Bava Basra 26a

בבא בתרא כ״ו ע״א

Bava Batra 26a

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Topic

Wind-carried damage as 'his arrows', then the משנה on how far trees must be from a neighbor's field, with stories about palm trees, vines and roots.

Overview

The amud opens with the last words of an earlier discussion: shaking counts as damage when it is strong enough to rattle a jug's lid. Next comes the case of flax chaff that flew off and hurt people. רבינא ruled the flax-beaters were not liable because the wind carried the chaff. מר בר רב אשי and מרימר disagreed, comparing it to winnowing on שבת, where wind help still counts as the person's own act. The גמרא explains why, for רבינא, a hammer's spark is different: the smith wants the spark to fly away. A new משנה then teaches that a tree must be planted four אמות from a neighbor's field, and that the neighbor may cut roots that spread into his land. שמואל says that in בבל two אמות are enough, and a ברייתא backs him up. Two stories follow. In the first, רב יוסף demands that palm trees near his vines be cut down. In the second, רב הונא cuts the roots of רב פפא's palms while digging pits, and רב פפא admits he could not convince him. That story continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (25)

1. ResponseHow much shaking counts: enough to rattle a jug's lid
2. QuestionThe case of the flying flax chaff
3. Responseרבינא rules: the wind carried it, so it is not 'his arrows'
4. Challengeמר בר רב אשי objects from winnowing on שבת
5. Conclusionמרימר agrees: it is just like winnowing with the wind
6. ChallengeFor רבינא: why is a hammer's spark different?
7. ResolutionThe smith wants the spark to fly away; the flax-beater does not care
8. StatementA tree must be four cubits from a neighbor's field
9. StatementWhat the neighbor may do with roots that spread into his field
10. StatementThe four cubits are for working the vineyard
11. Statementשמואל: in בבל two אמות are enough
12. ProofA ברייתא supports שמואל
13. ChallengeAnother version: the משנה and the ברייתא contradict each other
14. Resolutionשמואל answers: one source is about בבל, the other about ארץ ישראל
15. StatementBirds from the palm trees damage רב יוסף's vineyard
16. ChallengeThe tree owner says he kept the required distance
17. ResolutionVines need more distance than trees
18. ChallengeThe משנה says vines and trees are the same
19. ResolutionSame kind next to same kind is different from a tree next to vines
20. StatementThe tree owner refuses to cut the trees himself
21. Questionרב פפא finds his neighbor cutting his trees' roots
22. Responseרב הונא quotes the משנה allowing him to dig three טפחים
23. Challengeרב פפא objects that רב הונא is digging too deep
24. Resolutionרב הונא answers that he is digging pits, which have no depth limit
25. Statementרב פפא admits his arguments did not convince רב הונא