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Bava Kamma 74b

בבא קמא ע״ד ע״ב

Learn Bava Kamma 74b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

A slave freed for an eye or a tooth, הכחשה and הזמה of witnesses, and a new משנה on when a thief pays ארבעה וחמשה, including admitting to a קנס

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a question about a slave: if his master blinded his eye and knocked out his tooth, why not free him once for both? אביי answers from the פסוק that freedom is 'תחת עינו', for one injury only. רב אידי בר אבין then tries to prove from a משנה that הכחשה is the start of הזמה. The proof is pushed off, because the witnesses may have been made זוממין on the slaughter first. The גמרא shows this was already argued by רבי יוחנן and רבי אלעזר. It proves that רבי אלעזר says such witnesses are not killed. אביי then explains that רבי אלעזר's lashes apply when the 'murdered' man walks in alive. A new משנה lists cases where a thief pays כפל but not ארבעה וחמשה. The גמרא learns from it that a thief who admits can still be made to pay by later witnesses, which goes against רב הונא. רב חסדא challenges רב הונא from the story of רבן גמליאל and his slave טבי, and the debate continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

נִיפּוֹק בְּעֵינוֹ;

let him go free on account of his eye;

הִפִּיל אֶת שִׁינּוֹ – נִיפּוֹק בְּשִׁינּוֹ;

if he knocked out his tooth – let him go free on account of his tooth;

סִימֵּא אֶת עֵינוֹ וְהִפִּיל אֶת שִׁינּוֹ –

if he blinded his eye and knocked out his tooth –

נִיפּוֹק בְּעֵינוֹ וְשִׁינּוֹ!

let him go free on account of his eye and his tooth!

The steps (24)

  1. ChallengeWhy not free the slave for both eye and tooth?
  2. Resolutionאביי: the פסוק says 'for his eye,' not for both
  3. Proofרב אידי בר אבין brings a proof from the משנה
  4. ProofReading the משנה as two testimonies and two הזמות
  5. ProofThe proof: they pay even for the slaughter
  6. RejectionPushing off the proof: they were made זוממין on the slaughter first
  7. StatementAn earlier dispute on the same question
  8. ProofSuggesting that רבי אלעזר says they are not killed
  9. ProofWhy lashes show that רבי אלעזר says they are not killed
  10. ConclusionConclusion: רבי אלעזר says they are not killed
  11. ChallengeHow can contradicted witnesses get lashes if it is two against two?
  12. Resolutionאביי: the "murdered" man walks in alive
  13. StatementThe theft is proven but the slaughter or sale is not
  14. StatementFour more cases that bring only double payment
  15. Statementרבי שמעון splits the case of holy animals
  16. ChallengeWhy teach the one-witness case? It is obvious!
  17. ResolutionOne witness is mentioned to teach about the thief's own admission
  18. StatementThis reading rejects רב הונא's ruling
  19. StatementLooking at רב הונא's ruling by itself
  20. Challengeרב חסדא challenges with the story of רבן גמליאל
  21. Challengeרבי יהושע: Your words mean nothing, since there are no witnesses
  22. ChallengeThe inference from the טבי story contradicts רב הונא
  23. Resolutionרבן גמליאל did not admit before a court
  24. ChallengeBut רבי יהושע was the head of the court