Bava Kamma 159

והטבח לוקח ושוחט לוקח ושוהה ובלבד שלא ישהה העגונה שבהן ל' יום:

'A cattle dealer may, however, buy and slaughter, or buy and [even] keep for the market. He may, however, not retain the animal he bought last for thirty days.'

שאלו תלמידיו את ר"ג מהו לגדל אמר להן מותר והתנן אין מגדלין

R. Gamaliel was asked by his disciples whether it is permissible to breed [small cattle]. He said to them: 'It is permissible.' But did we not learn: 'IT IS NOT RIGHT TO BREED'? — What they asked him was really this: 'What about retaining [it]?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For a festival; cf. Tosaf. a.l. ');">¹</span>

אלא הכי קא בעו מיניה מהו לשהות אמר להן מותר ובלבד שלא תצא ותרעה בעדר אלא קושרה בכרעי המטה:

He said to them: 'It is permissible, provided it does not go out and pasture with the herd, but is fastened to the legs of the bed.'

ת"ר מעשה בחסיד אחד שהיה גונח מלבו ושאלו לרופאים ואמרו אין לו תקנה עד שינק חלב רותח משחרית לשחרית והביאו לו עז וקשרו לו בכרעי המטה והיה יונק ממנה משחרית לשחרית

Our Rabbis taught:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tem. 15b. ');">²</span>

לימים נכנסו חביריו לבקרו כיון שראו אותה העז קשורה בכרעי המטה חזרו לאחוריהם ואמרו לסטים מזויין בביתו של זה ואנו נכנסין אצלו

There was once a certain pious person<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [R. Jehudah b. Baba, Tosef. B.K. VIII, 4; cf. however, Tem. 15b and Buchler, Gal. 'Am-ha'ar. p. 191.] ');">³</span>

ישבו ובדקו ולא מצאו בו אלא אותו עון של אותה העז ואף הוא בשעת מיתתו אמר יודע אני שאין בי עון אלא עון אותה העז שעברתי על דברי חברי:

who suffered with his heart, and the doctors on being consulted said that there was no remedy for him unless he sucked warm milk every morning. A goat was therefore brought to him and fastened to the legs of the bed, and he sucked from it every morning. After some days his colleagues came to visit him, but as soon as they noticed the goat fastened to the legs of the bed they turned back and said: 'An armed robber<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As a goat is prone to pasture anywhere and thus spoil the crops of the public. ');">⁴</span>

אמר ר' ישמעאל מבעלי בתים שבגליל העליון היו בית אבא ומפני מה חרבו שהיו מרעין בחורשין ודנין דיני ממונות ביחיד ואע"פ שהיו להם חורשים סמוך לבתיהם שדה קטנה היתה ומעבירין דרך עליה

is in the house of this man, how can we come in to [see] him?' They thereupon sat down and inquired into his conduct, but they did not find any fault in him except this sin about the goat. He also at the time of his death proclaimed: 'I know that no sin can be imputed to me save that of the goat, when I transgressed against the words of my colleagues.'

ת"ר רועה שעשה תשובה אין מחייבין אותו למכור מיד אלא מוכר על יד על יד וכן גר שנפלו לו כלבים וחזירים בירושתו אין מחייבין אותו למכור מיד אלא מוכר על יד על יד

R. Ishmael<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Var. lec., 'R. Simeon Shezuri'.] ');">⁵</span>

וכן מי שנדר ליקח בית וליקח אשה בארץ ישראל אין מחייבין אותו ליקח מיד עד שימצא את ההוגנת לו

said: My father's family belonged to the property owners in Upper Galilee. Why then were they ruined? Because they used to pasture their flocks in forests, and to try money cases without a colleague.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Aboth. IV. 10 and Sanh. I, 1. ');">⁶</span>

ומעשה באשה אחת שהיה בנה מיצר לה וקפצה ונשבעה כל מי שיבא איני מחזירתו וקפצו עליה בני אדם שאינן מהוגנין וכשבא הדבר אצל חכמים אמרו לא נתכוונה זו אלא להגון לה

The forests were very near to their estates, but there was also a little field near by [belonging to others], and the cattle were led by way of this.

כשם שאמרו אין מגדלין בהמה דקה כך אמרו אין מגדלין חיה דקה ר' ישמעאל אומר מגדלין כלבים כופרין וחתולים וקופין וחולדות סנאים מפני שעשויים לנקר את הבית

Our Rabbis taught: If a shepherd<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Possessing cattle of his own; cf. B.M. 5b. ');">⁷</span>

מאי חולדות סנאים אמר רב יהודה שרצא חרצא ואיכא דאמרי חרזא דקטיני שקיה ורעיא ביני וורדיני ומאי שרצא דמתתאי שקיה

desires to repent,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By taking upon himself not to breed small cattle. ');">⁸</span>

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב עשינו עצמנו בבבל כארץ ישראל לבהמה דקה א"ל רב אדא בר אהבה לרב הונא דידך מאי

it would not be right to order him to sell immediately [the small cattle with him], but he may sell by degrees. So also in the case of a proselyte to whom dogs and pigs fall as an inheritance,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From his heathen relatives; cf. Kid. 17b. ');">⁹</span>

א"ל דידן קא מינטרא להו חובה א"ל חובה תקברינהו לבנה כולה שניה דרב אדא בר אהבה לא אקיים זרעא לרב הונא מחובה איכא דאמרי אמר רב הונא אמר רב עשינו עצמנו בבבל כארץ ישראל לבהמה דקה מכי אתא רב לבבל

it would not be right to order him to sell immediately, but he may sell by degrees. So also if one vows to buy a house, or to marry a woman in Eretz Yisrael,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Tosef. B.K. VIII omits 'Eretz Yisrael'.] ');">¹⁰</span>

רב ושמואל ורב אסי איקלעו לבי שבוע הבן ואמרי לה לבי ישוע הבן רב לא עייל קמיה דשמואל

it would not be right to order him to enter into a contract immediately, until he finds a house or a woman to suit him. Once a woman being annoyed by her son jumped up [in anger] and swore: 'Whoever will come forward and offer to marry me, I will not refuse him', and as unsuitable persons offered themselves to her, the matter was brought to the Sages, who thereupon said: Surely this woman did not intend her vow to apply save to a suitable person. Just as the Sages said that it is not right to breed small cattle, so also have they said that it is not right to breed small beasts. R. Ishmael said: It is however allowed to breed village dogs,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which are small and harmless. ');">¹¹</span> cats, apes, <i>huldoth sena'im</i> [porcupines], as these help to keep the house clean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosef. B.K. VIII. ');">¹²</span> What are <i>'huldoth sena'im'</i>? — Rab Judah replied: A certain creeping animal of the <i>harza</i> [species]. Some say, of the <i>harza</i> [species]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Harza probably denotes 'digger', and harza 'stinging', v. Lewysohn, Zoologie. p. 94.] ');">¹³</span> with thin legs which pastures among rose-bushes, and the reason why it is called 'creeping' is because its legs are [short and] underneath it. Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: We put ourselves in Babylon with reference to the law of breeding small cattle on the same footing as if we were in Eretz Yisrael. R. Adda b. Ahabah said to R. Huna:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Naz. 57b. ');">¹⁴</span> What about your small cattle? He answered him: Ours are guarded by Hoba.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who was the wife of R. Huna. ');">¹⁵</span> He, however, said to him: Is Hoba prepared to neglect her son so much as to bury him?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely since she has to mind her children she cannot conscientiously guard the cattle. (Tosaf.) ');">¹⁶</span> In point of fact, during the lifetime of R. Adda b. Ahabah, no children born of Hoba survived to R. Huna. Some report: R. Huna said: From the time Rab arrived in Babylon,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [In 219 C.E. V. Funk, Die Juden in Babylonian, I, note III.] ');">¹⁷</span> We put ourselves in Babylon with reference to breeding small cattle on the same footing as if we were in Eretz Yisrael. Rab and Samuel and R. Assi once met at a circumcision of a boy,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the week of the son', as the circumcision is performed on the eighth day; cf. Lev. XII, 3. [On the term, 'week of the son' v. B.B. (Sonc. ed.) p. 246. n. 8.] ');">¹⁸</span> or as some say, at the party for the redemption of a son.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., in the case of a first-born who has to be redeemed on the 31st day; cf. Num. XVIII, 16. ');">¹⁹</span> Rab would not enter before Samuel,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the reason to be stated. ');">²⁰</span>