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Bava Kamma 87a

בבא קמא פ״ז ע״א

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Topic

רבי יהודה's exemption of a סומא, the משנה on who pays for injuring a person, and who receives payment for injuring a young daughter

Overview

The amud begins by finishing רבי יהודה's view on a סומא. He exempts a blind person from all civil laws, learned from the פסוק about the killer and the גואל הדם. A second ברייתא has him exempt a סומא from all מצוות, and רב שישא בריה דרב אידי links מצוות to משפטים through another פסוק. רב יוסף, who was blind, first wanted the הלכה to follow רבי יהודה. After hearing רבי חנינא say that one who is commanded and does is greater, he wanted the opposite. Then a new משנה teaches that a person who injures pays all five payments plus דמי ולדות, while an ox's owner pays only נזק. It goes through special cases: parents, יום הכפורים and שבת, Hebrew and Canaanite slaves, the חרש, שוטה וקטן, and the slave and married woman. The גמרא opens with רבי אלעזר asking רב who receives the payment when someone injures another man's young daughter. The question's two sides are laid out, and רב's answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְכֵן הָיָה רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פּוֹטְרוֹ

And so Rabbi Yehuda would exempt him

מִכׇּל דִּינִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

from all the civil laws that are in the Torah.

מַאי טַעְמָא דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה?

What is the reason of Rabbi Yehuda?

אָמַר קְרָא: ״וְשָׁפְטוּ הָעֵדָה

The verse says: "And the congregation shall judge

The steps (19)

  1. Statementרבי יהודה exempts a blind person from all civil laws
  2. QuestionWhat is רבי יהודה's source?
  3. ResponseLearning it from the verse about the killer and the avenger
  4. StatementAnother teaching: a blind person is exempt from all מצוות
  5. Questionרב שישא asks for the source of the wider exemption
  6. ResponseCommandments are linked to civil laws
  7. Statementרב יוסף's first reaction: happy to be exempt
  8. Conclusionרב יוסף changes his mind: being commanded is greater
  9. StatementA person who injures pays more than an ox
  10. StatementStriking a parent without a wound, or injuring on יום הכפורים
  11. StatementInjuring a Hebrew slave
  12. StatementInjuring someone else's Canaanite slave, and רבי יהודה's view
  13. StatementDeaf-mute, mentally incompetent person, and minor: liability goes one way only
  14. StatementA slave and a married woman: exempt now, pay later
  15. StatementWounding a parent or wounding on שבת: no payment
  16. StatementInjuring one's own Canaanite slave
  17. QuestionWho gets paid for injuring someone else's young daughter?
  18. QuestionFirst side: the father gets the injury payment
  19. QuestionSecond side: the injury payment is not the father's