Bava Kamma 7a

בבא קמא ז׳ ע״א

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Topic

רבי עקיבא's קל וחומר for הקדש and the meaning of his argument with רבי ישמעאל, then אביי's contradiction between paying from מיטב and paying with anything worth money.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a challenge. If רבי עקיבא's קל וחומר for הקדש were about someone who promised money to the Temple, הקדש would be a mere בעל חוב, who collects only from בינונית. The קל וחומר would also be breakable, since an ordinary person is stronger in damages than הקדש. So the גמרא explains that the case is an ordinary ox goring a הקדש ox, and that רבי עקיבא follows רבי שמעון בן מנסיא, who makes such an ox pay full damages. The גמרא then asks whether רבי ישמעאל and רבי עקיבא might argue only about הקדש, and not about how land is appraised. It rejects this three times: from רבי עקיבא's words 'לא בא הכתוב', from his 'קל וחומר להקדש', and from an explicit ברייתא quoted by רב אשי. Next, אביי points out a contradiction to רבא: the פסוק says payment comes from מיטב, but a ברייתא says anything worth money, even bran, is acceptable. רבא answers that one who pays willingly may use anything, while one forced by בית דין pays from his best land. עולא supports this from the word ישלם, but אביי rejects that proof. אביי then starts a new answer modeled on a ברייתא about a landowner who may take מעשר עני up to half: his land lost value only because buyers see he is desperate for cash.

Opening lines

The steps (17)

1. ChallengeA creditor only collects from medium land
2. ChallengeEven if a creditor collects from the best land, the logic still fails
3. ResolutionThe case is our ox goring an ox of הקדש
4. Proofרבי שמעון בן מנסיא's ruling on oxes of הקדש
5. ChallengeMaybe they argue only about הקדש, not about which land is appraised
6. RejectionFirst rejection: רבי עקיבא's words 'the verse comes only'
7. RejectionSecond rejection: the קל וחומר for הקדש would make no sense
8. RejectionAn explicit ברייתא shows that רבי עקיבא and רבי ישמעאל argue about whose land is meant
9. Statementאביי begins a contradiction: the פסוק says payment must be from the best land
10. ChallengeA ברייתא says anything worth money, even bran, may be used to pay
11. ResolutionPaying willingly versus paying when forced
12. ProofSupport from the word 'he shall pay'
13. Rejectionאביי: 'he shall pay' sounds voluntary
14. Resolutionאביי's new answer, modeled on the poor man's tithe ברייתא
15. QuestionWhat case is the ברייתא talking about?
16. RejectionIf all land became cheap, he should get even more
17. ResponseOnly his land dropped because buyers see he needs cash