Bava Kamma 117b

בבא קמא קי״ז ע״ב

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Topic

The end of the רב כהנא story; paying for informing; saving yourself with another's property and רבה's rule of the רודף; and a robber's duty for a flooded field.

Overview

This amud finishes the story of רב כהנא. A serpent blocks his burial cave until רבי יוחנן humbly calls himself the student. רבי יוחנן then brings רב כהנא back to life, and רב כהנא answers all of his questions. The גמרא then rules on a man who showed רבי אבא's silk to others: judges who hold of גרמי make him pay, based on our משנה about a field shown to thugs. Next come three cases where אביי objects that a person 'saved himself with his friend's money': a silver cup given to thieves, a purse of פדיון שבויים money, and a donkey pushed off a sinking ferry. Each one ends with a special reason for the exemption. רבה's three-part rule about damage during a chase shows when a רודף, a נרדף, or a rescuer must pay. A new משנה rules that a robber may return a flooded field as it is. The גמרא explains that רבי אלעזר and the חכמים disagree because they read the פסוקים by different methods, ריבוי ומיעוט versus כלל ופרט. It then asks about their parallel argument over a stolen cow, and רב פפא begins an answer that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (30)

1. StatementThe serpent at the cave and רב כהנא brought back to life
2. StatementThe apology, the invitation, and רב כהנא's condition
3. Conclusionרב כהנא answers every question, and the meaning of רבי יוחנן's saying
4. StatementA new case: the man who showed רבי אבא's silk
5. ProofThe judges try to prove liability from a judge who rules wrongly
6. RejectionThe judge only pays when he handled the money himself
7. StatementThe judges send רבי אבא to judges who rule on indirect damage
8. ConclusionThe second judges make the man pay, based on the field shown to thugs
9. StatementA שומר gives a deposited silver cup to thieves, and רבה exempts him
10. Challengeאביי objects that the שומר saved himself with someone else's money
11. Resolutionרב אשי: it depends on whether the שומר is wealthy
12. StatementThe man who handed over the purse for redeeming captives
13. Challengeאביי objects that he saved himself with others' money
14. ResolutionThere is no greater redemption of captives than this
15. StatementThe donkey that was about to sink the ferry
16. Challengeאביי objects again: he saved himself with the donkey
17. ResolutionThe donkey's owner was a pursuer from the start
18. Statementרבה's rule: a pursuer who breaks things does not pay
19. ConclusionThe pursued may break the pursuer's things, but must pay for others'
20. StatementA rescuer who breaks things while chasing an attacker is exempt
21. ConclusionWhy the rescuer is exempt: so people will still save others
22. Statementמשנה: a stolen field flooded by a river
23. Statementברייתא: רבי אלעזר and the חכמים disagree about the flooded field
24. QuestionWhat is the root of their disagreement?
25. Responseרבי אלעזר reads the פסוקים as an amplification, a restriction, and another amplification
26. Responseרבי אלעזר's reading includes everything except documents
27. ResponseThe חכמים read the same פסוקים as general-detail-general
28. ConclusionOnly movable things with value of their own are included, so land is left out
29. ChallengeA stolen cow swept away by a river
30. Resolutionרב פפא: the case is really a stolen field