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Bava Basra 169b

בבא בתרא קס״ט ע״ב

Bava Batra 169b

Learn Bava Basra 169b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Receipts, guarantees (אחריות) in land deeds, and whether rights in a document pass by handing it over (אותיות נקנות במסירה)

Overview

The amud opens by defending the general rule that a court writes a שובר (receipt). In the ברייתא's case of stolen land that was sold, a שובר would not protect the later לקוחות (buyers). Either the wrongful collector eats the fruit in the meantime, or a buyer without אחריות never goes back to the seller to find out. Loans are different, because buyers suspect a money debt was already paid and check with the borrower. Next the גמרא asks how a deed is rewritten without its guarantee. רב נחמן gives the wording. From that wording רפרם learns that a missing guarantee is a scribe's mistake, and רב אשי disagrees. A story follows in which רב נחמן makes an agent who bought land without a guarantee cover it himself. Finally the גמרא explains the dispute over a returned gift deed, and then a dispute between רבי and רבן שמעון בן גמליאל about judging by שטר or by חזקה, using the idea of אותיות נקנות במסירה. רב דימי's explanation continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אֲמַר לְהוּ: בְּעָלְמָא כּוֹתְבִין שׁוֹבָר,

He said to them: generally, we write a receipt,

וְהָכָא הַיְינוּ טַעְמָא –

and here, this is the reason:

דְּדִלְמָא אָזֵיל בַּעַל חוֹב

that perhaps the creditor will go

וְטָרֵיף מִינֵּיהּ דְּלוֹקֵחַ,

and seize from the purchaser,

The steps (20)

  1. RejectionNormally we write a receipt, but here it would not help
  2. ChallengeWon't the purchasers eventually go back to the seller?
  3. ResolutionIn the meantime, he takes the land and eats its fruit
  4. ResolutionA buyer without a guarantee never goes back to the seller
  5. ChallengeWhy not worry the same way about loan documents?
  6. ResolutionA money debt makes the buyer check, a land claim does not
  7. QuestionHow is a deed written without the guarantee?
  8. Responseרב נחמן gives the wording
  9. StatementA missing guarantee is a scribe's mistake
  10. Statementרב אשי: a missing guarantee is not a mistake
  11. QuestionAn agent buys land without a guarantee
  12. Responseרב נחמן tells the agent to fix the deal
  13. StatementGiving back a gift document
  14. QuestionWhy does רבן שמעון בן גמליאל say the gift returns?
  15. Responseרב אסי: the gift depends on holding the document
  16. Challengeרבה challenges Rav Asi: a lost or stolen document should also cancel the gift
  17. Resolutionרבה's new explanation: the argument is about handing over documents
  18. StatementA ברייתא: judging a claim by document or by possession
  19. QuestionWhat is the basis of their dispute?
  20. Responseרב דימי: this dispute is also about handing over documents