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Bava Basra 10a

בבא בתרא י׳ ע״א

Bava Batra 10a

Learn Bava Basra 10a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The power and rewards of צדקה, and the danger of ignoring the poor

Overview

The גמרא finishes showing, from a פסוק in משלי, that someone who regularly gives צדקה merits children who are wise, wealthy, and masters of אגדה. A ברייתא then brings רבי מאיר's answer to a classic challenge: if God loves the poor, why doesn't He feed them? He lets us feed them so our צדקה saves us from גיהנום. טורנוסרופוס and רבי עקיבא debate this with competing parables about a king's slave and a king's son, and רבי עקיבא closes with a פסוק showing that charity is God's will even in hard times. רבי יהודה ברבי שלום teaches that a person's losses are fixed on ראש השנה, and the story of רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's nephews shows this in action. The story of רב פפא's near-fall leads to a ברייתא that compares ignoring the poor to עבודה זרה. A string of teachings then praises צדקה: it brings peace with ה׳, brings the גאולה closer, saves from death, earns a view of the שכינה, and counts as a loan to ה׳. The amud ends with רבי יוחנן explaining why two פסוקים say צדקה saves from death. One is about גיהנום and one is about an unusual death. The question of which צדקה saves from an unusual death is answered on the next amud.

Opening lines

״יִמְצָא חַיִּים״.

"finds life."

בַּעֲלֵי עוֹשֶׁר –

Masters of wealth —

דִּכְתִיב: ״צְדָקָה״.

as it is written: "charity."

בַּעֲלֵי אַגָּדָה – דִּכְתִיב: ״וְכָבוֹד״ –

Masters of aggadah — as it is written: "and honor."

The steps (29)

  1. ProofFinishing the source for wisdom, and the source for wealth
  2. ProofSource for masters of אגדה, through the word 'honor'
  3. Statementרבי מאיר: why God leaves the poor for us to support
  4. Questionטורנוסרופוס asks רבי עקיבא the same question
  5. Responseרבי עקיבא gives the same answer
  6. Challengeטורנוסרופוס: giving charity makes God angry, like feeding a punished slave
  7. Resolutionרבי עקיבא: we are God's children, and feeding a jailed son earns a gift
  8. Challengeטורנוסרופוס: Right Now You Are Slaves, Not Sons
  9. Resolutionרבי עקיבא: The פסוק Commands צדקה Even in Hard Times
  10. StatementYearly Losses Are Fixed on ראש השנה
  11. ProofThe Story of רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's Nephews
  12. QuestionThe Nephews Ask Why He Kept the Dream Secret
  13. ResponseSo You Would Do the מצוה for Its Own Sake
  14. Questionרב פפא nearly falls and wonders why
  15. ResponsePerhaps you ignored a poor person
  16. ProofIgnoring צדקה is like idol worship
  17. Statementצדקה and חסד make peace with ה׳
  18. Statementצדקה brings the גאולה closer
  19. StatementTen strong things, and צדקה beats death
  20. StatementA gift to a king versus a coin to a poor person
  21. Statementרבי אלעזר gives צדקה before praying
  22. QuestionWhat does the end of the פסוק mean?
  23. ResponseScholars who stay awake are rewarded with the light of the שכינה
  24. StatementGiving to the poor is lending to ה׳
  25. ChallengeWhy do two פסוקים say צדקה saves from death?
  26. ResolutionTwo kinds of saving: from unusual death and from גיהנם
  27. QuestionWhich פסוק is about גיהנם?
  28. ResponseThe פסוק with 'day of anger' is about גיהנם
  29. QuestionWhich צדקה saves from an unusual death?