Bava Batra 202

קבורת חמורים היא זו

'This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., burial in an upright position. ');">¹</span> is the burial of asses'? — According to R. Johanan they are made in the corner[s].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The corners formed by the wall facing the entrance and the respective two walls adjacent to it, the chambers projecting into the corners in a slanting direction. V. fig. 1. ');">²</span>

לר' יוחנן דעביד להו בקרן זוית

But, surely, the chambers would touch<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A width of one cubit is required for each chamber, while the entire space vacant in the corners is only half a cubit in either wall, thus leaving no intervening walls between the chambers in the corners and the adjacent chambers on either side. ');">³</span> each other? — R. Ashi replied: One can make them deeper.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The deeper one digs into the corners in a slanting direction, the further becomes the distance between the corner chambers and those adjacent to them (Rash.) R. Gershom explains that he digs the corner ones deeper in the ground, that is lower than the adjacent ones, cf. Jerushalmi, a.l. ');">⁴</span>

והא נגעי כוכין להדדי

For if you would not say so,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That some of the chambers were dug deeper than the others. ');">⁵</span> how can four grottos be constructed according to R. Simeon? Surely [some of] the chambers [of adjacent grottos] would be touching<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The chamber in the northwestern corner of the eastern grotto, for example. would coalesce with the south-eastern chamber of the northern grotto. V. fig. 2. ');">⁶</span>

אמר רב אשי במעמיק דאי לא תימא הכי ארבע מערות לר' שמעון היכי עביד להו הא קא נגעי כוכין להדדי אלא במעמיק הכא נמי במעמיק

each other! But [this. you would say, can be avoided] by digging [the overlapping chambers] deeper [than the others];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deeper in the ground and lower than the corresponding chambers in the other grotto. ');">⁷</span> in this case also, [the touching of chambers may be avoided] by digging [the corner chambers] into the wall deeper [than the adjacent ones]. R. Huna the son of R. Joshua stated: The [affected chambers in the] four grottos, according to R. Simeon, were made in the shape of palm-wigs.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Fan shape; and this would avoid overlapping or coalescing and the necessity for deeper digging. ');">⁸</span>

רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע אמר ארבע מערות לר"ש דעביד להו כי חרותא

But this [statement of R. Huna b. R. Joshua is [to be] rejected.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] var. lec. [H] 'imaginary'. V. B.M. 9a. n. 00. ');">⁹</span> For, it is to be observed, every cubit square has a diagonal of a cubit and two fifths [approximately]. [The diagonal of the square formed by the adjacent walls of any two grottos] measures eleven cubits and a fifth,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Each of the two walls being eight cubits in length, a square is formed whose diagonal is 8 + (8 x 2) / 5 = 11 1/5 cubits approximately. ');">¹⁰</span>

והא דרב הונא בריה דרב יהושע ברותא היא מכדי כל אמתא בריבועא אמתא ותרי חומשי באלכסונא כמה הוי להו חד סרי וחומשא כוכין כמה הוו תמניא תמניא בחד סרי וחומשא היכי משכחת לה אלא הא דרב הונא בריה דרב יהושע ברותא היא

[approximately]. Is not the number of the chambers eight?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Four in the wall of each grotto. ');">¹¹</span> How, [then], is it possible [to make eight [chambers]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Each one of which is to be a cubit in width. Add to this the widths of the seven intervening walls, each also of one cubit, making a total of fifteen cubits. ');">¹²</span>

ואי בעית אימא כדאמר רב שישא בריה דרב אידי בניפלי הכא נמי בניפלי

in [a width of] eleven [cubits] and a fifth? But that [statement] of R. Huna b. R. Joshua must be rejected. If you like, it may be said: As R. Shisha son of R. Idi [referred the case, <i>infra</i>.] to miscarriages, [so] here also [the chambers in question are for the burial] of miscarriages.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or, newly-born infants. The corner chambers as well as those which, according to R. Simeon's plan, would overlap, are to be used for burial of small bodies which occupy little space. Small burial chambers would not coalesce with, or touch the others. ');">¹³</span> We have learnt elsewhere [in a Mishnah]:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Oh. XVI, 3. ');">¹⁴</span>

תנן התם המוצא מת מושכב כדרכו נוטלו ואת תפוסתו שנים נוטלן ואת תפוסתן

If a corpse is found<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In an area which is not known to be a graveyard and, therefore, Levitically clean. ');">¹⁵</span> lying [in a grave] in the usual manner.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Showing that Israelites had buried it and that death was due to natural causes; and the question, therefore, arises whether that area was not once used as a regular graveyard. In the case of a mutilated corpse or non-Jewish mode of burial, that question does not arise, since it is obvious that the corpse was buried in that spot by mere accident. ');">¹⁶</span> both the corpse and the earth surrounding it are to be removed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the area is to remain Levitically clean. The discovery of one corpse does not establish the area as a graveyard, and the removal of the corpse in the manner prescribed, renders the area again Levitically clean. ');">¹⁷</span> [If] two [corpses, in similar conditions, are found], they and the earth surrounding them are to be removed.