Bava Basra 115a

בבא בתרא קט״ו ע״א

Bava Batra 115a

Learn Bava Basra 115a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether a mother inherits from her son, and the new משנה on the order of heirs, where each heir's descendants stand in his place.

Overview

רבי יהודה בן שמעון holds, based on the word 'מטות', that a mother inherits from her son. רבי יוחנן objects from our משנה, which says a mother passes inheritance to her son but does not inherit from him. רבי יהודה בן שמעון answers only that he does not know who taught that משנה. The גמרא shows why he could not say it follows רבי זכריה בן הקצב: the same משנה puts a sister's sons before her daughters, but רבי זכריה treats sons and daughters equally in a mother's property. The גמרא then asks how our תנא can learn from 'מטות' that a son comes first in a mother's property, yet deny that a mother inherits her son. It answers that the פסוק 'וכל בת יורשת נחלה' teaches that a woman inherits but does not pass on inheritance. A new משנה then lays out the order of heirs: son, daughter, brothers and the father's brothers. At each level, an heir's descendants take that heir's place, and a father comes before all his own descendants. The גמרא brings a ברייתא that learns this from the words 'אין לו', read as 'עיין עליו': look for descendants first.

Opening lines

The steps (11)

1. Challengeרבי יוחנן challenges from the משנה
2. ResolutionI do not know who taught that משנה
3. ChallengeWhy not say the משנה follows רבי זכריה בן הקצב?
4. ResolutionThe משנה says a sister's sons come first
5. Proofרבי זכריה holds that son and daughter are equal
6. ChallengeOur תנא seems inconsistent either way
7. ResolutionA special פסוק excludes a mother inheriting from her son
8. StatementThe order of heirs: son, daughter, brothers, uncles
9. StatementThe general rule of inheritance priority
10. StatementA son's descendants take the son's place
11. StatementA daughter's descendants take the daughter's place