Bava Batra 80: וַיִּטְבֹּל אוֹתָהּ בְּיַעְרַת הַדְּבָשׁ

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§ The mishna teaches that one who buys honeycombs must leave two combs and one who buys olive trees for felling must leave two shoots. Rav Kahana says: As long as honeyremains in the beehive it never leaves its status as food, i.e., it is always considered fit for human consumption.

Rabbi Elazar said: What is the reasoning of Rabbi Eliezer? As it is written with regard to Jonathan:

“He put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb [ya’arat hadevash]” (I Samuel 14:27). Now, what does a forest [ya’ar] have to do with honey [devash]? Why is the honeycomb called a forest of honey [ya’arat hadevash]?

Rather, this serves to tell you: Just as with regard to a forest, one who picks fruit from a tree on Shabbat is liable to bring a sin-offering, so too, with regard to honey, one who removes honey from a beehive on Shabbat is liable to bring a sin-offering.

We explore the saga of Jonathan and King Saul as well as the significance of honey and honeycombs.

Bava Batra 79: כּל הַפּוֹרֵשׁ עַצְמוֹ מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה

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Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: With regard to anyone who separates himself from matters of Torah, a fire consumes him, as it is stated:

“And I will set My face against them; out of the fire they come forth, and the fire shall devour them” (Ezekiel 15:7).

This verse kept me up as we all agonize over the impossible moral decisions to be made between rescue of hostages and anti terror policies.

Although we visited the notion of Tikkun Olam in Daf Ditty Bava Metzia 90 and Bava Basra 8,

We revisit these quandaries again today on the Yarhzeit of Rav Kook OBM.

Bava Batra 78: עַל־כֵּ֛ן יֹאמְר֥וּ הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים

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A digression and explanation of the parables of Bilaam are cited in our daf: from Numbers 21:27–28

“Therefore they that speak in parables [hamoshlim] say: Come to Heshbon! Let the city [ir] of Sihon be built and established! For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it has devoured Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of Arnon”

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmaini quotes Rabbi Yochanan, who explains the verses recorded as Bilam’s proclamation, which led Sichon the king of the Emorim to triumph over Moav, allegorically:

We explore the use of parables in this text and other oracles of Bilaam.

Bava Batra 77: מָכַר אֶת הַקָּרוֹן

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The Mishna on our daf continues with the discussion of what is included in the standard sale of certain objects.

Steinsaltz (OBM)

"When there is an agreement to sell a karon – a wagon or chariot – it does not ordinarily include the peradot – the animals that pull the wagon. Similarly, if the peradot are sold, it would not include the karon.

Although most of the commentaries explain the peradot as the animals that pull the wagon – most likely following the approach of Rabbeinu Gershom Meor HaGola , who explains that the animals most often used to pull wagon were mules (in Hebrew a mule is called a pered) “

We explore the ancient archeology of wagons…

Bava Batra 76: סְפִינָה נִקְנֵית בִּמְשִׁיכָה

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By (Torah) law, when one pays money, he acquires the object. The Sages, however, established that movable objects should be acquired by lifting, pulling into one's domain, or taking control over them.

If the ship is on public grounds, one cannot pull it into his domain; therefore, the seller can give control over it to the buyer. If the ship is in an area people can use as their own, the buyer should pull the ship into his domain.

We explore the two scholars who researched nautical issues in the Talmud, Daniel Sperber and Rafael Patai.

Bava Batra 75: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁלִּוְיָתָן רָעֵב

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Our daf makes the claim that the righteous of this world will be rewarded with a meal consisting of shor ha-bor and livyatan – wild ox and leviathan.

As a continuation of the sea shanties that opened this perek, we find the source today:

Rabba quotes Rabbi Yoḥanan as teaching that in the future God will serve a meal for the righteous consisting of the meat of the leviathan, based on a passage in Iyyov (40:30) that is understood to mean that the Torah scholars will feast on it.

We explore the culturally equivalent tales of the Leviathan the phoenix with other traditions.

Bava Batra 74: וְאִיתְלַוִּי בַּהֲדַן הַהוּא טַיָּיעָא

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The Gemara continues relating “tall tales” of life on the high seas.

Rav Yehuda Hindu’a – from India – related: Once we were traveling on board a ship when we saw a precious stone that was encircled by a serpent. A diver descended to bring up the stone. Then the serpent approached planning to swallow the ship, but a raven came and bit off its head and due to the great size of the serpent the water appeared to turn into blood. A second serpent came, took the stone, placing it on the dead serpent, which brought it back to life.

We continue our exploration of the stories of Rabbi bar bar Hannah in the context of Iranian folk lore tales.

Bava Batra 73: רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה

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Ha-mokher et ha-sefina, the fifth perek of Massekhet Bava Batra deals with selling moveable objects. Its opening Mishna continues the questions dealt with in the fourth perek, specifically what is included in the sale of a large object – a ship – that includes many smaller objects within it.

This discussion leads the Gemara to relate a series of stories of ships and sailors, many of them fantastic tales.

We begin an exploration of the Rabbi bar bar Channah stories ( today and tomorrow) with their resonance to a Zoroastrian text called the Bundahishn.

Bava Batra 72: אֲשֶׁר לֹא אֲחוּזָּתוֹ

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The baraita continues: Rabbi Meir learns a different halakha from this verse, and he says: From where is it derived that in the case of one who purchases a field from his father, and his father dies, and afterward he consecrates the field, from where is it derived that it should be considered before him like an ancestral field? The verse states:

“And if he sanctifies to the Lord a field that he has bought, which is not of his ancestral fields.” (Lev. 27:22)

The verse refers specifically to a field that is not now an ancestral field at the time of its consecration. This specification excludes this field, as after the death of the father, it is an ancestral field,

We explore the ancestral lands conquered by Joshua.

Bava Batra 71: בְּעַיִן יָפָה יָהֵיב

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Our next Mishnah continues to deal with the question which the mishnah began to deal with in mishnah one, when a house is sold what things are sold with and as part of the house?

The reason why everything is not included in the sale is because when someone is for example selling a house, he’s only selling it because he’s strapped for cash. So although we assume that a seller sells b’ayin yofeh - generously, this doesn’t include items which are not part of the house.

We focus on a Rav who mirrored this generosity of spirit in his untiring efforts during WWII to save Jews….Rav Eliezer Silver (OBM) and the controversy surrounding the Vaad Hatzalah.

Bava Batra 70: דַּיָּינֵי גוֹלָה אָמְרִי וְדַיָּינֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמְרִי

For the source text click/tap here: Bava Batra 70

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In the case of a shtar kis the Gemara brings two opinions. The Diaspora judges ruled that the investor can take an oath that the money is owed to him and he will receive it in full.

The judges from the Land of Israel ruled that the investor can take on oath and he will receive half of the money.

We explore the differences between judicial decisions in the Eretz Yirsrael vs Diaspora.

Bava Batra 69: וַורְדָּא דִפְלָנְיָא

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The mishna teaches that one who sells a field has not sold the cluster of reeds that occupy a beit rova. The Gemara comments: And this is so even though they are thin, as since they occupy the area of a beit rova they are considered a separate entity and are not part of the field.

Concerning this ruling, Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: It is not only a cluster of reeds that is considered a separate entity, and therefore not included in the sale; rather, even a small garden bed of spices that does not occupy the area of a beit rova but has a distinct name is not sold along with the field.

Rav Pappa said: What this means is that people call it the roses [vardda] of so-and-so,thereby establishing for it a name of its own.

The Mishna also says: And not the grafted carob tree and the sycamore tree that has been cut back.

The Gemora asks: How do we know this (that they are not included in the sale even when the seller stated that he was selling everything in the field)?

Rav Yehudah says in the name of Rav: The verse states, “And the field of Efron that was in Machpeilah went up etc.” This teaches that the trees that require mentioning the surrounding boundaries (in order to ascertain its owner) are included in the sale.

All this mention of roses allows us to explore the history of the sale of Machpelah from Ephron as well as the cultural significance of the book “you never promised me a Rose garden” and the psychiatric theory (sic) underpinning it.

Bava Batra 68: הַמּוֹכֵר אֶת הָעִיר – מָכַר אֶת הַסַּנְטֵר

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One who sells a city includes in the sale pits, ditches, caves, bathhouses, birdhouses, olive presses, and irrigated fields. Movable property is not included.

If one says he is selling the city and everything in it, even animals and slaves are included in the sale. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says that one who sells a city sells the santer.

The daf discusses the meaning of the term banter

One opinion suggests the land surveyor

Rabbi Yehudah says that santer is not sold with the city, but the city scribe is sold with the city. From the fact that Rabbi Yehudah puts these two together, can we not infer that just like a scribe is a person, a santer is also a person?

We explore the world of land surveying from antiquity to modernity.

Bava Batra 67: וְאֶת הָרֵיחַיִם הַתַּחְתּוֹנוֹת

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According to the Mishna, when a person sells an olive press – a beit habad – it includes the yam, the memel and the betulot, but not the avirim, the galgal or the kora. When the seller specified that he was selling the entire contents of the beit habad, then all are included. According to Rabbi Eliezer, the kora is included in all situations.

Although the Gemara asks for definitions of all of these terms, their actual meanings remain unclear to us today.

We explore the use of the olive press and its cultural and ritual valence in antiquity.

Bava Batra 66: כּל הַמְחוּבָּר לַקַּרְקַע

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The Gemora cites a braisa: If a man sells a house (and he does not specify what is included), he has sold the door, the bolt, and the lock (that are all attached to the house), but not the key (for it is movable). He has sold the mortar that has been hollowed out from something that was attached to the ground, but not one that has been hollowed out from something that was not attached to the ground, and afterwards, it was fixed to the ground. He sold the mill-ring, but not the hopper (for it is movable). He has not sold the oven, the stove or the millstones (for they are movable).

Rabbi Eliezer, however, says that everything attached to the ground (even if it was only fixed to the ground afterwards) is regarded as the ground. When he said to him, “I am selling you the house and all that is in it,” - all of the utensils (mentioned above) are sold. In either case, he has not sold the well, the cistern, or the annex.

We explore the wells of antiquity and the complex engineering in exotic places.

Bava Batra 65: στρόβιλος

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The general assumption of our Mishnah is that everything that is permanently attached to a building is included in a standard sale, while removable objects are not.

The Mishna on today’s daf teaches that when someone sells a house, things like the oven (tanur ve-kirayim) are not included in the sale. Similarly only the permanently connected parts of a domestic mill for grinding flour are included in the sale (the itzterobil); the moveable parts (the kelet) are not.

We explore the world of locks and keys in antiquity then the curious find in the Geniza of spells to open locks!

Bava Batra 64: מוֹכֵר בְּעַיִן יָפָה מוֹכֵר

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The Gemara on our daf continues the discussion of what rights are included in a standard sale agreement of a house or a piece of land. The Mishna teaches that someone who sells a house does not include the bor (pit) or dut (cistern), even if he included the terms umka ve-ruma – to the depths and heights – in the contract. These structures are considered to be separate from the house, and are, therefore, not included in its sale.

We explore the archeology of Tel Dothan and the purported references to Joseph’s passage there in Gen 37:

The man said, “They have traveled on from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dotan.’” Yosef went after his brothers and found them in Dotan.

Bava Batra 63: אֵין אָדָם מַקְנֶה דָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא בָּא לָעוֹלָם

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.

Bava Batra 62: בְּסֵירוּגִין, מַהוּ

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Our daf discusses a variety of cases where the field is described by means of neighboring fields. Among them are cases where the Gemara itself is unable to reach a clear conclusion about how to rule.

What if the seller specified what the corners of the field are? Should we assume that recognizing each of the four corners indicates that the entire field is to be sold, or might it indicate that only a limited area of the field is being sold?

We explore the notion of nation borders and the myths that justify territorial integrity and conflict.

Bava Batra 61: וְהַצְּלָעוֹת֩ צֵלָ֨ע אֶל־צֵלָ֜ע

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It is clear that when two parties sign a detailed contract in which the owner agrees to sell and the buyer agrees to purchase a particular house or piece of land, they can write in any conditions or specifics that they please, and the agreement is valid. The Mishnayot of this perek deal with situations where agreements are made using less specific terms. How should the general statements be understood?

Rav Yosef taught: A small structure attached to a building has three names in the Bible: Gallery [yatzia], side chamber [tzela], and cell [ta]. Such a structure is called a gallery, as it is written: “The bottommost gallery [hayyatzia] was five cubits wide” (I Kings 6:6). It is also called a side chamber, as it is written: “And the side chambers [vehatzelaot] were one over another, thirty-three times” (Ezekiel 41:6).

We explore Ezekiel’s vision of the third Temple.