לזכות ר' יצחק יונה בן חנה לבריאת איתנה
In many places the great amora Rav used poetic or flowery language.
Shabbos 111b - I and the "lion of the group" explained.
Eiruvin 61b - I will say something that "Shvor Malka" [King Shvor] didn't say. Who is "Shvor Malka"? Shmuel.
Yevamos 64b - Yitzchak Sumka [the Red] is not reliable.
Ksubos 85a - They came before Rava, he said "קאקי חיורי" [White geese].
There are many more examples.
With this context, we must explain a perplexing statement of Rava in Ksubos 63a - רב יוסף בריה דרבא - שדריה אבוהי לבי רב לקמיה דרב יוסף. פסקו ליה שית שני. כי הוה תלת שני - מטא מעלי יומא דכפורי, אמר: איזיל ואיחזינהו לאינשי ביתי. שמע אבוהי, שקל מנא ונפק לאפיה, אמר ליה: "זונתך נזכרת"?; איכא דאמרי אמר ליה "יונתך נזכרת"! איטרוד : לא מר איפסיק ולא מר איפסיק
R. Yoseph the son of Rava [was] sent [by] his father to the academy under R.
Yoseph. and they arranged for him [to stay there for] six years. Having been there three years and the eve of Yom Kippur approaching. he said, ‘I would go and see my family’. When his father [Rava]
heard [of his premature arrival] he took up a weapon and went out to meet him. ‘You have
remembered’, he said to him, ‘your "zona"! Another version: He said to him, ‘You have
remembered your dove!’ They got involved in a quarrel and neither the one nor the other ate of the
last meal before the fast. This is odd to say the least. How can Rava express himself in such a seemingly crude way??
It would seem that the gemara means as follows: Rav Yosef's wife was SUPPORTING HIM for six years. The word "zona" is from the word mezonos - financial support. That is the word used in the Yerushalmi [Ksubos 5/4] נושא אדם אשה ומתנה עמה שתהא זונתו ומפרנסו. See also the Sifri Behaaloscha [78] רחב הזונה שהיתה עסוקה באכסנאות - Rachav was an innkeeper who fed people. [See also Gittin 6b בני אדם with Tosfos].
Rava was referring to his wife's son who supported him [and maybe saying "Why did you come home - you have full support and your job is to sit and learn without stopping?!"].
Divrei Chachomim Vi-chidosam - The words of the Sages and their riddles!:-)
[Based on the sefer לחקר השמות והכינויים בתלמוד of Rav Reuvein Margaliyos; See also Toras Moshe of the Chasam Sofer Dvarim page 64; Dover Yesharim of Rav Zilber page 8].
