Bava Batra 200

דרך הרבים שש עשרה אמות דרך ערי מקלט שלשים ושתים אמות א"ר הונא מאי קראה דכתיב (דברים יט, ג) תכין לך הדרך דרך הדרך:

a public road,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Used by people of more than two towns. ');">¹</span> sixteen cubits; the road to the cities of refuge,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Num. XXXV, 6ff; Deut. XIX, 2ff. ');">²</span> thirty two cubits. R. Huna said: From what Scriptural text [may this be inferred]? — From the text, Thou shalt prepare thee the way;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIX, 3. ');">³</span>

דרך המלך אין לה שיעור: שהמלך פורץ גדר לעשות לו דרך ואין ממחין בידו:

[instead of], 'a way' [it is written], 'the way'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] ha-derek. The definite article implies a 'special' way, double the usual which is of sixteen cubits. ');">⁴</span> THE KING'S HIGHWAY HAS NO LIMIT[s], because a king may break a wall to make a way for himself and no one may prevent him. THE PATH OF A FUNERAL CORTEGE HAS NO LIMIT[s], in deference to the dead.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In order that as many as possible may join his funeral escort to pay him their last honours. ');">⁵</span>

דרך הקבר אין לה שיעור: משום יקרא דשכבא:

THE HALTING PLACE HAD, SAID THE JUDGES OF SEPPHORIS, AN AREA OF FOUR <i>KAB</i> etc. Our Rabbis taught: If a person has sold his [family] grave, the path to [this] grave, his halting place<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 416, n. 8, and n. 4 infra. ');">⁶</span> or his house of mourning, the members of [his] family may come and bury him perforce,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They may force the buyer to take back the purchase price and cancel the sale. ');">⁷</span> in order [to avert] a slight upon the family.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Keth. 84a. Bek. 52b. ');">⁸</span>

המעמד דייני ציפורי אמרו בת ד' קבין כו': ת"ר המוכר קברו דרך קברו מקום מעמדו ובית הספדו באין בני משפחה וקוברין אותו על כרחו משום פגם משפחה:

Our Rabbis taught: No less than seven halts and sittings<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The funeral escort, on returning from a burial, halted on the way at a certain station, where seven times they stood up and sat down on the ground to offer comfort and consolation to the mourners or to weep and lament for the departed. ');">⁹</span> are to be arranged for the dead, corresponding to<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The seven times 'vanity' mentioned in the following verse: Three times 'vanity' in the singular, and twice in the plural which equal four in the singular. ');">¹⁰</span> Vanity of vanities. saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. I, 2. ');">¹¹</span>

ת"ר אין פוחתין משבעה מעמדות ומושבות למת כנגד (קהלת א, ב) הבל הבלים אמר קהלת הבל הבלים הכל הבל

R. Aha the son of Raba said to R. Ashi: What was their procedure? He replied unto him: As it has been taught; R. Judah said, At first they provided in Judea no less than seven halts and sittings for the dead in the [following] manner: [The leader called out after the escort had sat down on the ground]. 'Stand, dear [friends], stand up'; [and after they had walked for some distance he again called out]. 'Sit down, dear [friends], sit down'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is the conclusion of the answer to R. Aha's enquiry. ');">¹²</span> They<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Sages. ');">¹³</span> said unto him: If so,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the entire ceremonial consisted only of the leader's directions and of sitting down and standing up. ');">¹⁴</span>

א"ל רב אחא בריה דרבא לרב אשי היכי עבדי א"ל כדתניא אמר רבי יהודה ביהודה בראשונה לא היו פוחתין משבעה מעמדות ומושבות למת כגון עמדו יקרים עמודו שבו יקרים שבו אמרו לו א"כ אף בשבת מותר לעשות כן

such [procedure] should be permitted on the Sabbath<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Sabbath eve, if the burial took place near dusk. In such a ceremonial no desecration of the Sabbath could be involved. ');">¹⁵</span> also! The sister of Rami b. Papa was married to R. Iwya. [When] she died he arranged [in] her [honour]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'for her'. ');">¹⁶</span>

אחתיה דרמי בר פפא הוה נסיבא ליה לרב אויא שכיבא עבד לה מעמד ומושב א"ר יוסף טעה בתרתי טעה שאין עושין אלא בקרובים והוא עבד אפילו ברחוקים וטעה שאין עושין אלא ביום ראשון והוא עבד ביום שני

a 'halting and sitting'. R. Joseph said: He erred on two [points]. He erred [in] that [the ceremony of halting and sitting] is to be held with near [relatives]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who are not so near as to be included among the mourners. ');">¹⁷</span> only, and he held it even with distant [ones]; and he [further] erred [in] that they were instituted only for the first day [of the burial], and he arranged [them] for the second day. Abaye said: He also erred on the following [point]. These<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., 'halting and sitting'. ');">¹⁸</span> [were instituted] to take place in the grave-yard only, and he arranged [them] within the town. Raba said: He also erred on the following [point]. These<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., 'halting and sitting'. ');">¹⁸</span>

אביי אמר בהא נמי טעה שאין עושין אלא בבית הקברות והוא עשה בעיר רבא אמר בהא נמי טעה שאין עושין אלא במקום שנהגו והתם לא נהוג

may be arranged only where they are the local practice, but there, these were not the practice. An objection was raised: [It has been stated that] they said unto him, 'If so, such [procedure] should be permitted on the Sabbath also'. Now, if it is said [that the ceremonial is to take place] in the graveyard and on the first day [only], [for] what [purpose] is the graveyard required on the Sabbath?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely burial on the Sabbath is forbidden ');">¹⁹</span> — In [the case of] a town which is near a graveyard [and the dead] was brought [to burial] at twilight.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the Sabbath eve. In such a case the ceremonial would be performed on the Sabbath (V. p. 420, n. 10). Though the night forms, for general purposes, the beginning of the following day, in respect of the mourning on the first day of the death an exception is made, and the night is held to follow the previous day. Sabbath eve can accordingly be regarded for the purpose as Friday. viz., the first day of the burial. ');">²⁰</span>

מיתיבי אמרו לו אם כן אף בשבת מותר לעשות כן ואי אמרת בבית הקברות וביום א' בית הקברות בשבת מאי בעי בעיר הסמוכה לבית הקברות דאמטיוהו בין השמשות:

<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF ONE SELLS A PLOT [OF GROUND] TO ANOTHER AS A [FAMILY] GRAVE AND, LIKEWISE, IF ONE ACCEPTS [AN ORDER] FROM ANOTHER TO CONSTRUCT FOR HIM A [FAMILY] GRAVE, THE CENTRAL SPACE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Family graves were constructed in the form of a central grotto from which sepulchral chambers opened into the surrounding walls. ');">²¹</span> OF THE GROTTO MUST HAVE [AN AREA OF] FOUR CUBITS BY SIX.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The height of the grotto is to be, according to the Tosefta, four cubits. ');">²²</span> AND EIGHT SEPULCHRAL CHAMBERS ARE TO OPEN OUT INTO IT; THREE FROM [THE WALL ON] ONE SIDE.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the two longer walls. ');">²³</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> המוכר מקום לחברו לעשות לו קבר וכן המקבל מחברו לעשות לו קבר עושה תוכה של מערה ד' אמות על שש ופותח לתוכה שמונה כוכין שלש מכאן ושלש מכאן ושנים מכנגדן וכוכין ארכן ארבע אמות ורומן שבע

THREE FROM [THE WALL ON] THE OTHER,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the two longer walls. ');">²³</span> AND TWO [FROM THE WALL] IN FRONT.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The shorter wall that faces the entrance. ');">²⁴</span> THE CHAMBERS MUST BE FOUR CUBITS IN LENGTH, SEVEN [HANDBREADTHS] IN HEIGHT,