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Bava Basra 25a

בבא בתרא כ״ה ע״א

Bava Batra 25a

Learn Bava Basra 25a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The tannery away from the west side of the city, the debate over where the שכינה rests, and the four winds

Overview

This amud opens with the last words of the previous discussion: chaff harms a field because it acts like too much manure. A new משנה then rules that carcasses, graves, and a בורסקי (tannery) must be kept fifty אמות from a city. The תנא קמא allows a tannery only on the east side, and רבי עקיבא allows any side except the west. The משנה also lists things that must be kept away from what they damage. The גמרא asks how to read רבי עקיבא, and a ברייתא shows that the west is banned completely because it is 'frequent'. רבא asks what 'frequent' means. The גמרא rejects the idea that the west wind blows most and explains it as 'frequent with the שכינה'. It then brings a debate over whether the שכינה is in every place or in the west. Finally, רב יהודה reads a פסוק as describing the four winds, and a ברייתא of רבי אליעזר about the world begins and continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתוֹ גָּלָל.

For it turns it into manure.

מַתְנִי׳

MISHNAH

מַרְחִיקִין אֶת הַנְּבֵלוֹת

One must distance animal carcasses

וְאֶת הַקְּבָרוֹת וְאֶת הַבּוּרְסְקִי

and graves, and a tannery

The steps (17)

  1. ResponseThe chaff turns the field into manure
  2. StatementCarcasses, graves, and tanneries must be kept 50 אמות from the city
  3. StatementKeeping harmful crops and items away from a neighbor's produce
  4. QuestionWhat exactly did רבי עקיבא mean about the west side?
  5. ProofA ברייתא shows the west side is banned completely
  6. Questionרבא asks what 'frequent' means
  7. ChallengeIt cannot mean the west wind blows the most
  8. ResponseFrequent means the שכינה is in the west
  9. ChallengeMaybe the stars bow while walking backward
  10. Statementרבי אושעיא: the שכינה is in every place
  11. Proofרבי ישמעאל also holds the שכינה is everywhere
  12. Proofרב ששת also holds the שכינה is everywhere
  13. Statementרבי אבהו: the שכינה is in the west
  14. Statementרב יהודה: the western wind comes from the back of the world
  15. StatementThe second phrase of the verse refers to the northern wind
  16. StatementThe last two phrases refer to the eastern and southern winds
  17. StatementOpening of רבי אליעזר's teaching about the world