Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Bava Batra 128: שֶׁלֹּא נִסְתַּמֵּא, וְנִסְתַּמֵּא

jyungar October 31, 2024

For the source text click/tap here: Bava Batra 128

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Rabbi Abba also sent a ruling to Rav Yosef bar Ḥama concerning testimony: If one knewinformation that could serve as testimony about the boundary of another’s land before he became blind, and then he became blind, he is disqualified from bearing witness in a dispute as to the boundaries of that person’s properties.

And Shmuel said: He is fit to bear witness, as it is possible for him to determine the boundaries of the fields despite his blindness.

The Gemara then brings a Baraisa which teaches a rule that a witness is only allowed to testify if he was eligible for testimony at the moment he witnesses the event, as well as at the moment he actually testifies. If he is in a state of disqualification at either of these points, he may not testify.

We review Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s magisterial essay on blindness and Halacha as well as explore the notion of cortical blindness, a complex visual impairment that originates from damage to the brain's occipital cortex rather than the eyes themselves. This condition disrupts visual processing, leading to partial or complete loss of vision at times without the person being aware of it: and Visual agnosia a condition where individuals can see but cannot recognize or interpret visual information. This can manifest as difficulty recognizing faces, objects, or familiar places.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​