Gemara Clarity

Gittin 8b

גיטין ח׳ ע״ב

Learn Gittin 8b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Gittin 8b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The special status of סוריא, and a slave's freedom document that also gives property

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא about the special in-between status of סוריא and explains each of its laws. The תנא who obligates סוריא in מעשר and שביעית holds that כיבוש יחיד counts as a real conquest. A person can enter סוריא in טהרה by being carried inside a closed box. That works because the חכמים decreed טומאה only on סוריא's soil, not on its air. רב ששת explains that comparing a field in סוריא to one near ירושלים means a bill of sale may be written for it even on שבת. The writing is done by a גוי, and the חכמים lifted their usual ban for the sake of ישוב ארץ ישראל. The גמרא then turns to a slave who brings his own freedom document that also gives him his master's property. אביי tries two opposite rulings, and רבא rejects both. רבא rules that the slave goes free but does not get the property. רב אדא בר מתנה says this follows only רבי שמעון, who holds that a statement can be divided, and the גמרא begins quoting the משנה in פאה. That quote continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

כְּקוֹנָהּ בְּפַרְוָארֵי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם.

is like one who buys it in the outskirts of Jerusalem.

חַיֶּיבֶת בְּמַעֲשֵׂר וּבִשְׁבִיעִית כְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל –

It is obligated in tithes and the Sabbatical year like the Land of Israel –

קָסָבַר כִּיבּוּשׁ יָחִיד שְׁמֵיהּ כִּיבּוּשׁ.

he holds that a conquest by an individual is called a conquest.

וְהָרוֹצֶה לִיכָּנֵס לָהּ בְּטׇהֳרָה נִכְנָס –

And one who wants to enter it in purity may enter –

The steps (19)

  1. StatementEnd of the ברייתא: buying a field in Syria
  2. StatementWhy Syria is obligated in tithes and the Sabbatical year
  3. ChallengeHow can one enter Syria in purity if its soil is impure?
  4. ResolutionHe enters inside a chest, box, or cabinet
  5. ProofA ברייתא: entering foreign lands in a closed container
  6. ProofEven רבי agrees that Syria's air is not impure
  7. QuestionWhat is the practical point of comparing Syria to Jerusalem's outskirts?
  8. Responseרב ששת: a bill of sale may be written, even on שבת
  9. ChallengeHow Can One Write on שבת?
  10. ResolutionTelling a Non-Jew to Write It
  11. StatementA Slave Brings His Freedom Document
  12. QuestionWhat If It Says 'All My Property'?
  13. Responseאביי: Freedom Brings the Property Along
  14. Challengeרבא: Property Still Needs Confirmation
  15. Resolutionאביי reverses himself: no property means no freedom
  16. Challengeרבא: freedom should still work like a woman's divorce document
  17. Statementרבא's ruling: freedom yes, property no, in both cases
  18. Challengeרב אדא בר מתנה: your view follows only רבי שמעון
  19. ProofThe source: a master who writes all his property to his slave