purim - Understanding the story of Rabba and Rav Zeira

The Gemarah (Megillah 7b)describes how Rabba and Rav Zeira celebrated Purim together. While intoxicated Rabba kills (slaughters) Rav Zeira. The next day he resurrects him. The next year Rabba invites Rav Zeira to celebrate Purim together again. Rav Zeira declines explaining that miracles don't happen all the time.

1. Why did Rabba wait until the next day to resurrect Rav Zeira? If it was a question of sobering up why not state so explicitly?



2. Is Rav Zeira still married to his wife (assuming he had one)?


3. Why does it use the term slaughter instead of simply saying he killed him? If he did, in fact, ritually slaughter him, what was the purpose in doing so?

Answer

Ben Ish Chai identifies two understandings of this aggada: (1) It's literal interpretation in which Rabba actually slaughters R' Zeira, and (2) the "explanation of the kabbalists", in which Rabba and R' Zeira were discussing esoteric secrets of the Torah, and Rabba's soul in some way triumphed over his R' Zeira's, in some sense "unraveling" his soul. (Don't ask me what that means.) So to answer your questions one by one:

1. This is not entirely clear. I would say according to the literal interpretation that Rabba either simply passed out or was not sober enough to perform resurrection until the following day and this detail is left out of the story, since it is clear through the context and not really relevant to the point of the story. According to the kabbalistic interpretation, in which Rabba prayed the next day for R' Zeira's soul to "return fully to its body", I don't know why he waited until the following day.


2. According to the literal interpretation, Ben Ish Chai deduces from other sources that his wife in fact would remain married to him. (See the link.) According to the kabbalistic interpretation, it is not clear if R' Zeira actually physically died or not. If he did not, clearly he remained married. If he did, Ben Ish Chai's deductions still apply.


3. According to the literal interpretation, "slaughtered him" does not necessarily mean that he performed ritual animal slaughter with all its laws. It just means that he killed him with a knife, which must be what happened. According to the kabbalistic reading, we would not translate "slaughtered", but rather something like "unraveled", as in "זהב שחוט" - "spun gold" (Yoma 45a).