Bava Batra

The Mishnah

בבא בתרא ז׳Bava Batra 7

Perek 7 of 10 in Bava Batra4 mishnayot

Mishnah 1א׳

הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ, בֵּית כּוֹר עָפָר אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, הָיוּ שָׁם נְקָעִים עֲמֻקִּים עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים אוֹ סְלָעִים גְּבוֹהִים עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, אֵינָן נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ. פָּחוֹת מִכָּאן, נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ. וְאִם אָמַר לוֹ כְּבֵית כּוֹר עָפָר, אֲפִלּוּ הָיוּ שָׁם נְקָעִים עֲמֻקִּים יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים אוֹ סְלָעִים גְּבוֹהִין יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ:

[If] one says to his fellow, “I will sell you a kor’s space of soil," if there crevices ten handbreadths deep or rocks ten handbreadths high there, these are not included in the measurement. Less than this and they are included in the measurement. If he said to him, “About a kor’s space of soil," even if there crevices ten handbreadths deep or rocks ten handbreadths high there, they are included in the measurement.

Mishnah 2ב׳

בֵּית כּוֹר עָפָר אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל, פִּחֵת כָּל שֶׁהוּא, יְנַכֶּה. הוֹתִיר כָּל שֶׁהוּא, יַחֲזִיר. אִם אָמַר, הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, אֲפִלּוּ פִחֵת רֹבַע לַסְּאָה אוֹ הוֹתִיר רֹבַע לַסְּאָה, הִגִּיעוֹ. יוֹתֵר מִכָּאן, יַעֲשֶׂה חֶשְׁבּוֹן. מַה הוּא מַחֲזִיר לוֹ, מָעוֹת. וְאִם רָצָה, מַחֲזִיר לוֹ קַרְקַע. וְלָמָּה אָמְרוּ מַחֲזִיר לוֹ מָעוֹת, לְיַפּוֹת כֹּחוֹ שֶׁל מוֹכֵר, שֶׁאִם שִׁיֵּר בַּשָּׂדֶה בֵּית תִּשְׁעָה קַבִּין וּבַגִּנָּה בֵּית חֲצִי קַב, וּכְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא בֵּית רֹבַע, מַחֲזִיר לוֹ אֶת הַקַּרְקַע. וְלֹא אֶת הָרֹבַע בִּלְבַד הוּא מַחֲזִיר, אֶלָּא אֶת כָּל הַמּוֹתָר:

[He said,] “I will sell you a kor’s space of soil [measured as exactly] as a rope is measured." [If] he gave him less - even a minuscule amount - he may reduce the payment. [If] he gave him a surplus - even a minuscule amount - he must return [the excess]. If he said, “Whether it be missing some, or whether it has a surplus,” even if it lacked a quarter-kab’s space per seah, or exceeded by a quarter-kab’s space per seah, ownership transfers. More than this, a reckoning must be made. With what does he reimburse? Money. But if [the seller] wants, he gives him back the land. And why did they say he could reimburse him with money? To strengthen the power of the seller, for if the remainder from a field was a nine-kab space or, in a garden, a half-kab’s space, or according to Rabbi Akiva a quarter-kab’s space, the buyer must reimburse him with land. And not only must he give back the quarter-kab’s space, but all of the surplus.

Mishnah 3ג׳

מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, בִּטֵּל הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל. הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל, בִּטֵּל מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, דִּבְרֵי בֶן נַנָּס. בְּסִימָנָיו וּבִמְצָרָיו, פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁתוּת, הִגִּיעוֹ. עַד שְׁתוּת, יְנַכֶּה:

[If he said] “I will sell you [land measured as exactly] as a rope is measured, whether it be missing some or whether it has some surplus,” [when he said,] “whether it be missing some or whether it has some surplus,” this negates the condition “as measured by the rope." [If he said] “Whether it be missing some or whether it has some surplus, as [measured as exactly] as a rope is measured," [when he said] “[measured as exactly] as a rope is measured,” this negates the condition “whether it be missing some or whether it has some surplus”, the words of Ben Nanas. [If he said,] "[I will sell the space of a kur] by these marks and boundaries," if the difference was less than a sixth, ownership is transferred. If it was as much a sixth, the buyer may reduce the payment.

Mishnah 4ד׳

הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ חֲצִי שָׂדֶה אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, מְשַׁמְּנִין בֵּינֵיהֶן וְנוֹטֵל חֲצִי שָׂדֵהוּ. חֶצְיָהּ בַּדָּרוֹם אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, מְשַׁמְּנִין בֵּינֵיהֶן וְנוֹטֵל חֶצְיָהּ בַּדָּרוֹם, וְהוּא מְקַבֵּל עָלָיו מְקוֹם הַגָּדֵר, חֲרִיץ וּבֶן חֲרִיץ. וְכַמָּה הוּא חֲרִיץ, שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים. וּבֶן חֲרִיץ, שְׁלֹשָׁה:

One who says to his fellow, “I will sell you half of the field," they evaluate it, and [the buyer] takes [a portion equal to] half of [the value of] the field . [If he said, “I will sell you] the southern half," they evaluate it and [the buyer] takes the southern [portion that is equal in value to] half [of the field]. He accepts responsibility for [providing the] ground for the fence and the large and small ditches. What is the size of a large ditch? Six handbreadths. And the small ditch? Three.

Mishnah, Torat Emet 357 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: Sefaria Community Translation — CC0