menstruation) where you discover how much you can still not know - even with a great abundance of simuhnim. This and That define the (limits of the) body of Halacha. SO - to answer this question: (CHAZAL appreciated that) "after you master the logic of Kinnim, then you will find every logical distinction - in every discussion - in every other part of SHAS to be much more transparent ("easier to understand")!

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  • I do not see how this answers the question Feb 17, 2018 at 23:55
  • @sabbahillel he seems to be saying that Kinnim is very important, so it was included to help teach people how to learn the rest of shas. Feb 18, 2018 at 0:58
  • Hi Chaim-Meyer, welcome to Mi Yodeya! Consider clarifying your answer so others can easily understand it. Feb 18, 2018 at 1:00
  • Specific laws of sacrifices are not to be learned from Kinim; since we “should” already know them from prior tractates, and from our study of Tanakh! Kinim concepts shoud be straightforward for students age 10-15 (Perke Avot). More complete details at dafyomi.co.il/members/shiurim/?meseches=Kinim (my recent shiurim on the whole of Kinim). So, (yes) sacrifice law examples in Kinim would be a short section - if in Mishnah Berurah; but that is not why it is important for us to learn Kinim… Jul 2 at 17:28

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