For the source text click/tap here: Bava Batra 63
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But what does it mean if a person says that another should have a portion of his/her property?
Ravina bar Kisi said: Come and hear: it has been taught in a braisa: If a man says, “Give so-and-so a share in (the water of) my pit,” Sumchos says that he is to receive not less than a quarter. [The share may mean either a half or a mere fraction. Being in doubt, therefore, we strike the balance.]
[If the man says], “Give him a share [in the pit] for a barrel (for watering animals),” he is to receive not less than an eighth. [Since, at the utmost, only half the pit is required, the gift is at the utmost only half of a half, and we strike the balance between this and a fraction.]
We explore the world of cisterns in antiquity.