Bava Kamma 120

לעולם יכנס אדם בכי טוב ויצא בכי טוב שנאמר (שמות יב, כב) ואתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בקר

A man should always enter [a town] by daytime and leave by daytime, as it say's, <i>And none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 348, n. 9. ');">¹</span> Our Rabbis taught: When there is an epidemic in the town keep your feet inside [the house], as it says, <i>And none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 348, n. 9. ');">¹</span>

ת"ר דבר בעיר כנס רגליך שנאמר ואתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בקר ואומר (ישעיהו כו, כ) לך עמי בא בחדריך וסגור דלתיך בעדך ואומר (דברים לב, כה) מחוץ תשכל חרב ומחדרים אימה

and it further says, <i>Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee</i>;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. XXVI, 20. ');">²</span> and it is again said: <i>The sword without, the terror within shall destroy</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXXII, 25. ');">³</span>

מאי ואומר וכי תימא ה"מ בליליא אבל ביממא לא תא שמע לך עמי בא בחדריך וסגור דלתיך

Why these further citations? — Lest you might think that the advice given above<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To keep indoors. ');">⁴</span> refers only to the night, but not to the day. Therefore, come and hear: <i>Come, my people, enter thou into thy chamber, and shut thy doors about thee</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. XXVI, 20. ');">⁵</span>

וכי תימא ה"מ [היכא] דליכא אימה מגואי אבל היכא דאיכא אימה מגואי כי נפיק יתיב ביני אינשי בצוותא בעלמא טפי מעלי ת"ש מחוץ תשכל חרב ומחדרים אימה אע"ג דמחדרים אימה מחוץ תשכל חרב

And should you say that these apprehensions apply only where there is no terror inside,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The house. ');">⁶</span> whereas where there is terror inside<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The house. ');">⁶</span>

רבא בעידן רתחא הוי סכר כוי דכתי' (ירמיהו ט, כ) כי עלה מות בחלונינו

it is much better to go out and sit among people in one company, again come and hear: <i>The sword without, the terror within shall destroy</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXXII, 25. ');">³</span> implying that [even where] the terror is <i>'within'</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The house. ');">⁶</span>

ת"ר רעב בעיר פזר רגליך שנא' (בראשית יב, י) ויהי רעב בארץ וירד אברם מצרימה [לגור] (ויגר) שם ואומר (מלכים ב ז, ד) אם אמרנו נבא העיר והרעב בעיר ומתנו שם

the <i>'sword'</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the Angel of Death. ');">⁷</span> will destroy [more] without. In the time of an epidemic Raba used to keep the windows shut, as it is written, <i>For death is come up into our windows</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. IX, 20. ');">⁸</span>

מאי ואומר וכי תימא ה"מ היכא דליכא ספק נפשות אבל היכא דאיכא ספק נפשות לא ת"ש (מלכים ב ז, ד) לכו ונפלה אל מחנה ארם אם יחיונו נחיה

Our Rabbis taught: <i>When there is a famine in town, withdraw your feet,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., migrate to another place; see also B.M. 75b. ');">⁹</span></i> as stated, <i>And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there</i>;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. XII, 10. ');">¹⁰</span>

ת"ר דבר בעיר אל יהלך אדם באמצע הדרך מפני שמלאך המות מהלך באמצע הדרכים דכיון דיהיבא ליה רשותא מסגי להדיא שלום בעיר אל יהלך בצדי דרכים דכיון דלית ליה רשותא מחבי חבויי ומסגי

and it is further said: <i>If we say: We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die there</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings VII, 4. ');">¹¹</span> Why the additional citation? — Since you might think that this advice<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Implied in Gen. XII, 10. ');">¹²</span>

ת"ר דבר בעיר אל יכנס אדם יחיד לבית הכנסת שמלאך המות מפקיד שם כליו וה"מ היכא דלא קרו ביה דרדקי ולא מצלו ביה עשרה

applies only where there is no danger to life [in the new settlement], whereas where there is a danger to life [in the new place] this should not be undertaken, come and hear: Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Arameans; if they save us alive, we shall live.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings VII, 4. ');">¹³</span> </i>

ת"ר כלבים בוכים מלאך המות בא לעיר כלבים משחקים אליהו הנביא בא לעיר וה"מ דלית בהו נקבה:

<i> Our Rabbis taught: When there is an epidemic in a town, one should not walk in the middle of the road, as the Angel of Death walks then in the middle of the road, for since permission has been granted him, he stalks along openly. But when there is peace in the town, one should not walk at the sides of the road, for since [the Angel of Death] has no permission he slinks along in hiding.</i> <i> Our Rabbis taught: When there is an epidemic in a town nobody should enter the House of Worship<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [ [H] Lit., 'House of meeting', the Synagogue. The origin of the term as applied to a synagogue is uncertain. It probably has its source in the assemblies called together for the purpose of considering problems of an economic and social character. These were probably attended with some sort of prayer and out of these evolved the regular meetings for prayers, v. Zeitlin, The Origin of the Synagogue in the Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, 1930-31, p. 75 ff.] ');">¹⁴</span></i>

יתיב רב אמי ורב אסי קמיה דר' יצחק נפחא מר א"ל לימא מר שמעתתא ומר א"ל לימא מר אגדתא פתח למימר אגדתא ולא שביק מר פתח למימר שמעתתא ולא שביק מר

alone, as the Angel of Death keeps there his implements. This, however, is the case only where no pupils are being taught there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the House of Worship. ');">¹⁵</span> or where ten [males] do not pray there [together].</i>

אמר להם אמשול לכם משל למה הדבר דומה לאדם שיש לו שתי נשים אחת ילדה ואחת זקינה ילדה מלקטת לו לבנות זקינה מלקטת לו שחורות נמצא קרח מכאן ומכאן

<i> Our Rabbis taught: When dogs howl, [this is a sign that] the Angel of Death has come to a town. But when dogs frolic, [this is a sign that] Elijah the prophet has come to a town. This is so, however, only if there is no female among them.</i> <i> When R. Ammi and R. Assi were sitting before R. Isaac the Smith, one of them said to him: 'Will the Master please tell us some legal points?' while the other said: 'Will the Master please give us some homiletical instruction?' When he commenced a homiletical discourse he was prevented by the one, and when he commenced a legal discourse he was prevented by the other. He therefore said to them: I will tell you a parable: To what is this like? To a man who has had two wives, one young and one old. The young one used to pluck out his white hair, whereas the old one used to pluck out his black hair. He thus finally remained bald on both sides. He further said to them: I will accordingly tell you something which will be equally interesting to both of you:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXII, 5. ');">¹⁶</span></i>

אמר להן אי הכי אימא לכו מלתא דשויא לתרוייכו (שמות כב, ה) כי תצא אש ומצאה קוצים תצא מעצמה שלם ישלם המבעיר את הבערה אמר הקב"ה עלי לשלם את הבערה שהבערתי

<i>If fire break out and catch in thorns; 'break out'</i> implies 'of itself'. <i>He that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution</i>. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is incumbent upon me to make restitution for the fire which I kindled. It was I who kindled a fire in Zion as it says, <i>And He hath kindled a fire in Zion which hath devoured the foundations thereof,</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lam. IV, 11. ');">¹⁷</span> and it is I who will one day build it anew by fire, as it says, <i>For I, [saith the Lord] will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Zech. II, 9. ');">¹⁸</span>

אני הציתי אש בציון שנאמר (איכה ד, יא) ויצת אש בציון ותאכל יסודותיה ואני עתיד לבנותה באש שנאמר (זכריה ב, ט) ואני אהיה לה חומת אש סביב ולכבוד אהיה בתוכה

On the legal side, the verse commences with damage done by chattel,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As the expression 'if a fire break out' means 'break out itself without any direct act on the part of man'; cf. supra p. 115. ');">¹⁹</span> and concludes with damage done by the person,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By saying, 'He that kindled a fire', implying that there was some direct act on the part of man to kindle the fire. ');">²⁰</span>

שמעתתא פתח הכתוב בנזקי ממונו וסיים בנזקי גופו לומר לך אשו משום חציו:

[in order] to show that Fire implies also human agency.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 115. ');">²¹</span> </i>

(שמואל ב כג, טו) ויתאוה דוד ויאמר מי ישקני מים מבור בית לחם אשר בשער ויבקעו שלשת הגבורים במחנה פלשתים וישאבו מים מבור בית לחם אשר בשער [וגו']

<i> Scripture says:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXIII, 15-16. ');">²²</span></i> <i>And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate</i> etc. What was his difficulty?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For as 'water' is homiletically used as a metaphor expressing learning, it was aggadically assumed here that instead of actual water David was in need of some legal instruction, especially since mention was made in the verse of 'the gate' which was then the seat of judgment. ');">²³</span>

מאי קא מיבעיא ליה אמר רבא אמר ר"נ טמון באש קמיבעיא ליה אי כר' יהודה אי כרבנן ופשטו ליה מאי דפשטו ליה

— Raba stated that R. Nahman had said: His difficulty was regarding concealed articles damaged by fire<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As some of his men burned down a stack in which articles were hidden, v. p. 353. n. 6. ');">²⁴</span> — whether the right ruling was that of R. Judah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who imposes liability. ');">²⁵</span>

רב הונא אמר גדישים דשעורים דישראל הוו דהוו מטמרי פלשתים בהו וקא מיבעיא ליה מהו להציל עצמו בממון חבירו

or of the Rabbis;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who maintain exemption. ');">²⁶</span> and they gave him the solution, whatever it was. R. Huna, however, said: [The problem was this:] There were there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Near the battle-field. ');">²⁷</span>

שלחו ליה אסור להציל עצמו בממון חבירו אבל אתה מלך אתה [ומלך] פורץ לעשות לו דרך ואין מוחין בידו

stacks of barley which belonged to Israelites but in which Philistines had hidden themselves, and what he asked was whether it was permissible to rescue oneself through the destruction of another's property.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As the warriors of David burned the stacks down for strategical purposes and the problem was whether compensation was to be made or not. ');">²⁸</span> The answer they despatched to him was: [Generally speaking] it is forbidden to rescue oneself through the destruction of another's property<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. compensation should be made. ');">²⁹</span>

ורבנן ואיתימא רבה בר מרי אמרו גדישים דשעורין דישראל הוו וגדישין דעדשים דפלשתים וקא מיבעיא להו מהו ליטול גדישין של שעורין דישראל ליתן לפני בהמתו על מנת לשלם גדישין של עדשים דפלשתים

you however are King and a king may break [through fields belonging to private persons] to make a way [for his army], and nobody is entitled to prevent him [from doing so].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 20a. ');">³⁰</span> But [some] Rabbis, or, as [also] read, Rabbah b. Mari, said: There were there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 351, n. 11. ');">³¹</span>

שלחו ליה (יחזקאל לג, טו) חבול ישיב רשע גזילה ישלם אע"פ שגזילה משלם רשע הוא אבל אתה מלך אתה ומלך פורץ לעשות לו דרך ואין מוחין בידו

[both] stacks of barley belonging to Israelites and stacks of lentils belonging to the Philistines.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The enemy. ');">³²</span> The problem on which instruction was needed was whether it would be permissible to take the stacks of barley that belonged to the Israelites and put them before the beasts [in the battle field], on condition of [subsequently] paying for them with the stacks of lentils that belonged to the Philistines. [The reply] they despatched to him [was]: <i>If the wicked restore the pledge, give again the robbery</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XXXIII, 15. ');">³³</span>

בשלמא למאן דאמר לאחלופי היינו דכתיב חד קרא (שמואל ב כג, יא) ותהי שם חלקת השדה מלאה עדשים וכתיב חד קרא (דברי הימים א יא, יג) ותהי חלקת השדה מלאה שעורים

[implying that] even where the robber [subsequently] pays for the '<i>robbery</i>', he still remains '<i>wicked</i>'. You, however, are King and a king may break through [fields of private owners] making thus a way [for his army], and nobody is entitled to prevent him [from doing so]. If we accept the view that he wanted to exchange,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Stacks of barley belonging to Israelites for stacks of lentils that belong to the enemy. ');">³⁴</span> we can quite understand how in one verse it is written, <i>Where was a plot of ground full of lentils</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXIII, 11. ');">³⁵</span>

אלא למאן דאמר למקלי מאי איבעיא להו להני תרי קראי אמר לך דהוו נמי גדישים דעדשים דישראל דהוו מיטמרו בהו פלשתים

and in another verse it is written,<i> Where was a plot of ground full of barley</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Chron. XI, 13. ');">³⁶</span> If we, however, take the view that he wanted to burn them<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the stacks of barley belonging to the Israelites without repaying them with the lentils of the enemy. ');">³⁷</span>

בשלמא למאן דאמר למקלי היינו דכתיב (שמואל ב כג, יב) ויתיצב בתוך החלקה ויצילה אלא למ"ד לאחלופי מאי ויצילה

down, what need was there to have these two verses?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In fact the two verses contradict each other. ');">³⁸</span> — He, however, might say to you that there were also there stacks of lentils which belonged to Israelites and in which Philistines were hidden.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And which had thus also to be burned down. ');">³⁹</span>

דלא שבק להו לאחלופי

Now on the view that he wanted to burn them<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the stacks of barley belonging to the Israelites without repaying them with the lentils of the enemy. ');">³⁷</span> down, we can quite understand why it is written,<i> But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 12. This would show that he did not let his warriors burn the stacks as this was not permissible by strict law. ');">⁴⁰</span>

בשלמא הני תרתי היינו דכתיב תרי קראי

But according to the view that he wanted to exchange, what would be the meaning of <i>and he defended it?</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since there was no question there of burning down. ');">⁴¹</span> — That he did not allow them to exchange. According to [these] two views, we can quite understand why there are two verses.</i>