Bava Batra 22

קנאת סופרים תרבה חכמה

Jealousy among teachers increases wisdom.

אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק ומודה רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע ברוכלין המחזירין בעיירות דלא מצי מעכב דאמר מר עזרא תקן להן לישראל שיהו רוכלין מחזירין בעיירות כדי שיהו תכשיטין מצויין לבנות ישראל

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, who said that townspeople can bar craftsmen who come from other cities, concedes with regard to perfume salesmen who travel from one town to another that the townspeople cannot prevent them from entering their town. As the Master said: Ezra instituted an ordinance for the Jewish people that perfume salesmen shall travel from town to town so that cosmetics will be available to Jewish women. Since this ordinance was instituted on behalf of Jewish women, the Sages ruled that these peddlers could not be barred from entering a town.

והני מילי לאהדורי אבל לאקבועי לא ואי צורבא מרבנן הוא אפילו לאקבועי נמי כי הא דרבא שרא להו לרבי יאשיה ולרב עובדיה לאקבועי דלא כהלכתא מאי טעמא כיון דרבנן נינהו אתו לטרדו מגירסייהו

The Gemara continues: And this matter applies only to one who seeks to travel from town to town as a salesman. But if he wants to establish a shop, this ruling was not stated, and the townspeople can prevent him from doing so. And if he is a Torah scholar he may even establish a shop as a perfume salesman. This is like that incident in which Rava permitted Rabbi Yoshiya and Rav Ovadya to establish a shop not in accordance with the halakha. What is the reason for this ruling? The reason is that since they are rabbis, they are likely to be distracted from their studies should they be required to travel from place to place.

הנהו דיקולאי דאייתו דיקלאי לבבל אתו בני מתא קא מעכבי עלויהו אתו לקמיה דרבינא אמר להו מעלמא אתו ולעלמא ליזבנו והני מילי ביומא דשוקא אבל בלא יומא דשוקא לא וביומא דשוקא נמי לא אמרינן אלא לזבוני בשוקא אבל לאהדורי לא

§ The Gemara relates: There were these basket sellers who brought baskets to Babylonia. The townspeople came and prevented them from selling there. The two parties came before Ravina for a ruling. Ravina said to them: The basket sellers came from outside the town, and they sell to those from outside the town, i.e., to guests who are not residents of the town. The Gemara comments: And this statement applies only on a market day, when people from other towns come to shop, but they may not sell their wares on non-market days. And even with regard to market days, we say so only with regard to selling in the market, but this halakha does not apply to circulating around the town.

הנהו עמוראי דאייתו עמרא לפום נהרא אתו בני מתא קא מעכבי עלויהו אתו לקמיה דרב כהנא אמר להו דינא הוא דמעכבי עלייכו אמרו ליה אית לן אשראי אמר להו זילו זבנו שיעור חיותייכו עד דעקריתו אשראי דידכו ואזליתו

The Gemara further relates: There were these wool sellers who brought wool to the city of Pum Nahara. The townsfolk came and prevented them from selling it. The two parties came before Rav Kahana for a ruling. Rav Kahana said to them: The halakha is that they may prevent you from selling your wares. The wool sellers said to him: We have debts to collect in the city, and we must sell our wares in the meantime to sustain ourselves until we are paid. Rav Kahana said to them: Go and sell the amount needed to sustain yourselves until you have collected your debts, and then leave.

רב דימי מנהרדעא אייתי גרוגרות בספינה אמר ליה ריש גלותא לרבא פוק חזי אי צורבא מרבנן הוא נקיט ליה שוקא אמר ליה רבא לרב אדא בר אבא פוק תהי ליה בקנקניה

§ The Gemara relates: Rav Dimi of Neharde’a brought dried figs on a ship to sell them. The Exilarch said to Rava: Go and see; if he is a Torah scholar, reserve the market for him, i.e., declare that he has the exclusive right to sell dried figs. Rava said to his student Rav Adda bar Abba: Go and smell his jar, i.e., determine whether or not Rav Dimi is a Torah scholar.

נפק [אזל] בעא מיניה פיל שבלע כפיפה מצרית והקיאה דרך בית הרעי מהו לא הוה בידיה אמר ליה מר ניהו רבא טפח ליה בסנדליה אמר ליה בין דידי לרבא איכא טובא מיהו על כרחך אנא רבך ורבא רבה דרבך

Rav Adda bar Abba went and asked Rav Dimi a question: With regard to an elephant that swallowed a wicker basket and excreted it intact along with its waste, what is the halakha? Is the vessel still susceptible to ritual impurity or is it considered digested and not susceptible to impurity? An answer was not available to Rav Dimi. Rav Dimi said to Rav Adda bar Abba: Is the Master Rava, i.e., are you Rava, as you have asked me such a difficult question? Rav Adda bar Abba struck him on his shoe in a disparaging way and said to him: There is a great difference between me and Rava; but I am perforce your teacher, and Rava is your teacher’s teacher.

לא נקטו ליה שוקא פסיד גרוגרות דידיה אתא לקמיה דרב יוסף אמר ליה חזי מר מאי עבדו לי אמר ליה מאן דלא שהייה לאוניתא דמלכא דאדום לא נשהייה לאוניתיך דכתיב כה אמר ה׳ על שלשה פשעי מואב ועל ארבעה לא אשיבנו על שרפו עצמות מלך אדום לסיד

Based on this exchange, Rav Adda bar Abba decided that Rav Dimi was not a great Torah scholar, and therefore he did not reserve the market for him, and Rav Dimi lost his dried figs, as they rotted. Rav Dimi came before Rav Yosef to complain, and said to him: The Master should see what they did to me. Rav Yosef said to him: He Who did not delay retribution for the humiliation of the King of Edom should not delay His response to your humiliation, but should punish whoever distressed you, as it is written: “So says the Lord: For three transgressions of Moab, indeed for four I will not reverse for him, because he burned the bones of the King of Edom into lime” (Amos 2:1).

נח נפשיה דרב אדא בר אבא רב יוסף אמר אנא ענישתיה דאנא לטייתיה רב דימי מנהרדעא אמר אנא ענישתיה דאפסיד גרוגרות דידי אביי אמר אנא ענישתיה דאמר להו לרבנן אדמגרמיתו גרמי בי אביי תו אכלו בישרא [שמינא] בי רבא ורבא אמר אנא ענישתיה [דכי הוה אזיל לבי טבחא למשקל אומצא] אמר להו לטבחי אנא שקילנא בישרא מיקמי שמעיה דרבא דאנא עדיפנא מיניה

The Gemara reports that Rav Adda bar Abba died. Rav Yosef said: I punished him, i.e., I am to blame for his death, as I cursed him. Rav Dimi from Neharde’a said: I punished him, as he caused my loss of dried figs. Abaye said: I punished him, i.e., he was punished on my account because he did not exhibit the proper respect for me. As Rav Adda bar Abba said to the Sages: Instead of gnawing the bones in the school of Abaye, you would do better to eat fatty meat in the school of Rava, i.e., it is preferable to study with Rava than with Abaye. And Rava said: I punished him, as when he would go to the butcher to buy a piece of meat, he would say to the butchers: I will take meat before Rava’s servant, as I am greater than he is.

רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר אנא ענישתיה דרב נחמן בר יצחק ריש כלה הוה כל יומא מיקמי דניעול לכלה מרהיט בהדיה רב אדא בר אבא לשמעתיה והדר עייל לכלה

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: I punished him, i.e., he was punished because of me, as Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak was the head of the kalla lectures, the gatherings for Torah study during Elul and Adar. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak would teach the students immediately following the lesson taught by the head of the academy. Every day, before he went in for the kalla lecture, he reviewed his lecture with Rav Adda bar Abba, and then he would enter the study hall for the kalla lecture.

ההוא יומא נקטוה רב פפא ורב הונא בריה דרב יהושע לרב אדא בר אבא משום דלא הוו בסיומא אמרו ליה אימא לן הני שמעתתא דמעשר בהמה היכי אמרינהו רבא אמר להו הכי אמר רבא והכי אמר רבא אדהכי נגה ליה [לרב נחמן בר יצחק] ולא אתי רב אדא בר אבא

On that day Rav Pappa and Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, seized Rav Adda bar Abba, because they had not been present at the conclusion of Rava’s lecture. They said to him: Tell us how Rava stated these halakhot of animal tithe. Rav Adda bar Abba said to them: Rava said this and Rava said that. Meanwhile, it grew late for Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, and Rav Adda bar Abba had not yet arrived.

אמרו ליה רבנן לרב נחמן בר יצחק קום דנגה לן למה יתיב מר אמר להו יתיבנא וקא מנטרא לערסיה דרב אדא בר אבא אדהכי נפק קלא דנח נפשיה דרב אדא בר אבא ומסתברא דרב נחמן בר יצחק ענשיה:

The Sages said to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: Arise and teach us, as it is late for us. Why does the Master sit and wait? Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to them: I am sitting and waiting for the bier of Rav Adda bar Abba, who has presumably died. Meanwhile, a rumor emerged that Rav Adda bar Abba had indeed died. The Gemara comments: And so too, it is reasonable to conclude that Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak punished him, i.e., he died as a result of Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak’s statement, as the unfortunate event occurred just as he announced that Rav Adda bar Abba’s bier was on its way.

מתני׳ מי שהיה כותלו סמוך לכותל חבירו לא יסמוך לו כותל אחר אלא אם כן הרחיק ממנו ארבע אמות החלונות בין מלמעלן בין מלמטן בין כנגדן ארבע אמות:

MISHNA: One whose wall was close to the wall of another may not build another wall close to the neighbor’s wall unless he distances it four cubits from the wall of the neighbor. And one who desires to build a wall opposite the windows of a neighbor’s house must distance the wall four cubits from the windows, whether above, below, or opposite.

גמ׳ וקמא היכי סמיך אמר רב יהודה הכי קאמר

GEMARA: The Gemara comments: Before addressing the construction of the second wall, one could ask: And with regard to the first man, how did he place his wall close to the neighbor’s wall in the first place? Rav Yehuda said that this is what the tanna is saying:

הבא לסמוך לא יסמוך אלא אם כן הרחיק ממנו ארבע אמות מתקיף לה רבא והא מי שהיה כותלו סמוך לכותל חבירו קתני

One who comes to place a wall close to his neighbor’s wall may place that wall close to the neighbor’s wall only if he distances his wall four cubits from the existing wall. Accordingly, the mishna is discussing one constructing a wall close to his neighbor’s wall the first time. Rava objects to this explanation: But the mishna teaches: One whose wall was near the wall of another, which indicates that there had already been a wall there.

אלא אמר רבא הכי קתני מי שהיה כותלו סמוך לכותל חבירו ברחוק ארבע אמות ונפל לא יסמוך לו כותל אחר אלא אם כן הרחיק ממנו ארבע אמות מאי טעמא דדוושא דהכא מעלי להתם

Rather, Rava said that this is what the mishna is teaching: In a case of one whose wall was near the wall of another at a distance of four cubits and it fell, he may not place another wall close to his neighbor’s wall unless he distances the wall four cubits from it. What is the reason that this distance must be observed? The reason is that walking here benefits there, i.e., the ground is strengthened by people walking on the land in the area between the walls.

אמר רב לא שנו אלא כותל גינה אבל כותל חצר אם בא לסמוך סומך רבי אושעיא אומר אחד כותל גינה ואחד כותל חצר אם בא לסמוך אינו סומך

Rav says: They taught that one must leave a space of four cubits between his wall and that of his neighbor only if he builds it alongside the wall of his neighbor’s garden, where people do not usually walk due to the seeds. But with regard to the wall of a courtyard, where people walk, if he comes to place his wall close by, he may place it close by. By contrast, Rabbi Oshaya says: With regard to both the wall of a garden and the wall of a courtyard, if one comes to place his wall close by, he may not place his wall close by.

אמר רבי יוסי בר חנינא ולא פליגי הא בעיר ישנה הא בעיר חדשה

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: And the two amora’im do not disagree, as they are referring to different cases. This statement of Rav is referring to an old city, whose ground is well trodden and stable, and that statement of Rabbi Oshaya is referring to a new city, where even the wall of a courtyard requires walking on its adjacent ground to strengthen it.

תנן החלונות בין מלמעלן בין מלמטן בין מכנגדן ארבע אמות ותני עלה מלמעלן כדי שלא יציץ ויראה מלמטן שלא יעמוד ויראה ומכנגדן שלא יאפיל

With regard to the claim that the halakha of the mishna is due to the need for space for people to walk on the ground between the walls, the Gemara asks: We learned in the mishna: And one who desires to build a wall opposite the windows of a neighbor’s house must distance the wall four cubits from the windows, whether above, below, or opposite. And it is taught in a baraita with regard to this ruling: Concerning the requirement of a distance above, the wall must be high enough so that one cannot peer into the window and see into the window; concerning the requirement of a distance below, the wall must be low so that he will not be able to stand on top of it and see into the window; and concerning the requirement of a distance opposite, one must distance the wall from the windows so that it will not darken his neighbor’s house by blocking the light that enters the house through the window.

טעמא שלא יאפיל אבל משום דוושא לא הכא במאי עסקינן בבא מן הצד

The Gemara analyzes this statement: The reason that distance is required opposite the window is so that he will not darken his neighbor’s house by blocking the light that enters the house through the window, but it is not due to the fact that walking will strengthen the ground. The Gemara answers: With what are we dealing here? We are dealing with a wall that is positioned to the side, i.e., perpendicular to the wall with the window in it, and therefore it blocks the light from entering the house through the window but does not prevent walking along the length of the neighbor’s wall.

וכמה אמר ייבא חמוה דאשיין בר נדבך משמיה דרב כמלא רחב חלון והלא מציץ אמר רב זביד במדיר את כותלו

The Gemara asks: And how far must one distance his wall if it is perpendicular to the other wall? Yeiva, the father-in-law of Ashyan bar Nidbakh, says in the name of Rav: As much as the full width of the window. The Gemara asks: But why is this sufficient? Can’t he still peer into the window if he is that close? Rav Zevid says: This is referring to one who slopes his wall, i.e., he fashions an incline on the upper surface of the wall so that he will not be able to stand on top of it and look through the window.

והא אנן תנן ארבע אמות לא קשיא כאן מרוח אחת כאן משתי רוחות

The Gemara asks: But didn’t we learn in the mishna that one must keep the wall four cubits away from the window? The Gemara answers: This is not difficult; here, he builds the wall on one side of the window, whereas there, in the mishna, he builds walls on two sides of the window. In the latter case, if he builds the walls any closer he will block the light from entering the house through the window even if they are perpendicular.

תא שמע ואת הכותל מן המזחילה ארבע אמות כדי שיהא זוקף את הסולם טעמא משום סולם אבל משום דוושא לא הכא במאי עסקינן במזחילה משופעת דאי משום דוושא הוא הא קא אזיל ואתי תותיה:

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a further difficulty from the mishna below with regard to the claim that the requisite gap between the walls is for the purpose of walking, as the mishna teaches: And one must distance his wall four cubits from a roof gutter so that his neighbor can lean a ladder in the empty space to clean and repair the gutter. The Gemara analyzes this statement: The reason this distance is required is due to the fact that he will be able to lean a ladder, but it is not due to the fact that walking will strengthen the ground. The Gemara answers: With what are we dealing here? We are dealing with a sloping roof gutter, which protrudes beyond the boundary of the wall. As in this case, if the reason for distancing the wall is due to walking, one can walk back and forth beneath it. Nevertheless, a distance of four cubits from the roof gutter is required so that repairs can be performed.

מתני׳ מרחיקין את הסולם מן השובך ארבע אמות כדי שלא תקפוץ הנמייה ואת הכותל מן המזחילה ארבע אמות כדי שיהא זוקף את הסולם:

MISHNA: One must distance his ladder four cubits from a neighbor’s dovecote so that a mongoose will not be able to jump from the ladder to the dovecote and devour the birds. And one must distance his wall four cubits from a roof gutter, so that the neighbor can lean a ladder in the empty space to clean and repair the gutter.

גמ׳ לימא מתניתין דלא כרבי יוסי דאי רבי יוסי הא אמר זה חופר בתוך שלו וזה נוטע בתוך שלו

GEMARA: Let us say that the mishna is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, as, if it were in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, doesn’t he say with regard to planting a tree next to a neighbor’s cistern: This one digs within his land, and that one plants within his land, and neither individual need consider what is happening in the property of the other?

אפילו תימא רבי יוסי הא אמר רב אשי כי הוינן בי רב כהנא הוה אמר מודי רבי יוסי בגירי דידיה הכא נמי זמנין דבהדי דמנח ליה יתבא בחור וקפצה והא גרמא הוא אמר רב טובי בר מתנה זאת אומרת גרמא בניזקין אסור

The Gemara answers: You may even say that the mishna follows the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, as didn’t Rav Ashi say: When we were studying in the study hall of Rav Kahana, he would say to us that Rabbi Yosei concedes with regard to his arrows, i.e., he concedes that one must distance himself if his actions will cause damage to his neighbor. Here too, sometimes when he places the ladder, the mongoose might be sitting in a hole and will immediately jump up and climb the ladder to the dovecote. The Gemara challenges: But that is indirect damage, as he is not the immediate cause. Rav Tovi bar Mattana said: That is to say that it is prohibited to cause even indirect damage.

רב יוסף הוה ליה הנהו תאלי דהוו

The Gemara relates: Rav Yosef had certain small palm trees [talei], and