Responsa for Bava Batra 297:6

מתקיף לה רב איקא בריה דרב אמי אמאי ולודי איסור דהלין זוזי דרב מרי נינהו וליקנינהו באודיתא אדהכי נפק אודיתא מבי איסור איקפד רבא אמר קא מגמרי טענתא לאינשי ומפסדי לי

if he [were to] send for me I would not go.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And thus the money would remain in Raba's possession. who held the view that he was entitled, as anyone else, to retain the sum of money which, on the death of Issur who was a proselyte, would become ownerless and free to anyone who would first gain possession of it. ');">²³</span> R. Ika son of R. Ammi demurred: Why?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely there is a way by which R. Mari could obtain the twelve thousand zuz! ');">²⁴</span> Let Issur acknowledge that that money belongs to R. Mari and [the latter] would acquire it by [virtue of this] admission! Meanwhile,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The discussion at the academy having been reported to Issur. ');">²⁵</span> there issued [such] an acknowledgement from the house of Issur.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And R. Mari thus acquired ownership of the twelve thousand sins. ');">²⁶</span> [Whereupon] Raba was annoyed [and] said,'They teach people what to say<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'plea', 'argument'. ');">²⁷</span> and cause loss to me'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is possible that Raba had no intention whatsoever to appropriate Issur's money and that the whole discussion of the possible legal means whereby R. Mari could acquire possession of his father's money was only the master's method of impressing these subtle laws upon his students' minds. No one at the academy suspected for one moment that the master would in all earnestness desire to retain the money he held as a deposit from one who obviously confided in him. Had Raba been in earnest he would not have spoken publicly about such a matter when he well knew that Issur was still alive and could easily find legal means whereby to transfer possession to his son, if not to reclaim the deposit himself. Raba's pretended annoyance and ironical exclamation, 'They teach people what to say and cause me loss', must have been just a mild chiding to the students or their friends who deprived him of the satisfaction of passing on the money to R. Mari as a generous gift rather than as something legally due to him. The mention of the fact that R. Mari was [H] 'at the master's house', i e 'school', which according to the ordinary interpretations has not much point (cf. Strashun a.l.) receives a new significance. It was discussed by Raba publicly despite the fact that R. Mari was himself at the school (perhaps Raba's very own school) and would well be aware of the whole discussion and could, if he chose, report it himself to his father and give him the necessary legal advice. The mention of R. Mari's presence at the school is probably the key to the indication of Raba's integrity and honour. ');">²⁸</span>

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