Bava Batra 122

לא צריכא דאע"ג דמצר ליה מצרי אבראי

— It was necessary to state the rule to show that [this is the case] even if the seller drew the boundaries [in the deed of sale] outside [the inner room]. This is based on the ruling laid down by R. Nahman in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha. For R. Nahman said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha that if a man sells another an apartment<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 247. n. 1. ');">¹</span>

כדרב נחמן דאמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה המוכר בית לחבירו בבירה גדולה אע"פ שמצר לו מצרים החיצונים מצרים הרחיב לו

in a large tenement-house, even if he draws the boundaries outside [the whole tenement-house] we say that he only drew the boundaries wide.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And his intention is to sell only the apartment. ');">²</span>

היכי דמי אילימא דקרו ליה לבית בית ולבירה בירה פשיטא בית זבין ליה בירה לא זבין ליה אלא דלבירה נמי קרו לה בית כוליה זבין ליה

How are we to understand this rule? If the apartment is called an apartment and the tenement a tenement, then it is self-evident:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And the rule need not have been stated. ');">³</span>

לא צריכא דרובא קרו ליה לבית בית לבירה בירה ואיכא נמי דלבירה קרו ליה בית מהו דתימא כוליה זבין ליה קמ"ל מדהוה ליה למכתב ולא שיירית בזביני אלין כלום ולא כתב שמע מינה שיורי שייר

he is selling him an apartment, not a tenement? If again the tenement also is called an apartment, then he sells the whole to him [does he not]? — The rule is required for the case where most people call the apartment an apartment and the tenement a tenement, but some call the tenement also an apartment. I might think that in this case [if he draws the boundaries wide] he sells him the whole. We are therefore told that since he might have inserted [in the deed of sale the words], 'And I have not reserved for myself anything from this transfer,'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This being the regular formula of a deed of sale. V. infra. ');">⁴</span>

ואמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה המוכר שדה לחבירו בבקעה גדולה אע"פ שמצר לו מצרים החיצונים מצרים הרחיב לו

and did not insert them, we assume that he did reserve something.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the tenement. ');">⁵</span>

היכי דמי אילימא דקרו ליה לשדה שדה ולבקעה בקעה פשיטא שדה זבין ליה בקעה לא זבין ליה ואלא דלבקעה נמי קרו לה שדה כולה זבין ליה

R. Nahman also said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha: If a man sells to another a field in a big stretch of fields, even though he draw the outer boundaries [right round the whole stretch, he only sells the field, because] we say that he draws the boundaries wide. How are we to understand this? If the field is called a field and the stretch a stretch, the proposition is self-evident; he is selling him a field, not a stretch. If again the stretch is also called field, then the whole is sold to him [is it not]? — The rule is necessary for the case where some call the stretch a stretch and some call it a field. You might think that in this case he sells him the whole. Therefore we are told that since he might have inserted [in the deed of sale the words]. 'I have not reserved for myself anything from this transfer,' and did not insert them, we are to assume that he did reserve something.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the rest of the stretch. ');">⁶</span>

לא צריכא דאיכא דלשדה קרו ליה שדה ולבקעה בקעה ואיכא נמי דלבקעה קרו לה שדה מהו דתימא כוליה זבין ליה קמ"ל מדהוה ליה למכתב ליה לא שיירית בזביני אלין קדמי כלום ולא כתב ליה שמע מינה שיורי שייר

And both these rulings [about the house and the field] required to be stated. For if had only the one about the house, I might say that the reason [why the tenement is not sold with the apartment] is because they are used for different purposes,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The word birah (tenement house) was applied specifically to the large hall in it into which the separate apartments opened, and which was used for sitting and walking about in and not for residence. ');">⁷</span>

וצריכא דאי אשמעינן בית משום דהא תשמישתא לחוד והא תשמישתא לחוד אבל בקעה דכולה חדא תשמישתא היא אימא כוליה זבין ליה

but in the case of the stretch of fields and the field where the whole [stretch] is used for the same purpose I might say that the whole is sold. And if I had only the rule about the stretch of fields, I might think that the reason [why it is not all sold] is because it is difficult to mark off one field [in the middle of a stretch], but in the case of the apartment, where he could easily have marked it off and did not do so, I might think that he has sold him the whole. Hence both are necessary.

ואי אשמעינן בקעה משום דלא הוה ליה למימצר ליה אבל בית דהוה ליה למימצר ליה ולא מצר ליה כוליה זבין ליה צריכא

What authority does R. Mari the son of the daughter of Samuel b. Shilath<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Delete 'b. Shilath', v. D.S. a.l. and cf. infra p. 357, n. 15.] ');">⁸</span>

כמאן אזלא הא דאמר רב מרי (בריה) דבת שמואל (בר שילת) משמיה דאביי האי מאן דמזבני ליה מידי לחבריה צריך למכתב ליה לא שיירית בזביני אלין קדמי כלום כמאן כרב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה

follow in the statement he made in the name of Abaye: If a man sells property to another, he should insert in the deed of sale the words, 'I have not reserved from this transfer for myself anything.' The authority is the dictum enunciated by R. Nahman in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That boundaries may be drawn wide; and it is to prevent the seller from entering such a place that the insertion of this formula in the deed of sale was prescribed by R. Mari. ');">⁹</span>

ההוא דא"ל לחבריה ארעא דבי חייא מזבננא לך הואי ליה תרתי ארעתא דהוה מתקרין דבי חייא אמר רב אשי חדא אמר ליה תרתי לא א"ל

A certain man said to another: I will sell you the land of Hiyya's. There were two pieces of land which were called Hiyya's. R. Ashi said: He sold him one piece of land, not two.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And the purchaser must take whichever one the seller chooses. ');">¹⁰</span>

ואי א"ל ארעתא סתמא מיעוט ארעתא שתים ואי א"ל כל ארעתא כל ארעתא דאית ליה לבר מבוסתני ופרדיסי ואי א"ל זיהרא אפילו בי בוסתני ופרדיסי לבר מבתי ועבדי

If, however, a man says to another, 'I will sell you some lands,'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [So Ms.M; V. D.S. a.l.] ');">¹¹</span> the minimum that can be called 'lands' is two. If he says 'all the lands', [this includes] all his landed property except gardens and orchards. If he says 'fields',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Zihara, a name which probably included all cultivable ground. ');">¹²</span> this includes gardens and orchards also, but not houses and slaves.