Bava Batra 38

לצדדין קא משתרשי והא תנן המבריך את הגפן בארץ אם אין על גבה עפר שלשה טפחים לא יביא זרע עליה

spread their roots; how is it then that we have learnt. 'If a man bends over the bough of a vine and plants it in the earth, if there are not three handbreadths of earth over it he must not sow seed on it'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kil. VII, 1. ');">¹</span>

ותני עלה אבל זורע את הצדדין אילך ואילך אמר רבי חגא בשם רבי יוסי מפני שמחלידין את הקרקע ומעלין עפר תיחוח:

and to this a gloss was added in a Baraitha 'but he may sow all round it'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which shows that the roots do not spread, otherwise they would form kilayim (v. Deut. XXII, 9). ');">²</span>

ואת מי רגלים מן הכותל ג' טפחים וכו': אמר רבה בר בר חנה מותר לאדם להשתין מים בצד כותלו של חבירו דכתיב (מלכים א כא, כא) והכרתי לאחאב משתין בקיר ועצור ועזוב בישראל והא אנן תנן ואת מי רגלים מן הכותל שלשה טפחים התם בשופכין

R. Hagga answered in the name of R. Jose: The reason here [in the case of the wall] is because the seeds break up the soil and bring up loose earth [and not because they spread].

(תא שמע לא ישפוך אדם מים בצד כותלו של חבירו אלא אם כן הרחיק ממנו)

AND URINE MUST BE REMOVED THREE HANDBREADTHS etc. Rabbah b. Bar Hana said: It is permissible for a man to make water on the side of another man's wall, as it is written, And I will cut off from Ahab one that pisseth against the wall and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Kings XXI, 21. ');">³</span>

תא שמע לא ישתין אדם מים בצד כותלו של חבירו אלא אם כן הרחיק ממנו ג' טפחים בד"א בכותל לבינים אבל בכותל אבנים בכדי שלא יזיק וכמה טפח ושל צונמא מותר תיובתא דרבה בר בר חנה תיובתא

But did we not learn, URINE MUST BE KEPT THREE HANDBREADTHS FROM THE WALL? — This refers to slop water. Come and hear: A man should not make water on the side of another man's wall, but should keep three handbreadths away. This is the rule for a wall of brick, but if the wall is of stone. he need keep away only so far as not to do any damage. How much is this? A handbreadth. If the wall is of hard stone, it is permitted.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosef. B.B. 1. ');">⁴</span>

והא רבה בר בר חנה קרא קאמר התם הכי קאמר אפילו מידי דדרכיה לאישתוני בקיר לא שביקנא ליה ומאי ניהו כלבא

Does not this confute the dictum of Rabbah b. Bar Hana? — It does. But Rabba b. Bar Hana based himself on the Scripture? — The meaning of the verse is this: 'Even a creature whose way is to piss against a wall I will not leave him. And what is this? A dog.'

אמר ר' טובי בר קיסנא אמר שמואל רקיק אינו ממעט בחלון מאי איריא רקיק אפילו עבה נמי

<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This section seems to be an interpolation, having no connection with the subject in hand. ');">⁵</span>

לא מיבעיא קאמר לא מיבעיא עבה כיון דאיחזי ליה לא מבטיל ליה אבל רקיק דממאיס אימא בטולי מבטיל ליה קמ"ל

R. Tobi b. Kisna said in the name of Samuel: A thin wafer does not narrow a window space.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If a dead body is in a room between which and an adjoining room there is an opening of a handbreadth square or more, the uncleanness spreads to the adjoining room unless the opening is reduced to the dimension of less than a handbreadth square by means of something which is not useful for any other purpose. ');">⁶</span>

ותיפוק ליה דהוה ליה דבר שהוא מקבל טומאה וכל דבר שהוא מקבל טומאה אינו חוצץ בפני הטומאה שנילש במי פירות

Why a thin one? The same can be said even of a thick one? — The Rabbi gave an extreme instance. It goes without saying in the case of a thick cake that since it is fit for food the owner does not mentally ignore its existence, [and therefore it does not narrow the window space]; but with a thin one, since it soon becomes uneatable,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because it soon becomes mouldy through contact with the wall. ');">⁷</span>

מיתיבי קופה מלאה תבן וחבית מלאה גרוגרות המונחים בחלון רואין כל שאילו ינטלו ויכולין תבן וגרוגרות לעמוד בפני עצמן חוצצין ואם לאו אין חוצצין והא תבן חזי לבהמתו

I might think that he does ignore its existence. Therefore R. Tobi tells us [that even a thin cake does not narrow the window space]. Cannot this be derived from the fact that a wafer is a thing which is capable of becoming [ritually] unclean, and the rule is that anything which is capable of becoming ritually unclean cannot form a partition to prevent the passage of uncleanness?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence there would appear to be no point in stating the rule. ');">⁸</span>

בסריא חזי לטינא דאית ביה קוצי חזי להסקה במתונא חזי להסק גדול הסק גדול לא שכיח

— We assume the wafer in this case to have been kneaded with fruit juice.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And such a wafer is not subject to uncleanness like one kneaded with water, wine, or oil. ');">⁹</span>

גרוגרות הא חזו ליה אמר שמואל בשהתריפו וכן תני רבה בר אבוה בשהתריפו

An objection [to the rule as stated above] was raised: If a basket full of straw or a jar full of dry figs is placed in a window space, then we decide as follows. If when the basket and the jar are taken away the straw and the figs can stand by themselves, then they form a partition, but if not, they do not.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Oh. VI. 2. ');">¹⁰</span>

האי חבית היכי דמיא אי דפומא לבר

Now straw is fit for the food of animals?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And yet it is allowed to form a partition. ');">¹¹</span> — We speak here of straw which has become mouldy. But it is fit for making clay? — We speak of straw which has thorns in it. But it is fit for fuel? — We speak of damp straw. Even so it can be used on a big fire? — A big fire is something uncommon. But figs are fit to eat?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And yet they are allowed to form a partition. ');">¹²</span> — Samuel replied: We speak of figs which have bred worms. (So Rabbah b. Abbuha also explained: We speak of figs which have bred worms.) How are we to picture this jar? If its mouth faces outwards,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., towards the second room, with no dead body in it. ');">¹³</span>