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Bava Metzia 46a

בבא מציעא מ״ו ע״א

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Topic

Can coins be acquired or used through חליפין? The גמרא proves they cannot, brings supporting authorities, and answers challenges from a ברייתא about a money changer and from a משנה in קידושין.

Overview

Earlier, רב פפא had said that a coin can be acquired through חליפין, the exchange done by handing over a cloth (סודר). The גמרא challenges him from a ברייתא about a trick for redeeming מעשר שני without adding the חומש. If coins could be acquired through חליפין, the ברייתא would have offered an easier method. Defending רב פפא would require imagining a man with no coins, no cloth and no land, which is not believable. So the גמרא concludes that coins are not acquired through חליפין, and a story shows that רב פפא himself came to act this way. עולא, רב אסי and רבי יוחנן all agree that a coin cannot be used for חליפין. רבי אבא challenges עולא from a ברייתא about borrowing from a money changer and paying back a little extra. That challenge is answered in two ways: the coins are unstamped פרוטטות that count as goods, or, according to רב אשי, having money at home makes it like 'lend me until I find the key.' Finally, the גמרא brings a משנה that seems to say a coin can be חליפין, and רב יהודה begins to explain it differently. His explanation continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְחוֹזֵר וְאוֹמֵר:

And then he says:

הֲרֵי הֵן מְחוּלָּלִין

They are hereby redeemed

עַל מְעוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִי בַּבַּיִת.

on coins that I have at home.

טַעְמָא דְּאֵין בְּיָדוֹ מָעוֹת,

The reason is that he has no coins in his hand,

The steps (19)

  1. StatementThe end of the ברייתא: redeeming on coins at home
  2. ProofInference: with coins in hand, a better method exists
  3. ChallengeChallenge: why not transfer the coins with a cloth?
  4. ResolutionAnswer: he has no cloth
  5. ChallengeChallenge: why not transfer the coins along with land?
  6. ResolutionAnswer: he has no land
  7. ChallengeChallenge: but he is standing at a threshing floor
  8. ResolutionAnswer: the threshing floor is not his
  9. ChallengeWould a תנא bother teaching about a man with nothing?
  10. ConclusionConclusion: coins are not acquired through חליפין
  11. Conclusionרב פפא also took back his view
  12. ProofThe story: רב פפא transfers money along with his threshold
  13. StatementThree more authorities agree: a coin cannot be used for exchange
  14. ChallengeChallenge from the money changer case
  15. ResolutionMaybe the coins are unstamped and count as goods
  16. ProofThe wording of the ברייתא supports the answer
  17. Resolutionרב אשי: it is not an exchange at all, but like 'lend me until I find the key'
  18. ChallengeA משנה seems to say a coin can be used for חליפין
  19. Resolutionרב יהודה begins to reread the משנה