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Following the previous question:

The Gemmorah BM 85a:

"ר' זירא כי סליק לארעא דישראל יתיב מאה תעניתא
דלשתכח גמרא בבלאה מיניה כי היכי דלא נטרדיה"

"When Rabbi Zeira ascended from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael, he fasted one hundred fasts so that he would forget the Babylonian Gemara, so that it would not hinder him from adapting to the unique style of study prevalent in Eretz Yisrael. "

What part of his Babylonian memories did he mean to forget: all the arguments, the methods, the resolutions, the decrees?

Also we currently hold the Babylonian Talmud as the final, complete and Halachic one. Why would he want to forget any of this?

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    I think he made a special effort to avoid any reference to his previous knowledge when he began with the new rav and new chaverim in order to learn the better as he can. Tabula rasa as said Descartes
    – kouty
    Jan 28, 2019 at 20:05

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As there are no records of his mental performance after his "forgetting", one would have to assume he trained himself so the "second nature" analytical processes and discussion methods unique to the talmud bavli wouldn't be second nature so he wouldn't jump to conclusions automatically while learning Jerusalem style. If he really wanted to forget all his knowledge, instead of fasting he would get blind drunk, smash his head into the wall, and eat the endpieces of challah.

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  • Can you elaborate on analytical processes and discussion methods. This probably relates to my previous question. Can he ask to forget the reasoning of the Sugiot?
    – Al Berko
    Jan 28, 2019 at 14:40

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