Bava Kamma 121

Chapter 121

א אלא למ"ד טמון באש קמיבעיא ליה מאי איבעי ליה קראי אמר לך טמון וחדא מהנך קמיבעיא ליה
1 But according to the view that his inquiry concerned concealed goods in the case of Fire, what need was there for the verses?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. the whole description of the barley and lentils. ');"><sup>1</sup></span> — He might say to you that besides [the problem of] hidden goods [in the case of Fire], one of the other problems [referred to above]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., either to burn the stacks down or to exchange those of Israelites for those of the enemy. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ב בשלמא למ"ד הני תרתי היינו דכתיב (שמואל ב כג, טז) ולא אבה דוד לשתותם אמר כיון דאיכא איסורא לא ניחא לי אלא למ"ד טמון באש קא מבעיא ליה מכדי גמרא הוא דשלחו ליה מאי לא אבה דוד לשתותם
2 was asked by him. Now according to the [other] two views we quite understand why it is written, <i>But he would not drink thereof</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXIII, 16. ');"><sup>3</sup></span> for he said, 'Since there is a [general] prohibition<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of an ordinary man. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ג דלא אמרינהו משמייהו אמר כך מקובלני מבית דינו של שמואל הרמתי כל המוסר עצמו למות על דברי תורה אין אומרים דבר הלכה משמו
3 I do not want it.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., 'to avail myself of the royal prerogative in this respect.' ');"><sup>5</sup></span> But according to the view that his inquiry concerned hidden goods<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [And the question was whether those of his men who had burnt the stack were to be made to pay for the hidden goods, cf. Tosaf. and Maharsha, [H]]. ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ד (שמואל ב כג, טז) ויסך אותם לה' בשלמא למ"ד הני תרתי משום דעבד לשם שמים אלא למ"ד טמון באש מאי ויסך אותם לה' דאמרינהו משמא דגמרא:
4 in the case of Fire, was it not a traditional teaching which was despatched to him, [and that being so,]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [That the matter did not directly affect him.] ');"><sup>7</sup></span> what would be the meaning of '<i>But he would not drink thereof'?</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why then did he not accept it? ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
ה <big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> עברה גדר שהוא גבוה ד' אמות או דרך הרבים או נהר פטור:
5 — [The meaning would be] that he did not want to quote this teaching in their names,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The names of those who volunteered to break through the enemy's lines (v. II Sam. XXIII, 16) in order to bring him a decision.] ');"><sup>9</sup></span> for he said: 'This has been transmitted to me from the Court of Law presided over by Samuel of Ramah, that no halachic matter may be quoted in the name of one who surrenders himself to meet death for words of the Torah.'
ו <big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> והתניא עברה גדר שהוא גבוה ארבע אמות חייב
6 <i>But he poured it out unto the Lord</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXIII, 16. ');"><sup>3</sup></span> We quite understand this according to the [other] two views, as he acted thus for the sake of Heaven.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And did not take advantage of his privileged position as king. ');"><sup>10</sup></span>
ז אמר רב פפא תנא דידן קא חשיב מלמעלה למטה שש אמות פטור חמש אמות פטור עד ארבע אמות פטור תנא ברא מלמטה למעלה קא חשיב שתי אמות חייב שלש אמות חייב עד ארבע אמות חייב
7 But according to the view that [his inquiry concerned] hidden goods in the case of Fire, what would be the meaning [of this verse], '<i>but he poured it out unto the Lord'?</i> — That he repeated this [halachic statement] in the name of general traditional learning.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [And not in 'their names'.] ');"><sup>11</sup></span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF IT CROSSED A FENCE FOUR CUBITS HIGH OR A PUBLIC ROAD<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sixteen cubits wide. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
ח אמר רבא ד' אמות שאמרו דפטור אפילו בשדה קוצים אמר רב פפא ומשפת קוצים ולמעלה ד' אמות
8 OR A CANAL, THERE WOULD BE NO LIABILITY.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As this could not have been expected; it is thus considered a mere accident. ');"><sup>13</sup></span> <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. But was it not taught: 'If it crossed a fence four cubits high there would [still] be liability'? — R. Papa thereupon said: The Tanna of our ruling [here] was reckoning downwards; [at the height of] six cubits there would be exemption; at five cubits, there would be exemption; down to [the height of] four cubits<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Including a fence of the height of four cubits. ');"><sup>14</sup></span>
ט אמר רב לא שנו אלא בקולחת אבל בנכפפת אפילו עד מאה אמה חייב ושמואל אמר מתני' בנכפפת אבל בקולחת אפי' כל שהוא פטור
9 there would [still] be exemption. The Tanna of the Baraitha [was on the other hand] reckoning upwards; at [the height of] two cubits, there would be liability; of three cubits,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But not including a fence of the height of four cubits. It thus follows that there is no contradiction between the two statements as where the fence was of the height of four cubits there will be exemption according to all views. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> there would be liability; up to [the height of] four cubits, there would [still] be liability.
י תניא כוותיה דרב בד"א בקולחת אבל בנכפפת ועצים מצויין לה אפילו עד מאה מיל חייב עברה נהר או שלולית שהם רחבים ח' אמות פטור:
10 Raba said: [The height of] four cubits stated [in the Mishnah] as not involving liability would also suffice even where the fire passed over to a field of thorns. R. Papa, however, said: [The height of] four cubits should be calculated from the top of the thorns. Rab said: The Mishnaic ruling applies only where the fire was rising in a column, but where it was creeping along there would be liability, even if it crossed a public road of about [the width of] a hundred cubits. Samuel [on the other hand] said that the Mishnah deals with a creeping fire; for in the case of a fire rising in a column there would be exemption if it crossed a public road of any width whatsoever. It was, however, taught in accordance with Rab: This ruling<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of exemption in the case of a fire crossing a public road. ');"><sup>16</sup></span>
יא דרך הרבים: מאן תנא אמר רבא ר"א היא דתנן רבי אליעזר אומר שש עשרה אמות כדרך רה"ר (פטור):
11 applies only where it was rising in a column; if it was creeping along, and wood happened to be in its path, there would be liability were it even to pass over a public ground of about the width of a hundred <i>mil</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., two thousand cubits; v. Glos. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> If, however, it crossed a river or pool eight cubits wide, there would be exemption.
יב או נהר: רב אמר נהר ממש ושמואל אמר אריתא דדלאי
12 A PUBLIC ROAD. Who was the Tanna [who laid this down]? — Raba said: He was R. Eliezer, as we have indeed learnt: 'R. Eliezer says: [If it was] sixteen cubits [wide] like the road in a public thoroughfare, [there would be exemption].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. next Mishnah. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> OR A CANAL. Rab said: It means an actual river. Samuel, however, said: It means a pond for watering fields. The one who says it is an actual river [would maintain the same ruling<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On account of its great width. ');"><sup>19</sup></span>
יג מ"ד נהר ממש אע"ג דליכא מיא ומ"ד אריתא דדלאי אי אית ביה מיא אין אבל לית ביה מיא לא
13 ] even where there was no water there.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On account of its great width. ');"><sup>19</sup></span> But the one who says it means a pond for watering fields [would hold that] so long as there was water there the ruling would apply, but not where no water was there.
יד תנן התם ואלו מפסיקין לפאה הנחל והשלולית ודרך היחיד ודרך הרבים
14 Elsewhere we have learnt: 'Divisions [of fields] with respect to <i>Pe'ah</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., to leaving the corners of each separate field for the poor; see supra p. 148 and Glos. ');"><sup>20</sup></span> are effected by the following: a brook, a <i>shelulith</i>, a private road and a public road.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Pe'ah II, 1; cf. also B.B. 55a. ');"><sup>21</sup></span>
טו מאי שלולית אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל מקום שמי גשמים שוללין שם רב ביבי א"ר יוחנן אמת המים שמחלקת שלל לאגפיה
15 What is shelulith? — Rab Judah stated that Samuel had said: A [low lying] place where rainwater collects.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As the term 'shalal' also denotes 'to gather'; cf. Bez. 7a. ');"><sup>22</sup></span> R. Bibi, however, said on behalf of R. Johanan: A pond of water which [as it were] distributes spoil<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As shalal means 'spoil'; cf. Num. XXXI, 11. ');"><sup>23</sup></span>
טז מאן דאמר מקום שמי גשמים שוללין שם כ"ש אמת המים ומאן דאמר אמת המים אבל מקום שמי גשמים שוללין שם לא מפסקי דהנהו
16 to the banks. The one who says that it means a [low-lying] place where rain water collects would certainly apply the ruling to a pond of water,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As this is of a more permanent nature. ');"><sup>24</sup></span> but the one who says that it means a pond of water would on the other hand maintain that [low-lying] places where rain-water collects would not cause a division, as these
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