Bava Kamma 92a — the Talmud in English

Could it be

that one is required to cut down a barren tree before a fruit-bearing tree

even

if it

is superior in value

for beams, more than for fruit?

The verse therefore says: “Only

a tree that you know” and so forth. “Only”

is a limitation: the verse made the cutting down of a barren tree precede [the cutting down of] a fruit-bearing tree only when it is not superior in value; but if it was superior in value, you may cut down the fruit-bearing tree.

Shmuel—his tenant brought him dates, and he tasted in them the taste of wine [

An incident involving Shmuel: his tenant brought him dates from his trees, and Shmuel tasted in them the taste of wine].

He said [

he asked]

him

Shmuel said to his tenant:

What is this

, how did the dates acquire the taste of wine?!

He said to him

the tenant said to Shmuel:

They stand among grapevines [

the dates grow among the grapevines], and draw their taste from the grapevines.

He said

Shmuel:

Do they weaken the wine so greatly [

do they weaken the grapevines so much]?! For if the dates draw from the grapevines, to the extent that the taste of wine enters them, certainly the strength of the grapevines is weakened, and their wine will be inferior.

Therefore,

tomorrow bring me their roots,

that is, uproot the palm tree because it harms the grapevines, and bring me tomorrow the roots of the dates.

Rav Hisda saw young palms [

small palm trees ]

among grapevines [

that grow among the grapevines].

He said to him

Rav Hisda

said to his tenant: Uproot them

the young palms, because

grapevines acquire palms,

but

palms do not acquire grapevines,

that is, the value of the grapevines is greater than that of the palms, and therefore the less important one must be uprooted in order to preserve the value of the more important one.

Mishna:

Even though he [

the one who caused the damage]

gives him

the payment for his injury and his humiliation,

his

sin

is not forgiven him until he asks him [

the injured party] for forgiveness.

For Abimelech, who took Sarah from Abraham, was commanded by the Holy One, blessed be He, to return her to Abraham and to ask him for forgiveness,

as it is stated [

Genesis 20:7]:

“And now restore the wife of

the man, for he is a prophet, and he will pray on your behalf [he will pray for you] and you will live.”

And from where

do you learn

that if

the one who caused the damage asked the injured party for forgiveness, and the injured party

did not forgive him, he is cruel ?!

For

after Abimelech appeased Abraham and asked him for forgiveness, it is

stated [

there, verse 17]:

“And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech

and his wife and his maidservants, and they gave birth.”

One who says

to his fellow:

“Blind my eye,”

and his fellow came and blinded it, he cannot say: He told me to injure him, and I am exempt from paying; rather, he is liable to pay.

And likewise, one who says to his fellow:

“Cut off my hand,”

and his fellow came and cut off his hand, he is liable to pay.

And likewise, one who says to his fellow:

“Break my leg,”

and his fellow came and broke his leg, he is

liable

to pay, and he cannot exempt himself with the claim: He told me to do so, and why should I pay for having done his will?

And even if the injured party said to him: “Blind my eye,”

on the condition of being exempt,

meaning: I permit you to blind my eye, and I will not sue you to pay for the injury, this is not effective to exempt him; and if he injured him, he is

liable

to pay, and the Gemara [93a] explains the reason.

One who says to his fellow:

“Tear my garment,”

or says to him:

“Break my jug,”

and he went and tore his garment and broke his jug relying on the owner’s statement, he is

liable

to pay him, and he cannot claim: I am exempt, because you told me to damage you.

But if the owner said to him: “Tear my garment, and you will be exempt from paying; break my jug”

on the condition of being exempt —

he is exempt

from paying, and the Gemara [there] explains this ruling.

And all this applies when the owner told him to damage his property. But if a person said to his fellow:

“Do this to a certain man,”

even if he said to him:

“on the condition of being exempt,”

he is

liable, both for

damage to the

body, and both for

damage to the

property

of that certain man, for the owner did not give him permission to damage him.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: All those about whom they said

in the preceding Mishna [90a]: “One who blows in his fellow’s ear gives him a sela; if he slapped him, he gives him two hundred zuz,” and so forth,

the payment for his humiliation

is what they are,

but his pain

— what he worries and suffers over his humiliation, is not forgiven him until he asks him for forgiveness.

And

even

if he repented, and

brought

as an offering

all the rams of Nebaioth in the world [

choice rams originating from a place called “Nebaioth”],

it is not forgiven him until he asks him

and he forgives him.

As it is stated: “

And now

restore the wife of the man, for he is a prophet, and he will pray on your behalf.”

And from the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abimelech that Abraham would pray on his behalf, it can be learned that He commanded him to appease Abraham until Abraham would pray that the Holy One, blessed be He, have compassion on him and heal him and the members of his household.

Since this verse was mentioned, we raise the question: Is it actually the case that since

she is the wife of a prophet

she

must be returned [

she must be returned], while

the wife of another man [

if she were the wife of an ordinary person]

would she not have to be returned?!

For a descendant of Noah is warned concerning forbidden sexual relations, and it is forbidden for him to rob a woman from her husband?!

He said [

he answered],

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said [

in the name of]

Rabbi Yonatan:

This is how we interpret the verse:

“Restore the wife of the man” —

in any event.

That is, the obligation to return the woman applies in every case, and there is no distinction as to who her husband is.

And the statement, “for he is a prophet,” is an answer to Abimelech’s claim:

Abimelech claimed: I am not guilty for taking Sarah from Abraham, because they misled me, and I was compelled in the matter.

And the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: That is not correct; you are guilty in the matter and deserving of punishment.

And as for your saying [

what you claimed]:

“Will You also kill a nation, though innocent? For he said to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and she too said, ‘He is my brother,’”

therefore you consider yourself righteous, because you were compelled in the matter, since you could rely on their words that Sarah was not Abraham’s wife.

You are greatly mistaken! For they were forced to lie to you, and you should have known that it was impossible to rely on their words, and you should have feared that she might be his wife, despite their saying that Sarah was only his sister, so you are not “compelled” but “culpable ” and liable to death if you do not appease Abraham.

And what forced them to lie? Because Abraham

is a prophet

he

and a great sage to recognize the ways of people steeped in desires, who pretend as though they are proper people acting in good faith.

And he had already taught

the laws of proper conduct, how one behaves

with

a guest who comes to the city, and you did not behave properly.

For

a sojourner [

a guest]

who comes to a city

—do they

ask him about matters of eating and drinking,

whether he needs food and drink,

or do they ask him about matters concerning his wife,

who is this woman accompanying him, whether

she is your wife

or

she is your sister?!

And since your servants asked Abraham about the affairs of his wife, instead of asking him about matters of eating and drinking, Abraham concluded that the people of your city were steeped in lust; and in order that they should not kill him on account of his wife, Abraham was forced to say about Sarah that she was his sister and not his wife.

Therefore, you are judged as a “sinner” and not as one compelled, for had you studied the laws of proper conduct, you would have known how one behaves, and you could have understood that you could not rely on what Abraham and Sarah told you—that she was his sister.

And

from here —

from the fact that Abimelech was punished even though he had a deficiency of knowledge concerning proper conduct.

It is to be learned:

for a Noahide

who transgresses a prohibition forbidden to Noahides because of lack of knowledge,

that

he

is killed

as though he transgressed this prohibition knowingly, and he cannot excuse himself and say: “I did not know,”

for he had

upon him

to study and he did not study,

and this too is negligence, and he is not judged as one compelled.

It is stated [Genesis 20:17–18]: “And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they gave birth. For the Lord had surely closed every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.”

And we explain:

“For the Lord had surely closed”: Rabbi Elazar said: These two closings

[the doubled wording of the verse]

why? One in a man: seminal emission

that did not emerge from its place;

two in a woman: seminal emission,

which she received from the man, and it was in her womb, but she could not expel it,

and giving birth —

that their wives could not give birth to their fetuses whose time of birth had arrived.

In a beraita

[beraita]

a tannai taught: “For the Lord had surely closed” — \-

two in a man: seminal emission and urination

[urine],

three in a woman:

seminal emission

which she received from the man,

urination and giving birth.

Ravina said: three in a man: seminal emission, urination, and the anus

[this is the opening for defecation];

four in a woman: seminal emission, giving birth, urination, and the anus.

It is written: “For the Lord had surely closed”

“every womb,”

and we explain:

the school of Rabbi Yannai said

[they said in the beit-midrash of Rabbi Yannai]: “Every womb” to include

even

the womb

of a hen of the house of Abimelech

was closed, and

it did not lay its egg.

The Gemara now brings several statements of the Sages and proverbs of people for which one must find a source and an example from the verses.

A.

Rabbi Rava said

[asked]

to Rabbah bar Mari: From where is this matter that the Sages said: Whoever seeks mercy for his fellow,

who requires salvation in some matter,

and he requires

salvation and mercy in

that same matter,

that

he is answered first?

He said to him

Rabbah bar Mari to Rava: For it is written concerning Job [Job 42:7–10]: “And the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: My anger is kindled against you and against your two companions, for you have not spoken of Me rightly, as My servant Job. And now, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job shall pray for you … and the Lord restored Job’s fortunes when he prayed for his fellow, and the Lord added all that Job had twofold.”

And from

what is written: “And the Lord restored Job’s fortunes,

when he prayed for his fellow,”

it follows that the Lord saved Job and had mercy on him, rescuing him from his sufferings and troubles because he prayed for his fellow.

Rava said to him

Rava to Rabbah bar Mari:

You said it from there

[from a verse in Job, which is in the Writings],

but I say it from here

[from the Torah]: “

And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants

and they gave birth” [Genesis 20:17].

And it is written

[there, 21:1]:

“And the Lord remembered Sarah as He had said

and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.”

And this is the meaning of the verse: “And the Lord remembered Sarah,”

as Abraham had said to

[on behalf of]

Abimelech.

That is, the Lord remembered Sarah because Abraham prayed on behalf of Abimelech.

And since it says, “And the Lord remembered,” and it does not say, “And He remembered Sarah,” it follows that He had already remembered her—before Abimelech. B.

Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: From where is this matter that people say: “Together with the thorn, the cabbage is struck”

[when one uproots the thorn that grew beside the cabbage, sometimes the cabbage is uprooted along with it, and it is found to be struck because of it]. That is, the wicked person’s neighbors are struck along with him.

He said to him: For it is written

[Jeremiah 2:29]:

“Why do you contend with Me

[how can you come to argue with Me and say: We have not sinned],

you have all transgressed against Me, says the Lord,”

since He says “all of you,” the prophet too is included in the meaning, yet the prophet did not sin!? Rather—together with the thorn, the cabbage is struck.

He said to him

Rava to Rabbah bar Mari:

You said it from there

[from the Prophets],

but I say it from here

[from the Torah]: It is written [Exodus 16:26–28]: “For six days you shall gather it [the manna], and on the seventh day, Shabbat, there will be none. And it came to pass on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find. And the Lord said to Moses:

How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My teachings?”

But Moses and Aaron did not refuse to observe the commandments and teachings of the Lord, so why did the Holy One, blessed be He, say, “How long will you refuse,” with Moses and Aaron included!? Rather—together with the thorn, the cabbage is struck.

Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari:

It is written

[Genesis 47:2]

“And from the end of his brothers he took five men,”

and they were the weak ones among Joseph’s brothers, whom Joseph presented before Pharaoh; he chose the weak ones so that Pharaoh would not choose them to be commanders of troops and burden them.

And

who are they

those

five?

He said to him

Rabbah bar Mari:

Thus Rabbi Yohanan said: Those whose names were doubled

in the blessing of Moses our teacher, and therefore they were doubled, because they were weak and needed strengthening; the doubling strengthens them so that the evil eye should not prevail over them.

And these are those whose names were doubled: In the blessing of Zebulun it is stated [Deuteronomy 33:18]: “And to Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth.”

And in the blessing of Gad it is stated [ibid. 20]: “And to Gad he said: Blessed is He who enlarges Gad.”

And in the blessing of Dan it is stated [ibid. 22]: “And to Dan he said: Dan is a lion cub.”

And in the blessing of Naphtali it is stated [ibid. 23]: “And to Naphtali he said: Naphtali is satisfied with favor.”

And in the blessing of Asher it is stated [ibid. 24]: “And to Asher he said: Asher is blessed above sons.”

And Rava asks:

But Judah too was doubled

for it is written [ibid. 7]: “And this for Judah, and he said: Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,” and Judah was mighty and not weak, so why did the verse need to double him!?

He said

[he answered]

to him

Rabbah bar Mari to Rava:

For his matter

[for the purpose of his particular matter]

he was doubled

Judah in Moses’ blessing.

All the tribes had their bones brought out of Egypt and buried in the Land of Israel.

For Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said

[in the name of]

Rabbi Yonatan: What is the meaning of what is written

[Deuteronomy 33:6–7]: “

May Reuben live and not die, and may his men be counted. And this for Judah

and he said: Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; his hands shall contend for him, and You shall be a help against his enemies”?

For

during all those forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, Judah’s bones were rolling about in the coffin

[the bones were not joined in their places, in such a way that the skeleton would remain intact and upright as though he were alive ].

Until Moses came and sought mercy

for Judah,

he said before Him

[before the Holy One, blessed be He]:

Master of the Universe: Who caused Reuben to confess

concerning his having disturbed his father’s bed?

Judah,

so it is fitting to have mercy also on Judah.

And this is what Moses said

“Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,”

and indeed Moses’ prayer was accepted, and

his limbs were restored

[each limb and each bone entered the place from which it had come].

But still

not

did Judah merit, for

they were bringing him up

him

to the heavenly academy

[they did not admit Judah to the academy above in heaven]. Moses continued to pray for him:

“And bring him to his people,”

and indeed his prayer was accepted, and they admitted him to the heavenly academy.

But still

he did not know

Judah

what the Sages were saying, and

he was not able

to engage in give-and-take with the Sages

[he did not understand the words of the Sages and could not debate with them concerning Torah].

Moses continued to pray for him:

“His hands shall contend for him” \-

so that he would be able to wage the battle of Torah. And indeed his prayer was accepted, and he was able to engage in give-and-take concerning Torah.

But still

not

did Judah merit, for

his teaching did not come out according to the halakha

[he did not merit to say something that would be accepted as halakha].

And concerning this Moses added a prayer for Judah:

“And You shall be a help against his enemies” —

so that he would be able to overcome his enemies.

C.

Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: From where is this matter that people say: “After the poor person goes poverty”

[the lot of the poor person is that poverty clings to him and follows after him], that is, one upon whom it has been decreed to be poor—poverty causes him additional losses?

Said to him

Rabbah bar Mari:

as we learned: The wealthy bring first fruits in baskets of gold and silver, [

vessels plated with gold and silver],

whereas the poor

bring them

in baskets of peeled willow twigs [

baskets made from peeled branches of willow].

The baskets and the first fruits

of the poor

are given

to the kohanim,

whereas the wealthy would not give their baskets to the kohanim, it follows that the poor, because of their poverty, lose also the vessel in which the first fruits were, whereas the wealthy would take the vessel for themselves; thus, poverty follows the poor.

Rava said to him

Rava:

You said it from there [

from what we learned in the Mishna],

but I say it from here [

from the verse written in the Torah]: