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Bava Kamma 16a

בבא קמא ט״ז ע״א

Learn Bava Kamma 16a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How to read the משנה of תם and מועד, crouching on vessels, and identifying the ברדלס

Overview

The גמרא first tries to say the whole משנה follows רבי טרפון. It does this by explaining one line as a shared courtyard, which counts as the injured party's courtyard for שן but as public property for קרן. רב זביד rejects this, because רבי טרפון would make even unusual eating pay in full. So the גמרא reads the משנה as following the רבנן, with missing words filled in. רבינא objects using a later משנה and gives his own fuller reading: five acts start as תם and can become מועד; שן ורגל are always מועד; damage on the injured party's property is a מחלוקת between רבי טרפון and the רבנן; and certain wild animals are also מועד. A ברייתא matches his reading exactly. Next, רבי אלעזר discusses whether crouching on small vessels counts as normal behavior, and the גמרא gives several versions of that discussion. Finally, the גמרא identifies the ברדלס as the female hyena and the צבוע of רבי מאיר as the male. It then starts to look again at רבי מאיר's addition.

Opening lines

כּוּלַּהּ רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן הִיא;

The whole [משנה] is Rabbi Tarfon;

רֵישָׁא – בְּחָצֵר הַמְיוּחֶדֶת לְפֵירוֹת לְאֶחָד מֵהֶן,

the first part is in a courtyard designated for produce for one of them,

וְלָזֶה וְלָזֶה לִשְׁוָרִים;

and for this one and that one for oxen;

דִּלְגַבֵּי שֵׁן הָוְיָא לַהּ חֲצַר הַנִּיזָּק.

so regarding Tooth, it is the injured party's courtyard.

The steps (26)

  1. ResolutionThe whole משנה follows רבי טרפון, using a shared courtyard
  2. Challengeרב זביד objects using the line about fitting food
  3. Challengeרבי טרפון would require full payment
  4. ResolutionThe משנה follows the רבנן, with missing words
  5. ResolutionFinishing the reading: tooth and foot are forewarned, but only in the injured party's courtyard
  6. Challengeרבינא: a later משנה shows ours was talking about goring
  7. Resolutionרבינא: the משנה is missing words — five acts that can become forewarned
  8. Resolutionרבינא's reading finished: damage on the injured party's property is a dispute
  9. ProofA ברייתא matches רבינא's reading
  10. ChallengeAnother version: the משנה seems to contradict itself
  11. Resolutionרבינא answers: the משנה is missing words
  12. StatementCrouching on vessels: large versus small
  13. ProofA ברייתא seems to support רבי אלעזר
  14. RejectionThe proof is rejected: crushing from the side
  15. StatementSecond version: even small vessels are not normal for crouching
  16. ChallengeThe ברייתא about crushing vessels challenges the second version
  17. ResolutionThe ברייתא may be talking about pushing from the side
  18. ChallengeA third version: the משנה and the ברייתא seem to contradict each other
  19. ResolutionLarge vessels versus small vessels
  20. QuestionWhat is a ברדלס?
  21. Responseרב יהודה says ברדלס is a נפרזא
  22. Responseרב יוסף says נפרזא is an אפא
  23. ChallengeChallenge: רב יוסף also says the צבוע is an אפא
  24. ResolutionMale hyena versus female hyena
  25. ProofA ברייתא showing the male hyena is different
  26. StatementQuoting רבי מאיר's addition again