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Bava Kamma 38a

בבא קמא ל״ח ע״א

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Topic

A Jew's ox goring a gentile's ox: the sources, the reward of בני נח, the Roman officers, and עולא's words of comfort

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a discussion about why ״רֵעֵהוּ״ was written by a תם. Then the גמרא quotes the משנה: a Jew's ox that gores a gentile's ox is exempt, but a gentile's ox that gores a Jew's ox pays in full. It asks a ממה נפשך: whichever way you read ״רֵעֵהוּ״, both directions should come out the same. רבי אבהו answers from a פסוק in חבקוק, and רבי יוחנן answers from ״הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן״. A ברייתא quotes both פסוקים, and the גמרא explains that the second is needed because the חבקוק פסוק may be used for the teachings of רב מתנה (exile) and רב יוסף (the nations' מצוות were 'released'). The גמרא concludes that the nations still get reward for keeping their מצוות, but only like one who is not commanded, since גדול המצווה ועושה. Next comes the story of Roman officers who accepted the whole תורה except this law of the ox. The amud ends with עולא comforting רב שמואל בר יהודה, whose lesson about משה and מואב continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

דְּאִם כֵּן, נִכְתּוֹב קְרָא

Because if so, let the verse write

לְהַאי ״רֵעֵהוּ״ גַּבֵּי מוּעָד.

this word "of another" in the case of a warned ox.

שׁוֹר שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנָּגַח

An ox of a Jew that gored

שׁוֹר שֶׁל גּוֹי – פָּטוּר.

the ox of a gentile – is exempt.

The steps (23)

  1. ProofWhy the word 'of another' was written by an unwarned ox
  2. StatementQuoting the משנה: a Jew's ox that gores a gentile's ox
  3. ChallengeWhichever way you read 'of another', the ruling is hard
  4. Resolutionרבי אבהו: the source is a פסוק in חבקוק
  5. Resolutionרבי יוחנן: a different source from הר פארן
  6. ProofA ברייתא backs up the rule and both פסוקים
  7. QuestionWhy does the ברייתא need a second פסוק?
  8. ResponseThe first פסוק may be used up for other teachings
  9. Statementרב מתנה‎: ה׳ exiled the nations for not keeping their מצוות
  10. QuestionHow do we know ״וַיַּתֵּר״ means exile?
  11. Response״לְנַתֵּר״ means to leap, so ״וַיַּתֵּר״ means uprooting
  12. QuestionWhat is רב יוסף's teaching?
  13. Responseה׳ released the seven מצוות from the nations
  14. ChallengeWould sinners end up gaining?
  15. ResolutionReleased means no reward for keeping them
  16. ChallengeChallenge: a גוי who learns תורה is like a כהן גדול
  17. ResolutionThey get reward, but a smaller kind
  18. StatementRoman officers study the תורה and question one law
  19. ChallengeThe officers' 'whichever way you look at it' argument
  20. ConclusionThe officers will not report it to the government
  21. Statementעולא refuses to join the Babylonian way of comforting mourners
  22. Questionעולא asks why משה needed to be warned about מואב
  23. Responseמשה's own קל וחומר about the מדינים