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Bava Metzia 54b

בבא מציעא נ״ד ע״ב

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Topic

The 'fifth of the fifth' (חומשא דחומשא) in גזל, תרומה, מעשר and הקדש, and רבי יהושע בן לוי's rule that a הקדש שני gets no חומש.

Overview

This amud first closes the previous discussion: the חומש has the same status as the קרן. Then רבא lists where a 'fifth of the fifth' is clearly taught. For גזל and תרומה there is a פסוק and a משנה, but for מעשר there is nothing at all. The גמרא then asks whether הקדש also has a fifth of the fifth. One side says yes, because both פסוקים say 'וְיָסַף'. The other side says no, because a letter trick only makes a plural for תרומה. A shortcut using רבי יהושע בן לוי's rule about הקדש שני is rejected, because the fifth counts as a fresh הקדש. רב טביומי, in the name of אביי, settles it from a הקש: the fifth also gets a fifth. The גמרא then gives רבא's source for רבי יהושע בן לוי's rule ('הַמַּקְדִּישׁ, וְלֹא הַמַּתְפִּיס'). It brings a ברייתא about a בהמה טמאה whose words 'תחילת הקדש' turn out to follow that rule. The amud ends as רב אשי begins a question about the ברייתא, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ חוּמְשׁוֹ כְּמוֹתוֹ.

Learn from it: its fifth is like itself.

שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ.

Indeed, learn from it.

אָמַר רָבָא,

Rava said:

גַּבֵּי גָּזֵל כְּתִיב:

Regarding robbery it is written:

The steps (17)

  1. ConclusionThe fifth is treated like the principal
  2. StatementWith robbery, a fifth is added on top of a fifth
  3. StatementWith תרומה, a fifth of the fifth is paid
  4. StatementFor מעשר there is no source at all
  5. QuestionDoes הקדש also have a fifth of the fifth?
  6. QuestionSame word 'וְיָסַף', so הקדש is like תרומה
  7. QuestionThe other side: maybe the extra letter works for תרומה but not for הקדש
  8. ChallengeSuggestion: the extra fifth is a second הקדש, so it gets no fifth
  9. Resolutionרבא: the fifth counts as a fresh הקדש
  10. QuestionSo what is the final answer?
  11. ResponseThe פסוק compares the fifth to the main value, so the fifth also gets a fifth
  12. StatementLooking at רבי יהושע בן לוי's rule itself
  13. Responseרבא's source: 'הַמַּקְדִּישׁ', not 'הַמַּתְפִּיס'
  14. StatementA ברייתא learns from a consecrated non-kosher animal
  15. ChallengeWhy does the ברייתא need 'first-time consecration'?
  16. ResolutionThe ברייתא is about חומש, following רבי יהושע בן לוי
  17. Challengeרב אשי asks about the non-kosher animal itself