Bava Batra 179

Chapter 179

א ועוכלא וכמה היא עוכלא אחד מחמשה ברביע ובמדת הלח הוא עושה הין וחצי הין ושלישית ההין ורביעית ההין ולוג וחצי לוג ורביעית ושמינית ואחד משמונה בשמינית וזהו קורטוב
1 and an <i>'Ukla</i>. — How much is an <i>'ukla</i>? — A fifth of a quarter [of a <i>kab</i>]. In the case of liquid measures one may make a <i>hin</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hin, (v. loc. cit., n. 8) = a tarkab. ');"><sup>1</sup></span> half a <i>hin</i>, a third of a <i>hin</i>, a quarter of a <i>hin</i>, a <i>log</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Log, v. loc. cit. n. 9. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ב ולעביד נמי קביים אתי לאיחלופי בתרקב אלמא טעו אינשי תילתא אי הכי קב נמי לא ליעביד דאתי לאיחלופי בחצי תרקב אלא קביים היינו טעמא דלא עביד דאתי לאיחלופי בחצי תרקב
2 half a <i>log</i>, a quarter [of a <i>log</i>], an eighth [of a <i>log</i>], and an eighth of an eighth [of a <i>log</i>] which is a kortob.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kortob = Sixty-fourth of a log. ');"><sup>3</sup></span> [Why should] one [not be allowed] also to make a two-<i>kab</i> [measure]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A third of a se'ah, as one is allowed to make a third of a hin. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ג אלמא טעי איניש ריבעא אי הכי חצי תומן ועוכלא לא ליעביד אמר רב פפא מדות קטנות בקיאי בהו אינשי
3 — It might be mistaken<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'changed'. ');"><sup>5</sup></span> for a <i>tarkab</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Owing to the comparatively small difference between them. (3 — 2 = 1 kab.) ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ד שלישית ההין רביעית ההין לא ליעביד כיון דהוו במקדש לא גזרו בהו רבנן במקדש נמי ליגזור כהנים זריזין הן:
4 This proves that people may err by a third;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The difference between a tarkab and a two kab, being one kab = a third of a tarkab. ');"><sup>7</sup></span> [but] if so, one <i>kab</i> [measure] also should not be made, since it might be mistaken<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'changed'. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ה אמר שמואל אין מוסיפין על המדות יותר משתות ולא על המטבע יתר משתות והמשתכר אל ישתכר יותר משתות אין מוסיפין על המדות יותר משתות מ"ט אילימא משום אפקועי תרעא שתות נמי לא
5 for half a <i>tarkab</i>?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Half a tarkab, equals one and a half kab. The difference between one and a half, and one kab = half a kab = a third of half a tarkab. ');"><sup>8</sup></span> — But this is the reason why a two-<i>kab</i> [measure] must not be made; it might be mistaken<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'changed'. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ו אלא משום אונאה דלא ליהוי ביטול מקח והאמר רבא כל דבר שבמדה ושבמשקל ושבמנין אפילו פחות מכדי אונאה חוזר
6 for half a <i>tarkab</i>. This proves that one may err by a quarter;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The difference between half a tarkab (= one and a half kab), and two kab, equals half a kab = a quarter of two kab. ');"><sup>9</sup></span> [but] if so, half a toman and an ukla [measures, also,] should not be made?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The difference between half a toman (=one sixteenth kab) and an 'ukla (=one twentieth kab) is only one eightieth of a kab which is a fifth of the half toman, less than a quarter, so that these two measures could, accordingly, certainly be mistaken for one another. ');"><sup>10</sup></span>
ז אלא דלא ליהוי פסידא לתגרא
7 — R. Papa replied: People are familiar with small measures [and are not likely to mistake them for one another]. Should not one be forbidden to make a third of a <i>hin</i> [and] a quarter of a <i>hin</i>?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the difference between these two (a third — a quarter) is a twelfth of a hin, which is a quarter of the larger measure (1/3 hin). ');"><sup>11</sup></span> — Since these [measures] were [used] in the Temple, the Rabbis have not enacted any precautionary prohibitions against their use. Let precautionary prohibitions be adopted in the case of the Temple [itself]? — Priests are careful.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' No precautions, therefore, are necessary in their case. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
ח פסידא הוא דלא ליהוי ליה רווחא לא בעי זבן וזבין תגרא איקרי
8 Samuel said:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Men. 77a. ');"><sup>13</sup></span> Measures must not be increased [even when all the townspeople have agreed to alter the standards of the measures] by more than a sixth, nor [even by general consent] may [the value of] a coin [be increased by] more than a sixth. And any profits on sales must not exceed one sixth. What is the reason why measures must not be increased by more than a sixth? If it is said, because market prices will rise [above due proportions],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Traders arriving from other places, finding that the standard of the weights has risen, will raise prices in a still higher proportion. ');"><sup>14</sup></span>
ט אלא אמר רב חסדא שמואל קרא אשכח ודרש (יחזקאל מה, יב) והשקל עשרים גרה עשרים שקלים חמשה ועשרים שקלים עשרה וחמשה שקל המנה יהיה לכם
9 [then for the same reason one should] not [be allowed to increase] even [by] a sixth! But if [it be said], because of the overcharge,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An overcharge of less than a sixth does not entitle any of the parties to cancel the sale. Only the overcharge is to be returned. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> so that the entire purchase should not have to be cancelled;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the increase in the weights will be more than a sixth, the seller, who did not know of this, and accepted the old price, would be losing more than a sixth and would, therefore, be entitled to cancel the entire sale. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> surely, Raba said: One may withdraw [from any transaction in which] anything [had been sold] by measure, weight or number, even [if the overcharge was] less than [the legal limit of] overcharge!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since, in such cases, one may withdraw even when the overcharge was less than a sixth, nothing is gained by limiting the permitted increase in weights to a sixth. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> But [if it be said that the reason why no more than a sixth may be added to weights is] that the dealer may not incur any loss;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A dealer may, in accordance with what has been said before, make a profit of one sixth. When weights are increased by a sixth and a dealer sells at the old price, he does not lose thereby any of his principal, since what he loses by taking the old price and giving the increased weight, he makes up by the profit he gains on selling at a price which is higher by a sixth than his cost price. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> [has this law, then, been made, it may be retorted, on the assumption that a dealer] must incur no loss [but also] requires no profit? 'Buy and sell [at no profit] and be called a merchant!' — But, said R. Hisda: Samuel found a Scriptural text and expounded it. [It is written], <i>And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, ten and five shekels, shall be your maneh</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XLV, 12. ');"><sup>19</sup></span>