Bava Metzia 107b — the Talmud in English

And we answer:

It is not difficult.

Here,

this statement, for which Rav taught that there is blessing in a field adjacent to the city, and he was not concerned about the evil eye, is referring to a field

that has a wall and stone fence returned around it—

that the field is surrounded by a wall and a stone fence, in such a manner that it is impossible to look inside it.

Here,

this statement, in which Rav Yehuda was concerned about the evil eye, is referring to a field

that does not have a wall and stone fence returned around it.

The Gemara now brings the source from the Torah for the evil eye.

It is written [Deuteronomy 7]

“And the Lord will remove from you every illness.”

Rav said:

“Every illness”—

this is the evil eye, for all illnesses depend upon it.

Rav follows his own reasoning, for Rav went up to the cemetery,

he happened to go to the cemetery,

he did whatever he did,

for he knew how to whisper over the graves and understand, regarding each and every grave, by what death the deceased had died, and whether he had died at his appointed time or before his time because of the evil eye, and

he said: Ninety-nine

of the dead

from the evil eye

died,

and one through the natural course of events,

he died when his time arrived.

And Shmuel said:

this which the verse says, “And the Lord will remove from you every illness,”

this

is an illness that comes through the blowing of

the wind.

Shmuel follows his own reasoning, for Shmuel said: Everyone

becomes ill and dies

through

the blowing of the

wind.

For every person has a particular hour and a particular wind, and at that hour and with that wind, if it blows upon him, it harms him.

And

we challenge this:

But according to Shmuel,

who said that everyone dies because of the wind, it implies that all die through the wind and not only the majority,

but there are those executed by the monarchy,

who are killed by the sword and do not die through the wind!?

And we answer:

These as well,

those executed by the monarchy,

if not for the wind,

for had a wind not blown upon the place of the incision, the doctors could have healed them,

they would have made medicine for them,

for had it not been for the wind that blew upon them, the doctors could have made a healing potion for them,

and they would have lived.

And they would have lived. It follows that they died because of the wind.

Rabbi Hanina said:

that which is written, “Every illness,”

this is cold,

chilling, because of which most of the world become ill.

For Rabbi Hanina said: Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except colds and chills!

It is the cold that enters a person and kills him.

As it is stated [Proverbs 22]

Proverbs 22]:

“Colds and snares are on a crooked path; he who guards his soul will distance himself from them.”

Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: “Every illness,”

this is

an illness that comes because of

excrement,

for the Master said: Nasal excrement and ear excrement, when they are abundant,

one who has much of them

is in a difficult state,

they cause him to become ill,

and a small amount of them is beneficial.

Rabbi Elazar said:

Every illness

this is

an illness in

the bile.

It was also taught so:

It is written [Exodus 23]

“And I will remove illness from your midst,”

“Illness”—this is the bile. And why is its name called

of the illness of the bile

“illness”?—

Because it makes the entire body of a person ill.

Alternatively,

that the bile is called by the name

“illness”

teaches that the verse

that eighty-three illnesses depend upon the bile.

For the numerical value of machala is eighty-three, and therefore it calls the illness of the bile “machala.”

And all of them,

all those eighty-three illnesses, eating

morning bread with salt, and a pitcher of water,

cancels them.

The Sages taught: Thirteen things were said

about one who is accustomed

to morning bread:

a.

It saves him from the sun.

b.

And from the cold.

c.

And from harmful winds—

an illness that comes because of wind.

d.

And from the destructive spirits.

e.

And it makes the fool wise—

his mind is settled.

f. If he has a lawsuit with another, his mind is settled so that he can present his arguments persuasively before the judges,

and he is victorious in judgment.

g. He merits

studying Torah

with greater depth when his mind is settled.

h.

And teaching

Torah to others.

i.

And his words are heard,

for his opinion is accepted by people.

j.

And his learning endures in his possession,

and he does not forget.

xi. And his flesh does not give off vapor,

sweat.

xii. And

if he is a person subject to thoughts of desire, then because his heart is in good condition in the morning after eating morning bread, he demands and

is intimate with his wife, and

as a result he

does not desire another woman

whom he sees afterward, when he goes out to the marketplace.

xiii. And it kills a louse,

the worms found in the intestines.

And some say: It also removes jealousy,

for his heart is in good condition and he is not quick to anger,

and it brings in love.

Rabba said to Rava bar Mari: What is the source of this statement

what is the source for this

that people say: Sixty runners run,

sixty men run

and do not arrive,

they do not catch up,

with a man who ate in the morning,

who ate morning bread?

And likewise, what is the source for that which

the Sages said: Rise early and eat in summer because of the sun, and in winter because of the cold?

He said to him,

Rava bar Mari said to Rabba:

For it is written [Isaiah 49]

Isaiah 49]:

“They shall not hunger and they shall not thirst, and heat and sun shall not strike them.”

And we expound:

“Heat and sun shall not strike them”; since they shall not hunger and they shall not thirst,

because they have already eaten morning bread.

He said to him,

Rabba said:

You have told me [the source] from there,

from there one can learn the excellence of eating morning bread,

and

if

I were to tell you [the source] from here,

for it is written [Exodus 23]

“And you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water.”

And we expound:

“And you shall serve the Lord your God”—this is the recitation of the Shema and prayer. “And He will bless your bread and your water”—this is bread with salt and a pitcher of water

of morning bread. And if you do this,

from then onward, “And I will remove illness from your midst,”

and it is demonstrated that morning bread has the power to cancel illnesses.

Rav Yehuda said to Rav Adda the surveyor [because he occupied himself with measuring land for brothers and partners who came to divide it, he was called “the surveyor,” from the language of measuring rope]: When you come to measure land, take care that

he was called “the surveyor” because he dealt with measuring land for brothers and partners who came to divide it; the term derives from measuring with a cord]: When you come to measure land, take care

you do not slight the measurement,

in the measuring; rather, measure precisely, so that the division among the brothers and partners will be equal

, for every

portion of land, even

a little,

a small amount here

and a little

in another place, is significant and people are particular about it, since

it is fit

for

the

sowing of

expensive turmeric,

the spice turmeric, whose price is high.

Rav Yehuda said to Rav Adda the surveyor:

Owners of fields who dug a channel from the great river to pass between their fields in order to irrigate them must each leave four cubits at the edge of the field facing the channel, where they may not sow, so that the bank of the channel will not be damaged. And when you come to measure for each one those

four cubits of the channel,

at the bank of the channel, do not be exact that it should be precisely four cubits, but

slight them

in their measurement, for even if it is slightly less than four cubits, the channel will not be damaged.

But when you come to measure the four cubits adjacent to its bank

of the river [the great river],

in order to make a sign for the public so that they will not come to use the riverbank and damage it,

do not measure it at all

with a measuring rope; rather, measure according to estimation, so that the banks of the river will remain intact and broad.

Rav Yehuda follows his own reasoning, for Rav Yehuda said:

Those

four cubits of

that must be left at the bank of

the channel,

the channel of the field owners, belong

to the members of the channel association,

for they dug it for themselves, and if damage occurs to the bank of the channel, they can waive claims against one another and repair the bank of the channel again. Therefore, it is not necessary that precisely four cubits remain where they do not sow. But the four cubits adjacent to its bank

of the river

are public property

, for everyone

uses the river; therefore, one must be particular not to sow in at least the four cubits adjacent to the riverbank.

Rabbi Ami announces:

Anyone who finds a forest or trees belonging to a person, planted on the bank of the river, since this is a place belonging to the public, must cut down the trees that obstruct the public’s use, without first warning the owners.

And what is the width of the area that must be left for public use?

It is enough that if a boat travels upstream and it is necessary to assist it by having people stand on the riverbank and pull the boat with ropes and help it advance, that area which the boat-pullers require,

the full width of shoulders,

the width of the shoulders of the boat-pullers,

opposite,

against the direction of the river’s flow, is where the trees must be cut down.

It is not enough to cut down the trees on only one side of the riverbank; rather,

on both sides of the river cut them down,

for sometimes it is convenient for the boat-pullers to assist it from this side, and sometimes from the other side.

Rav Natan bar Hoshaya

saw that trees were growing on the bank of a river, so he went and

cut down sixteen cubits,

sixteen cubits from the trees that had grown on the riverbank

, they came upon him,

they gathered against him,

the people of Mashronya,

the owners of the fields around the river,

and beat him,

they flogged him because he had cut down their trees more than was necessary.

And the Gemara explains:

He thought

that one must leave at the riverbank a path whose measure is

like public property,

that is, sixteen cubits.

But it is not so!

There,

with regard to public property that serves as a passage and a public road,

we require all this,

sixteen cubits. But

here,

the riverbank does not serve as a road for the public, but only for those who walk there, and the need to clear away the trees growing there is only

because of stretching their ropes,

for they stretch and pull the ropes of the boat. And for this purpose,

even

if a passage remains with the measure

of the full width of shoulders opposite,

the width of the shoulders of the boat-pullers,

it suffices,

that is enough.

Rabba bar Rav Huna had a certain forest,

a forest,

on the bank of the river,

on the riverbank.

They said to him,

the owners of boats traveling downstream:

Let the Master cut down

the trees on the riverbank, so that it will be possible to pull boats upstream.

He said to them,

Rabba bar Rav Huna said to them: First let

those above

the owners of the fields who grow trees on the riverbank

cut down,

upstream,

and those below,

downstream,

, and afterward I will cut down.

For if they do not cut down theirs, the boat owners will in any event not be able to pull their boats with ropes along the river, so why should I cut down mine?

And we challenge this:

How did Rabba bar Rav Huna act in this manner?

But it is written [Zephaniah 2]:

Zephaniah 2]:

“Gather yourselves and gather others,” and Reish Lakish said:

The verse teaches the principle:

“Correct yourself, and afterward correct others.”

If so, Rabba should have repaired his own [property], and only afterward demanded that the rest of the field owners repair their portions.

And we answer:

There

in the incident involving Rabba there was

a forest,

the forest that grew farther along the riverbank, which belonged to gentiles,

of the house of

the house

of Parzak Ropila,

and he could not instruct them regarding anything, and it was known that they would not cut down their trees. Therefore Rabba bar Rav Huna said: Only

if they cut down

those gentiles’ trees, then I too

will cut down

mine, so that the boat owners will be able to move their boats along the river.

And if they do not cut down

the trees of the gentile owners of the forest,

why—

for what purpose

should I cut down?

For even if I cut down mine, it will not benefit the boat owners at all, since those sailors,

if they can stretch their ropes,

if they are able to stretch

the

ropes and pull the boat from below upward along the entire riverbank, even without descending to the riverbank,

it suffices for them,

that is enough for them, and they do not need the cutting down of my trees.