The Identity of the Laugher
The other day in daf Yomi, Bava Kamma 102b, we hear that Rabbi Yochanan staked out a position, and Rabbi Eleazar (ben Pedat) disagreed, for whatever reason. Thus,
אֶלָּא אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: הָא וְהָא רַבִּי מֵאִיר, וְלָא קַשְׁיָא – כָּאן לַאֲכִילָה, כָּאן לִסְחוֹרָה.
Rather, Rabbi Elazar said: Both this baraita and that baraita are written in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Meir, and it is not difficult. Here, in the first baraita, it is discussing grain purchased for eating, and since the one who appointed the agent desired wheat, he does not acquire the barley. There, in the second baraita, it is discussing grain purchased for subsequent sale as merchandise, and the transaction takes effect as agreed upon initially, with the agent held responsible for any loss incurred.
מַחֲכוּ עֲלַהּ בְּמַעְרְבָא: לְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אַלִּיבָּא דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, וְכִי מִי הוֹדִיעוֹ לְבַעַל חִטִּין – שֶׁיַּקְנֶה חִטִּין לְבַעַל מָעוֹת?
The Gemara notes that they laughed at it in the West, Eretz Yisrael, at the explanation of Rabbi Yoḥanan, who said that according to the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, a deviation by an agent from the terms of his assignment does not result in the acquisition of the item for the agent himself: And who informed the owner of the wheat, i.e., the seller, that he should transfer the wheat to the owner of the money?
Who is the Laugher?
(Digression: I asked DALL-E to generate me a comic book villain, the Laugher, crossed with a Talmudic sage, specifically Rabbi Eleazar. It took some effort to get around the ethical alignment, but here is its effort.
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Naturally, we should look to Sanhedrin 17b, where such descriptors are mapped to individual Talmudic Sages. Indeed, an Artscroll footnote says the same, IIRC saying that it is Rabbi Yossi beRabbi Chanina.
Of course, that is not what the gemara originally says in its definition. I’ve written about this in the past. See my article, Laugher or Laughee, summarized in this Substack post:
For various (descriptor, Sage) mappings, the Talmudic Narrator questions it and remaps to a different Sage. That is what happens to the (Laugher, Rabbi Eleazar) mapping:
שלחו מתם ר' יוסי בר חנינא מחכו עלה במערבא ר' אלעזר
The formula: They say in the West, i.e., Eretz Yisrael, is referring to Rabbi Yirmeya; the expression: They sent a message from there, meaning from Eretz Yisrael, is referring to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina; and the statement: They laughed at it in the West, means that Rabbi Elazar did not accept a particular opinion.
והא שלחו מתם לדברי רבי יוסי בר חנינא אלא איפוך שלחו מתם ר' אלעזר מחכו עלה במערבא רבי יוסי בר חנינא:
The Gemara asks: But in one instance it is reported that: They sent a message from there that began: According to the statement of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina. This indicates that the expression: They sent from there, is not itself a reference to a statement of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina. The Gemara answers: Rather, reverse the statements. The phrase: They sent from there, is a reference to Rabbi Elazar, and: They laughed at it in the West, means that Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina did not accept a particular opinion.
There is an immediate problem with this remapping, raised by Tosafot, that one time Rabbi Yossi beRabbi Chanina is actually the target of such laughter!
I would take up Tosafot’s cause against the Stamma’s emendation. I’d argue that the original mapping had to come from somewhere. Maybe it was tradition. But maybe it was someone looking over gemaras, disliking an open-canon approach, and working to find such mappings. The evidence that person would muster might indeed be the very source for the objection. Since they sent a message that was according to Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina, even if he personally didn’t send it, it aligns with his thought process. So, let us say that they are identical.
Now back to our gemara: Instead of randomly saying that Rabbi Eleazar is the laugher, or the sender, is there any internal Talmudic evidence that he is one or the other. The answer is right here. Rabbi Eleazar objects to Rabbi Yochanan and gives another explanation. Then, they laughed about Rabbi Yochanan’s answer in the West, in a way that aligns with Rabbi Eleazar. We have a basis for him the the Western Laugher!