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Bava Basra 151b

בבא בתרא קנ״א ע״ב

Bava Batra 151b

Learn Bava Basra 151b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Gifts of a sick person: a partial gift (מתנת שכיב מרע במקצת) versus a gift given because of expected death (מצוה מחמת מיתה)

Overview

The גמרא finishes a story about a sick woman who kept giving her property to רב דימי and taking it back whenever she recovered. Once, רב דימי left part of the property for her and made a קנין on the rest, but she still took it back when she got better. רב נחמן asked the witnesses what she had said. She had cried out that she was dying, so he ruled that she was a מצוה מחמת מיתה and could retract. The גמרא then asks about a שכיב מרע who gives away only part of his property. The רבנן quoted רב נחמן as saying such a gift needs no קנין, but רבא rejects that version and says it needs a קנין, like a healthy person's gift. רבא defends this against challenges from a משנה, from the story of the mother of בני רוכל, and from a משנה in גיטין. He explains that the sources without a קנין are cases of a מצוה מחמת מיתה. רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע offers a different explanation. The final הלכה: a partial gift needs a קנין, while a מצוה מחמת מיתה needs none if he dies and can be retracted if he recovers, even after a קנין.

Opening lines

וְכִי קָיְימָא הֲוָת הָדְרָא בָּהּ.

And when she recovered, she would retract it.

זִימְנָא חֲדָא חֲלַשָׁא,

One time she became sick,

שְׁלַחָה לֵיהּ: תָּא קְנִי.

she sent him a message: Come, acquire.

שְׁלַח: לָא בָּעֵינָא.

He sent back: I do not want to.

The steps (22)

  1. StatementThe woman's habit and her offer to רב דימי
  2. Statementרב דימי leaves part for her and makes a קנין, but she retracts anyway
  3. Statementרב דימי refuses to come to court
  4. Statementרב נחמן threatens נידוי
  5. Questionרב נחמן asks the witnesses what happened
  6. ResponseThe witnesses report her words: 'This woman is dying!'
  7. ConclusionRuling: a gift given because of expected death can be retracted
  8. StatementA partial gift of a שכיב מרע is like both kinds of gift
  9. StatementWhich feature comes from each kind of gift
  10. Rejectionרבא rejects the quote attributed to רב נחמן
  11. StatementThe correct version: a partial gift needs a קנין
  12. ChallengeChallenge from the משנה about leaving over land
  13. ResolutionThe משנה is talking about a case with a קנין
  14. ChallengeChallenge from the second half of the משנה
  15. Resolutionשמואל: a gift of everything can be retracted even with a קנין
  16. ChallengeChallenge from the story of the mother of בני רוכל
  17. ResolutionThat woman was giving because she expected to die
  18. Challengeרבינא challenges רבא from the case of the גט and the מנה
  19. ProofProving that the משנה has no קנין
  20. Resolutionרבא answers: that man was also giving because he expected to die
  21. Statementרב הונא says giving because of death usually needs a קנין
  22. ConclusionThe final הלכה on gifts of a dying person