Bava Batra 22a (כב.) — the Talmud in English

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, concedes with regard to spice merchants who circulate among the towns, that one may not prevent them from selling.

These are merchants who sell perfumes to women for adornment, and whose practice is to go from place to place to sell their merchandise. It is impossible to prevent them from selling here.

As the Master said: Ezra instituted for the Jewish people that spice merchants should circulate among the towns, so that jewelry would be readily available to the daughters of Israel.

And since this was Ezra’s enactment, it is impossible to prevent them.

And this statement applies only to circulating. But establishing a fixed location, no.

The law that one may not prevent them applies specifically to merchants who go around the alleyways and houses to sell their merchandise and then return to their place. But if they come to establish their place in this town in order to sell their merchandise, one may prevent them.

But if he is a Torah scholar, even establishing a fixed location is also permitted,

if the merchant is a Torah scholar, he is permitted to establish his place in the town until he sells his merchandise, because he is occupied with his studies and is not accustomed to traveling from place to place. Therefore, they also permitted him to establish his place.

As in the case of Rava, who permitted Rabbi Yoshiya and Rav Ovadya to establish a fixed location, contrary to the halakha,

as we find that Rava permitted Rabbi Yoshiya and Rav Ovadya to establish their place in the town, even though this was not according to the law, since Ezra permitted only circulating among the towns and not establishing a fixed location. Nevertheless, Rava permitted it as a measure beyond the letter of the law.

What is the reason

that he permitted it?

Since they are Torah scholars, they would become distracted from their learning.

Since they are Torah scholars, if they had to circulate among the towns, they would become distracted from their studies.

There were these basket merchants

who sold baskets, and some say they sold cauldrons,

who brought baskets to Babylonia,

who brought their baskets or cauldrons to Babylonia to sell,

and the residents of the town came and sought to prevent them,

the residents of the place came and sought to prevent them,

and they came before Ravina,

they came before Ravina so that he could rule for them.

He said to them: They came from elsewhere, and they are selling to people from elsewhere.

There was a market day there, when people from other places gathered to buy at the market. Ravina said: Since these merchants came from other places, they may sell to people who came from other places to this location.

And this applies only on a market day, but not on a day that is not a market day.

This applies specifically on a market day, but not on a day that is not a market day.

And even on a market day, we say this only with regard to selling in the marketplace. But circulating among the houses, no.

Even on a market day, they were permitted only to sell in the marketplace, where there are people from other places; but they were not permitted to circulate among the houses of the town.

There were these wool merchants

who sold wool,

who brought wool to Pum Nahara,

who brought wool to sell in a place called Pum Nahara,

and the residents of the town came and sought to prevent them,

the residents of the place came to prevent them,

and they came before Rav Kahana.

They came before Rav Kahana.

He said to them: The law is that they may prevent you,

he said to them that the law is that they may prevent them.

They said to him: We have credit

in the town.

They said to Rav Kahana: We sold merchandise on credit in this town, and we must remain in the town until we collect our debts. If we do not sell our merchandise in the meantime, how will we support ourselves?

He said to them: Go and sell enough for your livelihood until you have collected your credit, and then leave.

He told them to sell enough to provide for their livelihood until they finished collecting their debts, and when they finished collecting them, they should return to their place.

Rav Dimi of Nehardea brought dried figs on a boat,

he brought dried figs on a boat in order to sell them in the marketplace.

The Exilarch said to Rava: Go out and see

go and examine Rav Dimi,

whether he is a Torah scholar.

whether he is a Torah scholar,

he is,

if so,

secure the marketplace for him,

announce that no one in the town should sell dried figs before he finishes selling his merchandise.

Rava said to Rav Adda bar Abba: Go out and examine him through his jug,

go and smell his jug to determine whether it contains wine or vinegar. This is a metaphorical expression, meaning that he should examine him with questions to see whether he is a Torah scholar.

He went out

and went.

He asked him: An elephant swallowed an Egyptian basket and excreted it through its digestive tract; what is the ruling?

Rav Adda went out and approached him, and asked him what the law is with regard to the ritual impurity of vessels, in a case where an elephant swallowed a “Egyptian basket,” a basket woven from willow branches, and the basket emerged intact through its digestive tract. Is this vessel considered to have been “digested” in the elephant’s stomach, so that its status is now like that of a vessel made of dung, which is not susceptible to ritual impurity? Or is it not considered digested, but rather considered as it was previously, and therefore susceptible to ritual impurity?

He did not have the answer,

Rav Dimi did not know how to answer him.

He said to him,

Rav Dimi asked Rav Adda:

Are you Rava!?

Are you Rava [who was renowned as the leading scholar in this town]?

He tapped him with his sandal,

Rav Adda struck Rav Dimi on his sandal jokingly, as one strikes someone who is unimportant, and said to him:

There is a great deal between me and Rava.

There is a great difference between me and Rava.

Nevertheless, you are compelled to acknowledge that I am your teacher, and Rava

is

the teacher of your teacher.

I am your teacher, since I know more Torah than you do, and Rava is my teacher. Thus, Rava is the teacher of your teacher.

They did not secure the marketplace for him. His dried figs were lost.

They did not establish the marketplace for him by announcing that no one should sell dried figs before him, and they did not buy from him; consequently, his dried figs were lost.

He came before Rav Yosef and said to him: Master, see what they have done to me!

Rav Dimi came to Rav Yosef and complained to him about what they had done to him.

He said to him,

Rav Yosef said to him:

One who did not refrain from punishing the king of Edom for the affront done to him will not refrain from punishing the one who caused you distress.

One who did not refrain from taking retribution for the disgrace inflicted upon the king of Edom, even though he was an Edomite gentile, will certainly not refrain from taking retribution from one who caused you distress. And where do we find that the Holy One, blessed be He, took retribution for the disgrace inflicted upon the king of Edom?

As it is written: “Thus said the Lord: For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke it; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.”

This demonstrates that God punished Moab for burning the bones of the king of Edom into lime.

Rav Adda bar Abba died.

Rav Adda died.

And the amoraim disagreed as to which of them caused Rav Dimi to be punished with death.

Rav Yosef said: I caused his punishment, as I cursed him.

Rav Yosef was distressed that Rav Adda had been punished because of him, since he had cursed him, and Rav Yosef attributed his death to his curse.

Rav Dimi of Nehardea said: I caused his punishment, as he lost my dried figs.

Rav Dimi feared that Rav Adda had been punished because of him, since he had taken offense at him for causing him to lose his dried figs.

Abaye said: I caused his punishment.

As he would say to the Sages: While you are breaking bones in Abaye’s house, eat meat

that is fatty

in Rava’s house.

Abaye feared that Rav Adda had been punished because of him, since Rav Adda was accustomed to saying to the students: While you are breaking bones in order to eat the marrow inside them in Abaye’s house, it would be better for you to eat fatty meat in Rava’s house. This was a metaphorical expression: At Abaye’s academy, the halakhot are not clear, and great effort is required to understand them, whereas at Rava’s academy, the matters are clear and illuminating. Abaye had taken offense at him for saying these things. Therefore, Abaye feared that Rav Adda had died because of him.

And Rava said: I caused his punishment.

For when he would go to the slaughterhouse to take a portion of meat,

when Rava would go to the slaughterhouse to buy meat,

he would say to the slaughterers: I will take meat before Rava’s attendant takes it, because I am superior to him!

He would say to the slaughterers [the butchers, the sellers of meat] that they should bring him meat before Rava’s attendant took it on Rava’s behalf, because he was greater than Rava. Rava had taken offense at him for this, and therefore Rava feared that Rav Adda had died because of him.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: I caused his punishment.

For Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak was the head of the assembly,

the leader of the scholars who gathered on the Shabbatot preceding the Festivals to study, and he would lecture to them.

Every day, before he entered the assembly, he would review the lesson with Rav Adda bar Abba, and afterward he would enter the assembly.

Every day, before he entered to lecture publicly, he would review the teaching [the sugya] together with Rav Adda, and afterward he would enter to lecture.

On that day, Rav Pappa and Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, detained Rav Adda bar Abba because they had not been present at the conclusion,

on that day, Rav Pappa and Rav Huna, son of Rabbi Yehoshua, detained Rav Adda because they had not been present at the conclusion of Rava’s lecture, in which he lectured about the tithe of cattle.

They said to him: Tell us these teachings of the tithe of cattle, how did Rava state them?

They said to Rav Adda that he should tell them the teachings concerning the tithe of cattle, as Rava had stated them.

He said to them: This is what Rava said, and this is what Rava said.

He said to them: This is what Rava said, and this is what Rava said.

Meanwhile, it became late for Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak,

in the meantime, it became too late for Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, and he could not lecture because he had not reviewed the matters together with Rav Adda.

The Sages said to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: Arise, for it has become late for us; why is the Master sitting?

The students of the academy who had come to listen said to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak that he should arise and lecture to them, since it was already late; why was he sitting and not lecturing?

He said to them: I am sitting and waiting for the bier of Rav Adda bar Abba!

He said to them: I am sitting and waiting for Rav Adda’s bier to be brought here, as he has died.

Meanwhile, a voice went out that Rav Adda bar Abba had died.

In the meantime, word went out that Rav Adda bar Abba had died.

And the Gemara concludes:

And it is reasonable that Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak caused his punishment.

It is reasonable that the primary reason for his death was Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, who explicitly said that he was waiting for his bier, meaning that he had died. This was unlike the others, who did not say that he would die.

Mishna:

With regard to one whose wall was adjacent to his neighbor’s wall, he may not lean another wall against it unless he distances it from it by four cubits.

According to the initial supposition of the Gemara, the meaning of the Mishna is as follows: If one’s wall was originally adjacent to his neighbor’s wall, within four cubits, and it fell, and he now wishes to rebuild it, he may not build it adjacent to his neighbor’s wall; rather, he must distance it by four cubits.

With regard to windows, whether above, whether below, and whether opposite them, four cubits.

If one had windows opening onto his neighbor’s courtyard, and this arrangement had been established for three years, and the owner of the courtyard came to build a wall there next to the windows: If he wishes to raise the wall above the windows, he must raise it by no less than four cubits, so that if he leans against the wall, he will not be able to look through the windows into his neighbor’s domain. And if he wishes to lower the wall below the windows, he must lower it by no less than four cubits, so that if he stands on the top of the wall’s thickness, he will not be able to look through the windows into his neighbor’s domain. In any event, he must also distance the wall four cubits from directly opposite the window, so that it does not block its light.

Gemara:

And the Gemara raises a difficulty concerning the first clause of the Mishna, according to the explanation presented above:

But the first wall—how could he have leaned it against the neighbor’s wall!?

How could he have leaned the first wall against his neighbor’s wall, within four cubits, before it fell? And if the case is one in which his neighbor granted him permission with regard to the first wall, it is still difficult: Why did the tanna speak of this circumstance? After all, the tanna comes to teach us the basic law that one must distance the wall by four cubits?

The Gemara answers:

Rav Yehuda said: This is what it is saying: