Gittin 14b

גיטין י״ד ע״ב

Learn Gittin 14b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רבי אחאי's vessel and his agents; whether telling an agent הולך ('deliver') works like זכי ('acquire') when the recipient or sender dies.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing the story of רבי אחאי's vessel. His two agents, רבי דוסתאי and רבי יוסי בר כיפר, disagree about returning it to the people who handed it over. רבי דוסתאי gives in because those people were frightening and dangerous, and רבי אחאי rules that he acted well. The גמרא then turns to a new topic: a sender tells an agent 'הולך,' deliver a מנה to someone, but the recipient has died. Two ברייתות disagree about whether the money goes back to the sender or to the recipient's heirs. רבי אבא בר ממל, רב זביד and רב פפא each settle the contradiction without saying הולך is like זכי. The גמרא then asks whether תנאים argue about הולך and זכי, and it reads a long ברייתא with many opinions that way. It rejects this proof by placing the ברייתא in the case of a שכיב מרע, which follows the argument between רבי אלעזר and the חכמים. It quotes that משנה, and the חכמים's story about the mother of the בני רוכל continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (24)

1. Statementרבי אחאי sends two agents to bring his vessel
2. StatementThe holders hand over the vessel, then want it back
3. StatementThe two agents disagree about returning it
4. Statementרבי יוסי is tormented and רבי דוסתאי says to hit him
5. Questionרבי יוסי complains and רבי אחאי asks why
6. Responseרבי דוסתאי explains he feared for his life
7. Questionרבי אחאי checks how powerful those people were
8. Conclusionרבי אחאי rules that רבי דוסתאי acted correctly
9. StatementTwo teachings disagree about money sent to someone who could not be found
10. ResolutionSuggestion that the teachings argue over whether 'deliver' means 'acquire'
11. Rejectionרבי אבא בר ממל: everyone agrees הולך is not זכי
12. ResolutionOne teaching is about a healthy giver, the other about a dying giver
13. Resolutionרב זביד: both ברייתות are about a dying giver
14. Resolutionרב פפא: both ברייתות are about a healthy giver
15. QuestionIs this an argument among the תנאים?
16. ProofThe ברייתא: the sender died before the money was delivered
17. ProofMore opinions: honor the dead, split it, or let the agent decide
18. Statementרבי שמעון הנשיא's real case
19. ProofMapping the first opinions onto whether 'deliver' means 'acquire'
20. ProofPlacing רבי מאיר's opinion
21. ProofPlacing the חכמים, the כאן אמרו group, and רבי שמעון הנשיא
22. RejectionThe proof is rejected: the case is a dying giver
23. StatementThe משנה: does a sick person's gift work by words alone?
24. ProofThe חכמים begin a story about the mother of the בני רוכל