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Bava Basra 24a

בבא בתרא כ״ד ע״א

Bava Batra 24a

Learn Bava Basra 24a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רוב versus קרוב: the hopping chick, blood in the פרוזדור, רבא's retraction, and cases of found wine tested against רבי חנינא's rule.

Overview

The גמרא first explains why the closer dovecote gets a hopping chick: the case is on a narrow vineyard path, so the chick could only have come from those two dovecotes. אביי brings a משנה about blood found in the פרוזדור to show that רוב beats קרוב. רבא at first rejects the proof, saying that case has רוב ומצוי, and backs this up with רבי חייא's ברייתא treating the blood as definitely impure. Then רבא learns three lessons from רבי חייא: רוב beats קרוב, רוב is דאורייתא, and רבי זירא is right that a single majority is enough. The גמרא notes that this contradicts his earlier words and answers that רבא changed his mind. Next comes a מחלוקת between רב and שמואל about a wine barrel floating in a river. The גמרא shows that both accept רבי חנינא's rule and only argue about how far a river can carry a barrel. Finally, rulings by רבינא and רבא about wine found in vineyards are tested against רבי חנינא's rule. The answer to the last test continues on the next עמוד.

Opening lines

בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁל כְּרָמִים;

With a path between vineyards;

דְּאִם אִיתָא דְּמֵעָלְמָא אָתֵי,

for if it were so that it came from elsewhere in the world,

כֵּיוָן דְּמִידַּדֵּי – לָא מָצֵי אָתֵי;

since it hops, it could not have come here;

דְּכׇל דְּמִידַּדֵּי וַהֲדַר חָזֵי לֵיהּ לְקִינֵּיהּ – מִידַּדֵּי,

for any bird that hops, and turns back and sees its nest, keeps hopping;

The steps (18)

  1. ResolutionThe chick was found on a narrow vineyard path
  2. Proofאביי's proof from blood found in the פרוזדור
  3. Rejectionרבא: that case has both majority and frequency
  4. Proofרבי חייא treats the blood as definitely impure
  5. Statementרבא learns three lessons from רבי חייא
  6. ProofHow the woman's case supports רבי זירא
  7. ChallengeBut רבא said the blood case proves nothing
  8. Resolutionרבא changed his mind
  9. StatementA wine barrel floating in a river
  10. QuestionDo they argue about רבי חנינא's rule?
  11. RejectionEveryone agrees; they argue about the river
  12. Statementרבינא permits wine found in an ערלה orchard
  13. QuestionDid רבינא rule this way because of רבי חנינא?
  14. RejectionThieves would not hide wine in the same orchard they stole it from
  15. StatementThis reasoning applies to wine, but not to grapes
  16. Statementרבא permits wine jugs found among the vines
  17. QuestionDoes רבא disagree with רבי חנינא?
  18. RejectionIt is different there, because of a majority (answer begins)