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Bava Basra 100b

בבא בתרא ק׳ ע״ב

Bava Batra 100b

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Topic

Widths of roads, burial rights, the mourners' standing-and-sitting ceremony, and the standard size of a burial cave

Overview

The amud opens with the end of a ברייתא about road widths. A public road is 16 אמות wide, and a road to ערי מקלט is 32 אמות. רב הונא learns the doubling from the word 'הַדֶּרֶךְ' in the פסוק. The גמרא then explains why the king's road and the road to a grave have no fixed width. A ברייתא teaches that a man's family may bury him in the grave plot he sold, to avoid פגם משפחה. Next comes the custom of seven מעמדות ומושבות for the dead, and רבי יהודה's description of how it was done in Judea. A story about רב אויא leads רב יוסף, אביי and רבא to set limits on when, where and for whom the ceremony is done. The גמרא then defends those limits against a challenge from שבת. Finally, a new משנה begins giving the standard size of a burial cave and its eight niches.

Opening lines

דֶּרֶךְ הָרַבִּים – שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמּוֹת.

A public road is sixteen cubits wide.

דֶּרֶךְ עָרֵי מִקְלָט – שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם אַמּוֹת.

A road to the cities of refuge is thirty-two cubits wide.

אָמַר רַב הוּנָא: מַאי קְרָאָה?

Rav Huna said: What is the verse for this?

דִּכְתִיב: ״תָּכִין לְךָ הַדֶּרֶךְ״

As it is written: 'You shall prepare for yourself the way'

The steps (20)

  1. StatementWidths of the public road and the road to the cities of refuge
  2. Questionרב הונא asks for the source of the 32 cubits
  3. ResponseThe extra word in the verse doubles the road
  4. StatementWhy the king's road has no limit
  5. StatementWhy the road to a grave has no limit
  6. StatementThe משנה about the standing place for comforting mourners
  7. StatementA family may bury their relative in the grave he sold
  8. StatementAt least seven standings and sittings for the dead
  9. QuestionHow is the ceremony actually done?
  10. Responseרבי יהודה describes the custom in Judea
  11. ChallengeThe רבנן: then it would be allowed even on שבת
  12. Statementרב אויא does the ceremony for his wife
  13. Statementרב יוסף: he made two mistakes
  14. Statementאביי: he also erred about the place
  15. Statementרבא: he also erred about local custom
  16. ChallengeBringing back the רבנן's words as a challenge
  17. ChallengeWhy a cemetery on שבת seems impossible
  18. ResolutionA burial right before שבת near the city
  19. StatementNew משנה: the size of a burial cave
  20. StatementThe eight burial niches and their size