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Bava Basra 10b

בבא בתרא י׳ ע״ב

Bava Batra 10b

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

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Topic

The best way to give צדקה, the power of צדקה, and whether the nations' charity counts as merit

Overview

This amud finishes the גמרא's answer about the best kind of צדקה. It is best when the giver and the receiver don't know each other, which rules out the methods of מר עוקבא and רבי אבא. The practical way to do this is to give through the community charity fund, as long as someone as honest as רבי חנניא בן תרדיון runs it. Next come teachings in praise of צדקה from רבי אבהו and רבי אבא, and a story where יוסף בן רבי יהושע glimpses the next world and sees that Torah scholars and martyrs hold high places there. Then a ברייתא brings רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's students explaining the פסוק 'צדקה תרומם גוי וחסד לאמים חטאת'. Most of them read it as saying the nations' kindness counts as sin because of their motives. רבי נחוניא בן הקנה gives a different reading, and רבן יוחנן בן זכאי himself says צדקה atones for the nations the way a חטאת offering atones for ישראל. The amud ends with the story of the queen mother's gift to רבי אמי and רבא, and the explanation of רבי אמי's anger continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

נוֹתְנָהּ – וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְמִי נוֹתְנָהּ,

He gives it, and does not know to whom he gives it,

נוֹטְלָהּ – וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ מִמִּי נוֹטְלָהּ.

he (the poor person) takes it, and does not know from whom he takes it.

נוֹתְנָהּ וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְמִי נוֹתְנָהּ –

'He gives it and does not know to whom he gives it' –

לְאַפּוֹקֵי מִדְּמַר עוּקְבָא;

comes to exclude the way of מר עוקבא;

The steps (39)

  1. ResponseThe ideal kind of charity: giver and receiver don't know each other
  2. StatementEach condition rules out a famous practice
  3. QuestionSo how should a person give?
  4. ResponsePut the money in the community charity fund
  5. ChallengeA ברייתא warns against giving to the charity fund
  6. ResolutionWe meant a fund run by someone trustworthy
  7. Statementמשה asks how Israel will be raised up
  8. QuestionHow far does the power of charity reach?
  9. Responseשלמה answers with his father's פסוק
  10. Statementרבי אבא brings a different פסוק
  11. StatementWhy he dwells on high: because he gives
  12. QuestionWho is destined for עולם הבא?
  13. ResponseThose honored before the elders
  14. Statementיוסף sees an upside-down world
  15. QuestionHow are Torah scholars seen there?
  16. ResponseScholars are important there too
  17. StatementHappy is one who arrives with his learning
  18. StatementNo one can stand in the section of the martyrs
  19. QuestionWho are these martyrs?
  20. RejectionNot רבי עקיבא and his colleagues
  21. ResponseIt means הרוגי לוד
  22. Questionרבן יוחנן בן זכאי asks about a verse
  23. ResponseThe 'nation' raised by righteousness is Israel
  24. ResponseThe nations' kindness counts as sin
  25. ChallengeBut giving for personal benefit is called fully righteous
  26. ResolutionOne source is about a Jew, the other about a non-Jew
  27. Responseרבי יהושע: The nations give charity to keep their kingdom
  28. Responseרבן גמליאל: The nations give charity to show off
  29. Responseרבי אליעזר המודעי: The nations give charity to taunt Israel
  30. Responseרבי נחוניא בן הקנה divides the verse differently
  31. Conclusionרבן יוחנן בן זכאי prefers רבי נחוניא's reading
  32. QuestionThe גמרא asks what רבן יוחנן בן זכאי's own explanation was
  33. Responseרבן יוחנן בן זכאי: Charity atones for the nations like a sin-offering
  34. StatementThe queen mother sends charity money
  35. Challengeרבי אמי objects to רבא using a פסוק
  36. Resolutionרבא acted for the sake of peace with the kingdom
  37. ChallengeShouldn't רבי אמי also care about peace with the kingdom?
  38. Resolutionרבא should have given it to non-Jewish poor
  39. Resolutionרבא really did give it to non-Jewish poor