Bava Metzia 62a

בבא מציעא ס״ב ע״א

Learn Bava Metzia 62a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Must ריבית be returned? רבי אלעזר and רבי יוחנן on 'וחי אחיך עמך', challenges from ברייתות, the idea that שומא מילתא היא, and רב ספרא's rule comparing our courts to non-Jewish courts.

Overview

This amud asks whether a lender who took ריבית must give it back. רבי אלעזר says yes, from the פסוק 'וחי אחיך עמך': give it back so your brother can live. רבי יוחנן uses that פסוק for רבי עקיבא's teaching about two travelers with one jug of water, where your own life comes first. The גמרא then challenges רבי יוחנן from ברייתות. The first is about sons who inherit ריבית money and must return only a recognizable item, for their father's honor, in a case where he repented. The second calls ריבית lenders 'robbers' who must return what they collected. The גמרא tries to show this is a dispute between תנאים, based on the 'קום עשה' of רבי נחמיה and רבי אליעזר בן יעקב. It then pushes that back: 'קום עשה' may mean tearing up the interest document, because appraisal (שומא) is significant. The witnesses listed in the משנה prove this. Finally, רב ספרא gives a rule: our courts order ריבית returned exactly where non-Jewish courts would collect it. אביי and רבינא test this rule with סאה בסאה and with a mortgage without deduction, and רבינא's challenge continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (24)

1. Proofרבי אלעזר's source: return it so he can live
2. QuestionWhat does רבי יוחנן do with this verse?
3. ResponseTwo travelers and one jug of water
4. ChallengeChallenge: the father must return the interest
5. ResolutionThe father is free too; the wording follows the next clause
6. ChallengeWhy should the sons honor a father who took interest?
7. ResolutionThe father did תשובה
8. ChallengeIf he repented, why did he still have the item?
9. ResolutionHe died before he could return it
10. ChallengeA ברייתא: robbers and interest lenders must return
11. QuestionThe wording 'even though they collected' doesn't fit robbers
12. ResponseThe 'robbers' are the interest lenders
13. ResolutionIt is a dispute between תנאים
14. ProofThe 'get up and do' is returning the interest
15. ProofSo the first תנא holds interest is not returned
16. RejectionNo, 'get up and do' means tearing up the document
17. ChallengeWhat could tearing the document accomplish?
18. ResolutionThe document is not 'collected', but appraisal is significant
19. ProofProof from the witnesses in the משנה
20. ConclusionConclusion: appraisal is significant
21. Statementרב ספרא's rule: follow what non-Jewish courts would collect
22. Challengeאביי challenges the rule from a loan of סאה בסאה
23. Resolutionרב יוסף answers: non-Jewish law treats it as a deposit
24. Challengeרבינא begins a challenge from a mortgage without deduction