Bava Basra 106a

בבא בתרא ק״ו ע״א

Bava Batra 106a

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Topic

Selling a field 'with its markers and borders' (בסימניו ובמצריו): when the measurement is off by exactly one sixth (שתות), does the sale stand, or must the seller pay back the difference?

Overview

The משנה teaches that when a field is sold 'with its markers and borders' (בסימניו ובמצריו), a measuring error of less than a sixth (שתות) does not matter. A bigger error means the seller must deduct from the price. The גמרא brings a מחלוקת about an error of exactly one sixth. רב הונא says exactly a sixth is like a small error, so the sale stands. רב יהודה says it is like a big error, so the seller deducts. Each one reads the words of the משנה to fit his view. The גמרא then challenges רב הונא from a ברייתא that compares this sale to שום הדיינין, the judges' appraisal, where exactly a sixth counts as a big error. רב הונא answers that the comparison is only partial: the two cases share the measure of a sixth, but the judges' sale is cancelled while here the buyer keeps the field. The גמרא then begins a story about רב פפא buying land from a certain man, and the story continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (8)

1. StatementThe משנה: selling a field with its markers and borders
2. Statementרב הונא and רב יהודה disagree about exactly a sixth
3. StatementHow רב הונא reads the משנה
4. StatementHow רב יהודה reads the משנה
5. ChallengeA ברייתא compares this sale to the judges' appraisal
6. ChallengeWith the judges' appraisal, a sixth counts as more than a sixth
7. Resolutionרב הונא: The comparison to the judges' assessment is only partial
8. StatementA story begins: רב פפא buys land