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Bava Basra 48b

בבא בתרא מ״ח ע״ב

Bava Batra 48b

Learn Bava Basra 48b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Forced sales: the limits on רב הונא's rule, the final הלכה, forced קידושין, and the story of טאבי and פאפי

Overview

This amud continues the discussion of רב הונא's rule that a sale made under pressure (תליוהו וזבין) still counts. The גמרא first adds three limits, one after another: the sale might fail if one specific field was named, the money was not counted, and the seller had no way out. Then it rules that the sale is valid in every case, even for a specific field. Its proof is אמימר's ruling that forced קידושין take effect, since a woman is like 'this field.' מר בר רב אשי disagrees. He says the רבנן cancel forced קידושין as a penalty, so the proof does not work. When רבינא asks how this works with ביאה, רב אשי answers that the רבנן treat it as בעילת זנות. Next comes the story of טאבי, who hung up פאפי until he sold, while רבה בר בר חנה signed both פאפי's מודעא and the bill of sale. רב הונא approves of both signatures, and the גמרא explains that without the מודעא the bill of sale would have been valid. Finally the גמרא begins to ask, from רב נחמן's ruling about witnesses who call their document an אמנה, how a witness can undo a document he signed. That challenge continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

בְּ״שָׂדֶה״ סְתָם,

[only] in a case of 'a field' unspecified,

אֲבָל בְּ״שָׂדֶה זוֹ״ – לֹא.

but in a case of 'this field' – no.

וּבְ״שָּׂדֶה זוֹ״ נָמֵי לָא אֲמַרַן –

And even in 'this field,' we only said [the sale is invalid]

אֶלָּא דְּלָא אַרְצִי זוּזֵי,

where he did not count the money,

The steps (14)

  1. StatementThe rule may cover only an unspecified field
  2. StatementEven 'this field' is valid if the seller counted the money
  3. StatementOnly invalid if the seller had no way to escape
  4. ConclusionThe final ruling: the sale is valid in every case
  5. ProofProof from forced קידושין
  6. RejectionIn a woman's case the קידושין are cancelled anyway
  7. ChallengeHow can the רבנן cancel קידושין done through ביאה?
  8. ResolutionThe רבנן treated the ביאה as בעילת זנות
  9. StatementThe story of טאבי and פאפי
  10. Statementרב הונא praises both signatures
  11. ChallengeBoth papers cannot be right
  12. ResolutionWhat רב הונא really meant
  13. Proofרב הונא follows his own view: a forced sale is valid
  14. ChallengeCan a witness undo a document he himself signed?