The גמרא often asks why the תנא קמא says so and so. Why doesn’t it instead ask why the תנא בתרא takes the position that he does? Apparently, it’s because we understand that after the first תנא states his view, the second תנא will disagree and state the opposite. But when the first תנא spoke, he did so without knowing what position the second תנא would take. Therefore, we ask why did the תנא קמא say so and so.
05/07/2020