Bava Metzia 100b

בבא מציעא ק׳ ע״ב

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Topic

Why the seller swears in a disputed slave or field sale (רבי הושעיא's זוקקין vs. רב ששת's רבי מאיר reading), סומכוס on dividing money in doubt, and the new משנה on olive trees sold for wood.

Overview

The משנה rules that in a disputed sale of a slave or a field, the seller takes an oath, and the גמרא works hard to explain why. A garment explanation runs into the rule that admitting a different item is not a partial admission. רב פפא answers that the garment is made of attached pieces. רבי הושעיא explains the case as a slave claimed with his clothing, or a field with its sheaves, so the oath on the movables binds an oath on the slave or field. רב ששת objects that this binding (זוקקין) is already taught elsewhere. He says instead that the משנה follows רבי מאיר, for whom a slave is like movables, and he defends this with רבן גמליאל, רבא's case of a damaged slave or field, and רבה בר אבוה's reversed version of a משנה. But a משנה about loaded vines shows that רבי מאיר agrees land gets no oath, so the גמרא returns to רבי הושעיא and explains why זוקקין needed to be taught here. Next, a ברייתא about a cow or maidservant that gave birth is tied to סומכוס, who splits money in doubt, and סומכוס is shown to agree that a Torah oath comes before splitting. Finally, a new משנה about olive trees sold for wood rules by how much oil the olives yield, and the גמרא explains that this applies when the seller gave no time for cutting.

Opening lines

The steps (35)

1. ChallengeA garment claim does not fit the rule of partial admission
2. ResolutionThe garment is made of attached pieces
3. ChallengeThe משנה speaks about a slave, not a garment
4. ResolutionA slave with his clothing, or a field with its sheaves
5. ChallengeThe garment problem still remains
6. ResolutionAgain, the garment is made of attached pieces
7. ChallengeThe rule of binding is already taught elsewhere
8. Resolutionרב ששת: The משנה follows רבי מאיר
9. ChallengeThe admission does not match the claim
10. ResolutionThe משנה follows רבן גמליאל's view
11. ChallengeThe small slave is a case of "here you are"
12. Resolutionרבא: The slave or field was damaged
13. Challengeרבי מאיר seems to treat slaves like land
14. Resolutionרבה בר אבוה reverses the opinions in the robbery משנה
15. ChallengeHow do we know רבי מאיר compares land to a slave?
16. ProofIntroducing a ברייתא about animals and a maidservant that gave birth
17. StatementSeller claims the birth, buyer is silent
18. StatementWhen neither side knows, they split
19. StatementBoth claim the birth happened in their possession
20. ProofInference that רבי מאיר requires an oath on land too
21. RejectionMaybe חכמים meant 'just as you agree about land'
22. ProofProof from the vines משנה that רבי מאיר agrees about land
23. ProofThe argument is only about grapes ready to be picked
24. ResolutionGoing back to רבי הושעיא's explanation
25. ResolutionWhy the זוקקין teaching was still needed
26. QuestionWhose view is 'both don't know, they divide'?
27. ResponseIt follows סומכוס: money in doubt is divided
28. ChallengeThe end of the ברייתא has the seller swear instead of splitting
29. Resolutionסומכוס agrees there is no split when a Torah oath applies
30. StatementNew משנה: olive trees sold for wood grew only a little oil
31. StatementIf the olives give a רביעית per סאה, they split
32. StatementA river carries olive trees into another person's field
33. ChallengeWhat exactly did the seller tell the buyer?
34. ResolutionThe seller gave no time, so it depends on what people usually mind
35. Statementרבי שמעון בן פזי begins to explain the quarter-measure