Bava Kamma 26a

בבא קמא כ״ו ע״א

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Topic

Each damager's payment rules come from its own פסוק and cannot be transferred by a קל וחומר. רגל pays כופר. A new משנה teaches that a person is always מועד.

Overview

This amud finishes a series of קל וחומר arguments that try to mix the payment rules of different damagers, and each one is blocked by a פסוק. Half payment belongs only to קרן ('כספו'). שן ורגל pay full damage in the victim's property ('ישלם'). קרן pays half everywhere, even in רשות הרבים ('יחצון'). Only an ox's owner pays כופר ('עליו'), and only a person pays the four extra payments ('איש בעמיתו'). Next the גמרא asks whether an owner pays כופר when his animal tramples a child to death in the victim's courtyard (רגל). It brings a ברייתא of רבי טרפון whose קל וחומר seems to rely on כופר for רגל. רב שימי suggests the קל וחומר could come from ordinary damages of רגל instead. Every such base is knocked down by אש, בור or אדם, so the גמרא concludes that רגל pays כופר, and רב אחא מדפתי adds a logical proof. Finally a new משנה teaches that a person is always מועד and pays full damage, and the גמרא infers from its wording that in its blinding case he pays only נזק, not the four extra payments.

Opening lines

The steps (28)

1. ChallengeNarrowing the challenge to half payment only
2. ResolutionHalf payment belongs only to the goring ox
3. ChallengeA reverse argument to reduce eating and trampling to half
4. Resolution'He shall pay' means full payment
5. ChallengeShould goring be exempt in the public domain?
6. ResolutionHalf-damage for goring is the same everywhere
7. ChallengeShould a person who kills pay ransom?
8. ResolutionRansom is only for the owner of an ox
9. ChallengeReverse logic: maybe an ox's owner pays the four extra payments
10. ResolutionThe פסוק limits the four payments to a person
11. QuestionDoes trampling that kills a child require כופר?
12. QuestionFirst side: רגל is like קרן, so pay כופר
13. QuestionSecond side: קרן means to harm, רגל does not
14. ProofA ברייתא: an ox gores a homeowner in his own courtyard
15. Proofרבי טרפון's source seems to be a קל וחומר from רגל
16. Rejectionרב שימי: the קל וחומר is from ordinary damages of רגל
17. ChallengeDamages of רגל are also true of fire
18. ResolutionThe source is damage to hidden items
19. ChallengeHidden items are also paid for by a pit
20. ResolutionBuild it from vessels instead
21. ChallengeVessels are also paid for by fire
22. ResolutionBuild it from hidden vessels
23. ChallengeHidden vessels are also paid for by a person
24. ConclusionSo the source must be כופר of רגל
25. Proofרב אחא מדפתי: it is also logical
26. ConclusionSo רגל Must Pay Ransom
27. StatementA Person Is Always Fully Responsible
28. StatementBlinding Is Compared to Breaking Vessels