Bava Batra 105

שלא בפניו צריך למימר ליה לך חזק וקני

but [if the act is] not [done] in his presence, he must say, Go, occupy and acquire ownership. Rab inquired: What is the rule in the case of a gift? Said Samuel: What is Abba's<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rab. v. supra p. 214, n. 9. ');">¹</span> difficulty? Seeing that in the case of a sale where the purchaser gives money, if the seller says to him, 'Go, occupy and acquire ownership,' he does acquire ownership but otherwise not, how much more so in the case of a gift?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., a fortiori, if the recipient of the gift does not take possession in the donor's presence, the latter must use this formula to make the gift valid. ');">²</span>

בעי רב מתנה היאך אמר שמואל מאי תבעי ליה לאבא השתא ומה מכר דקא יהיב ליה זוזי אי א"ל לך חזק וקני אין אי לא לא מתנה לא כל שכן ורב סבר מאן דיהיב מתנה בעין יפה יהיב

— Rab, however, was of opinion that a gift is usually made in a liberal spirit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra 71a. And therefore he was doubtful whether the formula was necessary even in this case. ');">³</span> How much is meant by 'anything at all'? — [The answer is given] in the dictum of Samuel: If a man raises a fence already existing to ten handbreadths<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This was reckoned the minimum height which would act as a barrier. ');">⁴</span>

וכמה כל שהוא כדשמואל דאמר שמואל גדר גדר והשלימו לעשרה ופרץ פרצה כדי שיכנס ויצא בה הרי זו חזקה

or widens an opening so that it allows of entry and exit, this constitutes effective occupation.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because something has been done to alter the character of the property and improve it. ');">⁵</span> How are we to picture this fence? If we say that before [the man touched it] people could not climb it and now too they cannot climb it, what has he done?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To improve the property. ');">⁶</span>

האי גדר היכי דמי אילימא דמעיקרא לא הוו סלקי לה והשתא נמי לא סלקי לה מאי עבד ואלא דמעיקרא הוו סלקי לה והשתא לא סלקי לה טובא עבד לא צריכא דמעיקרא הוו סלקי לה ברווחא והשתא קא סלקי לה בדוחקא

If again we say that before people could climb it but now they cannot, he has done a great deal!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we should not call it 'anything at all'. ');">⁷</span> — We must therefore say that before it could be climbed easily but now it can only be climbed with difficulty. How are we to picture the opening? If we say that before people could get through it and now too they can get through it, what has he done?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To improve the property. ');">⁶</span>

האי פרצה היכי דמי אילימא דמעיקרא הוו עיילי בה והשתא נמי עיילי בה מאי עבד ואלא דמעיקרא לא הוו עיילי בה והשתא קא עיילי בה טובא עבד לא צריכא דמעיקרא הוו עיילי בה בדוחקא והשתא עיילי בה ברווחא

If again we say that before people could not get through it but now they can, he has done a great deal!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we should not call it 'anything at all'. ');">⁷</span> We must therefore say that before people got through with difficulty, but now they get through easily.

א"ר אסי א"ר יוחנן נתן צרור והועיל נטל צרור והועיל ה"ז חזקה מאי נתן ומאי נטל

R. Assi said in the name of R. Johanan: If [in the estate of a deceased proselyte] a man by placing a pebble or removing a pebble confers some advantage, this action gives him a title to the land. How are we to understand this placing and removing? If we say that by placing the pebble [there] he stops water from overflowing the field<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And so damaging it. ');">⁸</span> or by removing the pebble he allows water to run off from the field,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which was waterlogged. ');">⁹</span>

אילימא נתן צרור וסכר מיא מינה נטל צרור ואפיק מיא מינה האי מבריח ארי מנכסי חברו הוא אלא נתן צרור דצמד לה מיא נטל צרור וארוח לה מיא

he is merely in the position of 'a man who chases a lion from his neighbour's field'!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he merely performs a neighbourly action which is incumbent on any man. ');">¹⁰</span> — We must say therefore that in placing the pebble he conserves the water<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where it was required. ');">¹¹</span>

ואמר רב אסי א"ר יוחנן שתי שדות ומצר אחד ביניהן החזיק באחת מהן לקנותה קנאה

and in removing the pebble he makes a passage for the water.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Allowing it to enter and water the field. ');">¹²</span> R. Assi further said in the name of R. Johanan: [If the estate of a deceased proselyte consists of] two [adjacent] fields with a boundary between them, then if a man takes possession<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By means of some appropriate action. ');">¹³</span> of one of them with the idea of becoming owner, he acquires ownership of that one;