Bava Basra 5a

בבא בתרא ה׳ ע״א

Bava Batra 5a

Learn Bava Basra 5a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רבינא and רוניא's disputes over surrounding walls and דינא דבר מצרא; the משנה of the fallen courtyard wall; whether a borrower is believed that he paid early

Overview

This amud opens with two stories about רבינא and his neighbor רוניא. In the first story, רבינא's fields surround רוניא's field on all sides. רבינא builds walls and asks רוניא to help pay, lowering his request each time, but רוניא refuses. When רוניא shouts over one cluster of dates, רבינא argues that this shows he wants his field protected. רבא then tells רוניא to pay at least a watchman's wage, or else be judged by the stricter ruling of רב הונא following רבי יוסי. In the second story, רב ספרא tells רבינא he cannot use דינא דבר מצרא to remove רוניא, because רוניא also borders the land. A new משנה then rules that neighbors must share the cost of rebuilding a fallen courtyard wall up to four אמות, and explains who is presumed to have paid. The גמרא begins with ריש לקיש, who says a borrower claiming he paid before the due date is not believed. אביי and רבא disagree, and their reasoning continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (12)

1. Statementרבינא surrounds רוניא and asks him to share the cost
2. StatementThe date-cluster incident
3. Proofרבינא: your shout shows you want protection
4. Rejectionרוניא: a goat just needs to be chased off
5. Resolutionרבינא: chasing still needs a person
6. Conclusionרבא's ruling: pay the watchman's wage or face the stricter law
7. StatementSecond story: רבינא wants to use the neighbor's right
8. Rejectionרב ספרא: a big neighbor and a small neighbor are equal
9. StatementA fallen courtyard wall must be rebuilt together up to four cubits
10. StatementAbove four cubits he pays only if he shows he wants the wall
11. StatementA borrower who says he paid early is not believed
12. Statementאביי and רבא say people do sometimes pay early