Bava Metzia 71b

בבא מציעא ע״א ע״ב

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Topic

Guaranteeing and passing on loans with רבית involving a גוי, and whether a גוי has שליחות or זכיה

Overview

The גמרא asks whose guarantor a Jew may be on a loan with רבית. It cannot be a Jewish lender, and a גוי lender seems forbidden too, since under his law he collects straight from the עָרֵב. רב ששת answers that the גוי agreed to Jewish rules for collecting the debt, but not to the ban on רבית. Next the גמרא quotes the משנה that a Jew may lend a גוי's money with the גוי's knowledge, and brings a ברייתא with two mirror-image cases of passing a loan on to another Jew. The גמרא challenges the permitted case: since אין שליחות לגוי, the first Jew seems to be taking רבית himself. רב הונא בר מנוח and then רב פפא explain the case so that the money goes directly from the גוי to the second Jew. רב אשי tries to limit אין שליחות לגוי in two different ways, and both are rejected through the פסוק ״גם אתם״. רבינא then suggests that a גוי has rabbinic זכיה, like a קטן, and his proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (25)

1. QuestionGuarantor for whom?
2. ChallengeA guarantor for a Jewish lender is forbidden
3. ChallengeA guarantor for a gentile lender also looks forbidden
4. Resolutionרב ששת: the gentile agreed to Jewish law
5. ChallengeThen he should not take interest either
6. ResolutionHe accepted one part of Jewish law but not the other
7. StatementQuoting the משנה about lending a gentile's money
8. StatementThe ברייתא's case: passing on the loan yourself is forbidden
9. StatementBringing the second Jew to the gentile is permitted
10. StatementA gentile borrower passes the loan to another Jew
11. ChallengeSince a gentile cannot be an agent, why is the first case allowed?
12. ResolutionThe case is where the money was put on the ground
13. ChallengeThen why say something so obvious?
14. ResolutionThe gentile took the money and handed it over himself
15. ChallengeThis still seems obvious
16. ResolutionThe gentile is not lending because of the first Jew
17. Resolutionרב אשי limits 'no agency for a gentile' to תרומה
18. Rejectionרב אשי's limit is called a mistake
19. ConclusionAll agency is learned from תרומה, so the limit fails
20. StatementSecond version: a Jew can be an agent for a gentile
21. RejectionThe second version is also called a mistake
22. RejectionA Jew cannot be an agent for a גוי either
23. ConclusionThe second version of רב אשי is also a mistake
24. Resolutionרבינא: a גוי has rabbinic זכיה, like a קטן
25. ProofStarting the comparison to a קטן