Bava Batra 72

אפילו יום אחד נמי אלא דכולי עלמא ניר לא הוי חזקה והכא פירא רבא ופירא זוטא איכא בינייהו

in the first and third years? Even one day would be enough.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since a field can be ploughed in one day. ');">¹</span>

תנו רבנן ניר אינו חזקה וי"א הרי זה חזקה מאן י"א אמר רב חסדא ר' אחא היא דתניא נרה שנה וזרעה ב' נרה ב' וזרעה שנה אינה חזקה ר' אחא אומר הרי זו חזקה

— No! Both are agreed that ploughing does not help to confer)hazakah, and the difference between them is whether a full or partially grown crop is required.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Ishmael requires a full crop, which takes at least three months to grow, and R. Akiba requires only a partially grown crop, for which one month is sufficient. ');">²</span>

א"ר אשי שאלית כל גדולי הדור ואמרו לי ניר הרי זה חזקה א"ל רב ביבי לרב נחמן מאי טעמא דמ"ד ניר הוי חזקה לא עביד איניש דכריבו ליה לארעיה ושתיק ומ"ט דמ"ד ניר לא הוי חזקה מימר אמר כל שיבא ושיבא דכרבו לעייל ביה

Our Rabbis taught: Ploughing does not help to confer <i>hazakah</i>. Some authorities hold, however, that it does help. Who are 'some authorities'? — R. Hisda said: This is the opinion of R. Aha, as we see from the following: If a man ploughs a field fallow one year and sows it two,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the first and the third year. ');">³</span>

שלחו ליה בני פום נהרא לרב נחמן בר רב חסדא ילמדנו רבינו נירא הוי חזקה או לא הוי חזקה אמר להו ר' אחא וכל גדולי הדור אמרי ניר הרי זה חזקה

or [even] ploughs it fallow two years and sows it one, this does not confer <i>hazakah</i>. R. Aha, however, says that it does give him a presumptive right.

אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק רבותא למיחשב גברי הא רב ושמואל בבבל ור' ישמעאל ור' עקיבא בא"י אמרי ניר לא הוי חזקה

R. Bibi inquired of R. Nahman: What is the reason of those authorities who lay down that ploughing does confer <i>hazakah</i>? — [He answered:] A man will not see someone else plough his field and keep quiet. And what is the reason of those who say that ploughed fallow does not confer <i>hazakah</i>? — Because the owner says to himself, 'The more he ploughs the better for me.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Let him only put every tooth of the plough into the ground,' i.e., so that he shall find it better prepared when he comes to it. ');">⁴</span>

ר' ישמעאל ורבי עקיבא מתני' היא רב מאי היא דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב זו דברי ר' ישמעאל ורבי עקיבא אבל חכמים אומרים חזקתה ג' שנים מיום ליום מיום ליום למעוטי מאי לאו למעוטי ניר דלא

The people of Pum Nahara sent to inquire of R. Nahman b. R. Hisda as follows: Will our master be so good as to instruct us whether ploughed fallow helps to confer <i>hazakah</i> or not? He replied: R. Aha and all the chief authorities of the age hold that ploughed fallow does help to confer <i>hazakah</i>. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: You gain nothing by citing authorities;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Is it an advantage (to you) to reckon up authorities?' ');">⁵</span>

שמואל מאי היא דאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל זו דברי רבי ישמעאל ורבי עקיבא אבל חכמים אומרים עד שיגדור שלש גדירות ויבצור ג' בצירות וימסוק ג' מסיקות מאי בינייהו אמר אביי דקל נערה איכא בינייהו (שעושה שלש פעמים בשנה):

for Rab and Samuel in Babylon and R. Ishmael and R. Akiba in Eretz Yisrael held that ploughing does not help to confer presumptive right. The views of R. Ishmael and R. Akiba [on the subject] can be derived from the Mishnah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where both lay down that a certain amount of cropping must be done in each of the three years. ');">⁶</span>

אמר רבי ישמעאל בד"א בשדה הלבן: אמר אביי מדרבי ישמעאל נשמע לרבנן היו לו שלשים אילנות ממטע עשרה לבית סאה אכל עשרה בשנה זו ועשרה בשנה זו ועשרה בשנה זו הרי זו חזקה

Where do we find the view of Rab on the subject? — In the following statement: Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the period of hazakah for a non-irrigated field is not three full years but either eighteen months or fourteen months, in either case three crops being necessary. ');">⁷</span> is the view of R. Ishmael and R. Akiba, but the Sages say that the <i>hazakah</i> [of such a field] is conferred only by occupation for three full years.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'from day to day'. ');">⁸</span> Now the expression 'full years' is intended to exclude ploughed fallow, is it not?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because if the mere ploughing confers hazakah, one day in the year is sufficient. As Tosaf. points out, this reasoning conflicts with the statement made above, that the reason why the Rabbis require three full years is because up to that time a man is careful of his title-deeds. ');">⁹</span> Where is the view of Samuel on the subject expressed? — In the following statement: Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: This is the view of R. Ishmael and R. Akiba, but the Sages say that <i>hazakah</i> is not obtained until the occupier- has gathered in three crops of dates and culled three vintages and plucked three crops of olives. Where does the difference arise between Rab and Samuel? — The difference arises In the case of a young date tree.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which produces three crops in less than three years. According to Rab, three croppings of such a tree would not confer hazakah, according to Samuel they would. R. Han., however, interprets the text to mean 'a date tree which casts its fruit,' and which therefore is not cropped three times even in three years. (V. Rashb.) ');">¹⁰</span> R. ISHMAEL SAID: THIS APPLIES ONLY TO A CORNFIELD etc. Abaye said: On the strength of R. Ishmael's ruling,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., that the gathering in of one kind of crop is equivalent to occupation for a year. ');">¹¹</span> we may attribute the following opinion to the Rabbis.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Rabbis differ from R. Ishmael only in requiring three years where he requires one, but they would agree with him as to what constitutes a crop. Hence we may attribute to them the ruling which follows. ');">¹²</span> Suppose a man has thirty trees in a field planted ten to the beth <i>se'ah</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 50 cubits square. The reason why ten is taken is because if there are more than ten to the beth se'ah, this constitutes a 'wood', and to plant a field so thickly is not the ordinary way of occupying it. If again there are less, the field is not occupied properly. Cf supra 26b ');">¹³</span> then if he takes the produce of ten in one year, ten in the next, and ten in the third year, this constitutes <i>hazakah</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., though the owner gathered grapes in each set only in one of the three years, he was reckoned as occupying the whole of the field, and so with the other two crops. ');">¹⁴</span>