Berachos 2b - Part 3

The gemara just finished saying that the time kohanim eat their terumah is the same time that poor people sit down to eat their bread and salt and that both are the time for the recitation of the evening shma. The gemara now attempts to prove from another baraissa that it cannot, in fact, be the case that "kohen" and "ani" are at the same time:

Baraissa:

Rabbi Meir: When should one begin to recite the evening shma? When people begin to eat their bread on erev shabbos.

Chachamim: From the time Kohanim merit to eat their terumah. A Siman for this time is tzeis hakochavim.

The chachamim conclude their remarks by saying that even though there is no proof for the fact that the day ends with tzeis hakochavim, their is a mention of it in the pesukim. The Chachamim then bring a pasuk in Nechemia (Perek 4) about men working from dawn until tzeis hakochavim. They then bring another pasuk about the night being for "the watch" and the day for work.

The gemara takes a bit of a detour and asks why the chachamim need two pesukim. The gemara explains that if we only had the first pasuk I might say that those men were "working overtime" and really the day ends at sunset. For this reason the gemara brought the second pasuk.

The gemara now sets up the premise for their question. The premise is that "ani" and "regular people" (sitting down to their shabbos meal) are actually at the same time. If so "regular people" and "kohen" cannot be the same time (or else there is no machlokes between R' Meir and the Chachamim). If so, "kohen" and "ani" cannot be at the same time?

The gemara answers that, in fact, "ani" and "kohen" are at the same time and it is "regular people" who eat at a different time.

The gemara now brings yet another baraissa to try to prove that "ani" and "kohen" cannot be at the same time.

Baraissa:

R' Eliezer: When does the recitation of the evening shma begin? From the time the kedushas hayom of shabbos sets in.

R' Yehoshua: From the time the kohanim are purified to eat terumah.

R' Meir: From the time the kohanim are toveil to eat terumah.

R' Yehudah responds to R' Meir: How can that be? Don't they immerse during the day??

R' Chaninah: From the time the ani eats his bread and salt.

R' Achai (some say R' Acha): From the time most people enter "to lean".

The question is, if "kohen" and "ani" are the same time, isn't R' Chaninah saying the same thing as R' Yehoshua??

So, the gemara says, it must be that they are, in fact, different times.

The gemara concludes that it is logical that "ani" is the later of the two times. Why? Because if "ani" was the earlier time, so R' Chaninah would essentially be agreeing with R' Eliezer.