Bava Batra 42

מאי טעמא עבדת הכי אמר ליה דכתיב (דברים כה, יט) תמחה את זכר עמלק אמר ליה והא אנן זכר קרינן א"ל אנא זכר אקריון אזל שייליה לרביה אמר ליה היאך אקריתן אמר ליה זכר

Why have you acted thus [i.e. killed only the males]? He replied: Because it is written, Thou shalt blot out the males [zekar] of Amalek.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXV, 19. ');">¹</span>

שקל ספסירא למיקטליה אמר ליה אמאי א"ל דכתיב (ירמיהו מח, י) ארור עושה מלאכת ה' רמיה א"ל שבקיה לההוא גברא דליקום בארור א"ל כתיב (ירמיהו מח, י) וארור מונע חרבו מדם איכא דאמרי קטליה ואיכא דאמרי לא קטליה

Said David: But we read, the remembrance [zeker]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] ');">²</span>

ואמר רבא מקרי ינוקא שתלא טבחא ואומנא וסופר מתא כולן כמותרין ועומדין נינהו כללא דמילתא כל פסידא דלא הדר מותרה ועומד הוא

of Amalek? He replied: I was taught to read zekar.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] ');">³</span>

אמר רב הונא האי בר מבואה דאוקי ריחיא ואתא בר מבואה חבריה וקמוקי גביה דינא הוא דמעכב עילויה דא"ל קא פסקת ליה לחיותי

He [Joab] then went to his teacher and asked: How didst thou teach me to read? He replied: Zeker. Thereupon he drew his sword and threatened to kill him. Why do you do this? asked the other. He replied: Because it is written, Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XLVIII. 20, The 'negligence' consisted in the fact that his teacher had allowed him when a boy to read zekar without correcting him (v. Tosaf.). ');">⁴</span>

לימא מסייע ליה מרחיקים מצודת הדג מן הדג כמלא ריצת הדג וכמה אמר רבה בר רב הונא עד פרסה שאני דגים דיהבי סייארא

He said to him: Be satisfied that I am cursed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Leave this man that he may abide in the curse.' ');">⁵</span>

א"ל רבינא לרבא לימא רב הונא דאמר כרבי יהודה דתנן רבי יהודה אומר לא יחלק חנוני קליות ואגוזין לתינוקות מפני שמרגילן אצלו וחכמים מתירין

To which Joab rejoined: [It also says]. Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. ');">⁶</span>

אפילו תימא רבנן עד כאן לא פליגי רבנן עליה דרבי יהודה התם אלא דאמר ליה אנא קמפלגינא אמגוזי את פלוג שיוסקי אבל הכא אפילו רבנן מודו דא"ל קא פסקת ליה לחיותי

According to one report he killed him; according to another, he did not kill him.

מיתיבי עושה אדם חנות בצד חנותו של חבירו ומרחץ בצד מרחצו של חבירו ואינו יכול למחות בידו מפני שיכול לומר לו אתה עושה בתוך שלך ואני עושה בתוך שלי

Raba further said: A teacher of young children, a vine-dresser, a [ritual] slaughterer, a blood-letter, and a town scribe are all liable to be dismissed immediately<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Are constantly under warning.' ');">⁷</span>

תנאי היא דתניא כופין בני מבואות זה את זה שלא להושיב ביניהן לא חייט ולא בורסקי ולא מלמד תינוקות ולא אחד מבני בעלי אומניות ולשכנו אינו כופיהו רשב"ג אומר אף לשכנו כופיהו

[if inefficient]. The general principle is that anyone whose mistakes cannot be rectified<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., a slaughterer who made the animal trefa, or a bloodletter who caused the death of his patient, or a scribe who made a mistake in a scroll of the Law. ');">⁸</span>

אמר רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע פשיטא לי בר מתא אבר מתא אחריתי מצי מעכב ואי שייך בכרגא דהכא לא מצי מעכב בר מבואה אבר מבואה דנפשיה לא מצי מעכב

is liable to be dismissed immediately [if he makes one].

בעי רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע בר מבואה אבר מבואה אחרינא מאי תיקו אמר רב יוסף ומודי רב הונא במקרי דרדקי דלא מצי מעכב דאמר מר (עזרא תיקן להן לישראל שיהו מושיבין סופר בצד סופר

R. Huna said: If a resident of an alley sets up a handmill and another resident of the alley wants to set up one next to him, the first has the right to stop him, because he can say to him, 'You are interfering with my livelihood.' May we say that this view is supported by the following: 'Fishing nets must be kept away from [the hiding-place of] a fish [which has been spotted by another fisherman] the full length of the fish's swim.' And how much is this? Rabbah son of R. Huna says: A <i>parasang</i>?' — Fishes are different, because they look about [for food].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence the fisherman who knows where the hole is places bait within the fish's swim, and if another does this he is poaching on the preserves of the first. But this cannot be said of one who sets up an opposition mill, ');">⁹</span>

וניחוש דילמא אתי לאיתרשולי אמר ליה)

Said Rabina to Raba: May we say that R. Huna adopts the same principle<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., that one man must not interfere with another's livelihood. ');">¹⁰</span> as R. Judah? For we have learnt: R. Judah says that a shopkeeper should not give presents of parched corn and nuts to children, because he thus entices then, to come back to him. The Sages, however, allow this! — You may even say that he is in agreement with the Rabbis<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Sages just quoted. ');">¹¹</span> also. For the ground on which the Rabbis allowed the shopkeeper to do this was because he can say to his rival, Just as I make presents of nuts so you can make presents of almonds;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore I am not interfering with your chances, ');">¹²</span> but in this case they would agree that the first man can say to the other. 'You are interfering with my livelihood.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore must not set up next to me. ');">¹³</span> An objection was raised [against Rab Huna's ruling from the following:] 'A man may open a shop next to another man's shop or a bath next to another man's bath, and the latter cannot object. because he can say to him, I do what I like in my property and you do what you like in yours?' — On this point there is a difference of opinion among Tannaim, as appears from the following Baraitha: 'The residents of an alley can prevent one another from bringing in<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., from letting an apartment to. ');">¹⁴</span> a tailor or a tanner or a teacher or any other craftsman,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If there is already one in the court. ');">¹⁵</span> but one cannot prevent another<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'his neighbour'. ');">¹⁶</span> [from setting up in opposition].' Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel, however, says that one may prevent another.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Huna is thus in agreement with R. Simeon b. Gamaliel. ');">¹⁷</span> R. Huna the son of R. Joshua said: It is quite clear to me that the resident of one town can prevent the resident of another town [from setting up in opposition in his town] not, however, if he pays taxes to that town — and that the resident of an alley cannot prevent another resident of the same alley [from setting up in opposition in his alley].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to the view of the Rabbis just given. ');">¹⁸</span> R. Huna the son of R. Joshua then raised the question: Can the resident of one alley prevent the resident of another [from competing with him]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Would the Rabbis put him on the same footing as a resident of the same alley or not? ');">¹⁹</span> — This must stand over. R. Joseph said: R. Huna agrees that a teacher cannot prevent [another teacher from setting up in the same alley], for the reason mentioned,