בבא קמא דף פב

והא כי אתא רבי אבין אמר רבי יוחנן: אחד אילן הנוטה לתוך שדה חבירו, ואחד אילן הסמוך למצר – מביא וקורא,

The Gemara further questions the number of Joshua’s stipulations: But when Rabbi Avin came from Eretz Yisrael he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: With regard to both a tree that leans into the field of another and a tree that is close to a boundary with another field, the owner of the tree brings the first fruits of the tree and recites the accompanying declaration, as described in Deuteronomy 26:5–10, as it was on this condition that Joshua apportioned Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people. This is an additional stipulation by Joshua, which means that there are more than ten.

שעל מנת כן הנחיל יהושע לישראל את הארץ!

אלא מאן תנא עשרה תנאין שהתנה יהושע – רבי יהושע בן לוי הוא. רב גביהה מבי כתיל מתני לה בהדיא: רבי תנחום ורבי ברייס אמרי משום זקן אחד,

The Gemara answers: Rather, who is the one who taught the baraita that deals with the ten conditions that Joshua stipulated? It is Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, an amora. Therefore, Rabbi Yoḥanan, another amora, can disagree with it. Rav Geviha from Bei Katil teaches this explicitly in his version of the baraita: Rabbi Tanḥum and Rabbi Berayes say in the name of a certain elder, and who is that elder? It is Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: Joshua stipulated ten conditions.

ומנו – רבי יהושע בן לוי; עשרה תנאין התנה יהושע.

עשרה תקנות תיקן עזרא: שקורין במנחה בשבת; וקורין בשני ובחמישי; ודנין בשני ובחמישי; ומכבסים בחמישי בשבת; ואוכלין שום בערב שבת; ושתהא אשה משכמת ואופה; ושתהא

§ The Sages taught that Ezra the Scribe instituted ten ordinances: He instituted that communities read the Torah on Shabbat in the afternoon; and they also read the Torah on every Monday and Thursday; and the courts convene and judge every Monday and Thursday; and one does laundry on Thursday; and one eats garlic on Shabbat eve. And Ezra further instituted that a woman should rise early and bake bread on those days when she wants to bake; and that a woman should don a breechcloth; and that a woman should first comb her hair and only then immerse in a ritual bath after being ritually impure; and that peddlers of cosmetics and perfumes should travel around through all the towns. And Ezra further instituted the requirement of immersion for those who experienced a seminal emission.

אשה חוגרת בסינר; ושתהא אשה חופפת וטובלת; ושיהו רוכלין מחזירין בעיירות; ותיקן טבילה לבעלי קריין.

שיהו קוראין במנחה בשבת – משום יושבי קרנות.

The Gemara analyzes these ordinances, the first of which is that communities shall read the Torah on Shabbat afternoon. This Gemara explains that this ordinance was instituted due to those who sit idly on street corners, who do not attend the synagogue during the week.

ושיהו קוראין בשני ובחמישי – עזרא תיקן?! והא מעיקרא הוה מיתקנא! דתניא: ״וילכו שלשת ימים במדבר ולא מצאו מים״ – דורשי רשומות אמרו: אין מים אלא תורה, שנאמר:

The Gemara discusses the second of Ezra’s ordinances: And that they should read the Torah on every Monday and Thursday. The Gemara asks: Did Ezra institute this practice? But it was instituted from the beginning, i.e., long before his time. As it is taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water” (Exodus 15:22). Those who interpret verses metaphorically said that water here is referring to nothing other than Torah, as it is stated metaphorically, concerning those who desire wisdom: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water” (Isaiah 55:1).

״הוי כל צמא לכו למים״.

כיון שהלכו שלשת ימים בלא תורה, נלאו, עמדו נביאים שביניהם ותיקנו להם שיהו קורין בשבת, ומפסיקין באחד בשבת, וקורין בשני, ומפסיקין שלישי ורביעי, וקורין בחמישי, ומפסיקין ערב שבת,

The baraita continues: The verse means that since the Jews traveled for three days without hearing any Torah they became weary, and therefore the prophets among them arose and instituted for them that they should read from the Torah each Shabbat, and pause on Sunday, and read again on Monday, and pause on Tuesday and Wednesday, and read again on Thursday, and pause on Shabbat eve, so they would not tarry three days without hearing the Torah. Evidently this practice predates Ezra.

כדי שלא ילינו שלשה ימים בלא תורה.

מעיקרא תקנו חד גברא – תלתא פסוקי, אי נמי תלתא גברי – תלתא פסוקי, כנגד כהנים לוים וישראלים; אתא הוא, תיקן תלתא גברי ועשרה פסוקי, כנגד עשרה בטלנין.

The Gemara answers: Initially they instituted that one man read three verses; or alternatively, that three men read three verses. Either way, the number three corresponds to the three types of Jews: Priests, Levites, and Israelites. Ezra later came and instituted that three men always read, and that ten verses altogether be read by them, corresponding to the ten idlers in a city, i.e., the ten men who are paid to spend their time dealing with synagogue and communal matters.

ודנין בשני ובחמישי – דשכיחי, דאתו למקרא בסיפרא.

The next ordinance of Ezra is: And the courts convene and judge every Monday and Thursday. The Gemara explains that the reason for this ordinance is that many people are found in a city on these days, as they come from the countryside for the reading of the holy book, the Torah, which is performed on Mondays and Thursdays, as stated above.

ושיהו מכבסין בחמישי בשבת – משום כבוד שבת.

The baraita teaches: And that one should do laundry on Thursday. This was instituted due to the need to have clean garments in deference to Shabbat.

ושיהו אוכלין שום בערב שבת – משום עונה; דכתיב: ״אשר פריו יתן בעתו״, ואמר רבי יהודה, ואיתימא רב נחמן, ואיתימא רב כהנא, ואיתימא רבי יוחנן:

The Gemara explains the next listed ordinance: And that one should eat garlic Shabbat eve. This is due to the fact that garlic enhances sexual potency, and Friday night is an appropriate time for conjugal relations. As it is written concerning the righteous: “And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, who brings forth his fruit in his season” (Psalms 1:3); and Rabbi Yehuda says, and some say it was Rav Naḥman, and some say it was Rav Kahana, and some say it was Rabbi Yoḥanan who said: This is referring to one who engages in sexual intercourse every Shabbat eve.

זה המשמש מטתו מערב שבת לערב שבת.

תנו רבנן, חמשה דברים נאמרו בשום: משביע, ומשחין, ומצהיל פנים, ומרבה הזרע, והורג כנים שבבני מעיים. ויש אומרים: מכניס אהבה ומוציא את הקנאה.

The Sages taught in a baraita that five matters were stated with regard to garlic: It satisfies; it warms the body; it causes one’s countenance to shine; it increases one’s sperm, and it kills lice that are in the intestines. And some say that it also instills love into those who eat it and removes jealousy from them.

ושתהא אשה משכמת ואופה – כדי שתהא פת מצויה לעניים.

The next ordinance is: And that a woman should rise early and bake bread on those days when she bakes. This Gemara explains that this was instituted so that bread should be available for poor people, who go begging for bread in the mornings.

ושתהא אשה חוגרת בסינר – משום צניעותא.

The baraita further teaches: And that a woman should don a breechcloth [sinar]. This ordinance was instituted due to reasons of modesty.

ושתהא אשה חופפת וטובלת – דאורייתא היא!

The baraita adds: And that a woman should first comb her hair and only then immerse in a ritual bath. This is to ensure that there is no dirt or other substance in the hair that would invalidate the immersion. The Gemara questions this: This is required by Torah law, Ezra did not institute this.

דתניא: ״ורחץ את בשרו במים״ – שלא יהא דבר חוצץ בין בשרו למים. ״את בשרו״ – את הטפל לבשרו, ומאי ניהו – שער!

As it is taught in a baraita, concerning a verse that discusses one who must undergo ritual immersion: “And he shall bathe his flesh [et besaro] in water” (Leviticus 14:9). This verse teaches that no substance should interpose between his flesh and the water. When the verse states this in the expanded form of “et his flesh,” using the term “et,” this teaches that the water must come into contact even with that which is subordinate to his flesh. And what is that? It is one’s hair. Accordingly, the Torah itself states that there may not be any interposing substance in the hair at the time of immersion. What, then, did Ezra add?

אמרי: דאורייתא – לעיוני דלמא מיקטר, אי נמי מאוס מידי, משום חציצה;

The Sages say in response: By Torah law one is required to inspect his or her hair before immersion, as perhaps some hairs are knotted together, preventing contact with water at that spot, or perhaps there is some repulsive substance in his hair. One must perform this inspection because these would constitute an interposition.

ואתא איהו תיקן חפיפה.

And Ezra came and added to the Torah’s minimal obligation. He instituted the requirement of combing the hair even when it is known that it is not knotted and contains no repulsive substance.

ושיהו רוכלין מחזרין בעיירות – משום תכשיטי נשים, כדי שלא יתגנו על בעליהם.

The Gemara discusses the next of Ezra’s ordinances: And that peddlers should circulate through all the towns. This Gemara explains that this is because peddlers supply women’s cosmetics, and therefore Ezra instituted this practice so that women should not become unattractive to their husbands.

ותיקן טבילה לבעלי קריין – דאורייתא הוא! דכתיב: ״ואיש כי תצא ממנו שכבת זרע, ורחץ את בשרו במים״! דאורייתא הוא לתרומה וקדשים; אתא הוא, תיקן אפילו לדברי תורה.

The Gemara analyzes the last of the ten ordinances: And he instituted the requirement of immersion for those who experienced a seminal emission. The Gemara asks: But this is required by Torah law, as it is written: “And if the flow of seed go out from a man, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water” (Leviticus 15:16). The Gemara answers: By Torah law immersion is required only if one wishes to partake of teruma or sacrificial meat. Ezra came and further instituted that immersion is necessary even for reciting or studying matters of Torah.

עשרה דברים נאמרו בירושלים: אין הבית חלוט בה; ואינה מביאה עגלה ערופה; ואינה נעשית עיר הנדחת;

§ The mishna teaches that one may not raise chickens in Jerusalem. The Gemara cites a baraita that contains a list of other halakhot that are unique to Jerusalem. Ten matters were stated with regard to Jerusalem: A house situated in Jerusalem does not become irredeemable one year after its sale. Those who sell houses in other walled cities have the right to buy back their property for one year after the transaction. If they fail to do so, the house becomes the permanent possession of the buyer (see Leviticus 25:29–30). This halakha does not apply to houses in Jerusalem. And its Elders do not bring a heifer whose neck is broken as required when a murder victim is found near a city and the murderer is unknown (see Deuteronomy 21:1–9); and it cannot become an idolatrous city (see Deuteronomy 13:13–19).

ואינה מטמאה בנגעים; ואין מוציאין בה זיזין וגזוזטראות; ואין עושין בה אשפתות; ואין עושין בה כבשונות; ואין עושין בה גנות ופרדסות – חוץ מגנות וורדין שהיו מימות נביאים

The baraita continues its list: And a house in Jerusalem cannot become ritually impure with the impurity of leprous sores; and one may not build out projections or balconies [gezuztraot] from houses that are in it; and one may not establish garbage dumps in Jerusalem; and one may not build kilns in it; and one may not plant gardens and orchards [pardesot] in it, except for the rose gardens that were already there from the times of the early prophets; and one may not raise chickens in it; and finally, one may not leave a corpse overnight in Jerusalem.

הראשונים; ואין מגדלים בה תרנגולין; ואין מלינין בה את המת.

אין הבית חלוט בה – דכתיב: ״וקם הבית אשר לו חומה לצמתת לקנה אתו לדרתיו״, וקסבר לא נתחלקה ירושלים לשבטים.

The Gemara discusses these ten halakhot pertaining to Jerusalem, one by one: A house situated in it does not become irredeemable one year after its sale. The reason is that it is written: “And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations” (Leviticus 25:30). And the tanna who taught this baraita maintains that Jerusalem was not apportioned to any single one of the tribes of Israel; rather, it is considered common property. Since no one has ancestral ownership of any house in Jerusalem, its houses cannot be sold permanently.

ואינה מביאה עגלה ערופה – דכתיב: ״כי ימצא חלל באדמה אשר ה׳ אלהיך נותן לך לרשתה״, וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים.

The Gemara analyzes the next halakha: And its inhabitants do not bring a heifer whose neck is broken. The reason is that it is written: “If one is found slain in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess it” (Deuteronomy 21:1). And, again, the tanna who taught this baraita maintains that Jerusalem was not apportioned to any one of the tribes of Israel. Therefore, it is not included in the description: “The land that the Lord your God gives you to possess it.”

ואינה נעשית עיר הנדחת – דכתיב: ״עריך״, וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים.

The baraita states: And it cannot become an idolatrous city. The reason is that it is written, in the introduction of the passage dealing with the halakha of an idolatrous city: “If you shall hear tell concerning one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell there” (Deuteronomy 13:13). And the tanna who taught this baraita maintains that Jerusalem was not apportioned to any one of the tribes of Israel. It is therefore not included in the description “one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell there.”

ואינה מטמאה בנגעים – דכתיב: ״ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחזתכם״, וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים.

The baraita further teaches: And a house in Jerusalem does not become ritually impure with the impurity of leprous sores. The reason is that it is written: “And I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession” (Leviticus 14:34). And the tanna who taught this baraita maintains that Jerusalem was not apportioned to any one of the tribes of Israel. It is therefore not included in the description “a house of the land of your possession.”

ואין מוציאין בה זיזין וגזוזטראות – מפני אהל הטומאה, ומשום דלא ליתזקו עולי רגלים.

The Gemara discusses the next halakha: And one may not build out projections or balconies from houses that are in Jerusalem. The Gemara provides two reasons for this prohibition. First, it is due to the danger of contracting ritual impurity by being in the same tent as a corpse, i.e., under the same roof, in which case the impurity spreads to all items under the roof. If even a small part of a corpse is under a balcony, everyone who passes under that balcony is rendered impure. Many people come to Jerusalem to sacrifice offerings, and they must maintain a state of ritual purity. The other reason is so that those great crowds of pilgrims not be injured by colliding with the projections.

ואין עושין בה אשפתות – משום שקצים.

The next halakha pertaining to Jerusalem is: And one may not establish garbage dumps in it. The Gemara explains that the reason is due to the repugnant creatures that are attracted to such heaps and impart ritual impurity upon their death.

ואין עושין בה כבשונות – משום קוטרא.

The baraita states: And one may not build kilns in Jerusalem. The reason is due to the unsightly smoke produced by kilns. The Sages sought to preserve the beauty of Jerusalem and the Temple.

ואין עושין בה גנות ופרדסין – משום סירחא.

The baraita teaches: And one may not plant gardens and orchards in it. This is due to the odor emitted by these places, either from discarded weeds or from fertilizer.

ואין מגדלין בה תרנגולין – משום קדשים.

The next halakha on the list is: And one may not raise chickens in Jerusalem. The Gemara explains that this is due to the sacrificial meat that is consumed in Jerusalem. Since chickens peck in the garbage, they are likely to pick up items that impart ritual impurity and bring them into contact with the consecrated food, which may not be eaten in an impure state.

ואין מלינין בה את המת – גמרא.

The Gemara discusses the last halakha: And one may not leave a corpse overnight in it. The Gemara notes that this prohibition is a tradition; there is no known explanation for it.

אין מגדלין חזירים בכל מקום. תנו רבנן: כשצרו בית חשמונאי זה על זה, היה הורקנוס מבפנים ואריסטובלוס מבחוץ. ובכל יום היו משלשלים להם בקופה דינרין,

§ The mishna teaches that one may not raise pigs anywhere. The Sages taught in a baraita the background for this halakha: When the members of the house of Hasmonean monarchy were at war with each other, Hyrcanus, one of the parties to this war, was inside the besieged Jerusalem, while his brother Aristobulus, the other contender to the throne, was on the outside. And every day the people inside would lower down money in a box from the Temple walls, to purchase sheep to sacrifice, and those on other side would take the money and send up sheep to them over the wall for the daily offerings.

והיו מעלים להם תמידים.

היה שם זקן אחד שהיה מכיר בחכמת יוונית, אמר להם: כל זמן שעוסקין בעבודה – אין נמסרים בידכם. למחר שילשלו דינרין בקופה, והעלו להם חזיר.

There was a certain elder there who was familiar with Greek wisdom, and he said to those besieging Jerusalem: As long as they occupy themselves with the Temple service, they will not be delivered into your hands. The next day they lowered down money in a box as usual, but this time they sent up to them a pig. When the pig reached to the midpoint of the Temple wall it stuck its hooves into the wall, and Eretz Yisrael quaked over an area of four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs.

כיון שהגיע לחצי החומה, נעץ צפרניו בחומה, ונזדעזעה ארץ ישראל ארבע מאות פרסה על ארבע מאות פרסה.

באותה שעה אמרו: ארור האיש שיגדל חזירים, וארור האדם שילמד את בנו חכמת יוונית. ועל אותה שעה שנינו: מעשה שבא עומר מגנות הצריפין, ושתי הלחם מבקעת עין סוכר.

At that time the Sages said: Cursed be the man who raises pigs, and cursed be the man who teaches his son Greek wisdom. And it was concerning that time of siege that we learned in a mishna: There was an incident in which the barley for the omer offering came from the gardens of Tzerifin, far from Jerusalem, and the wheat for the two loaves of Shavuot was brought from the valley of Ein Sokher. Barley and wheat could not be brought from any nearer because the besiegers had destroyed all the produce around Jerusalem. This concludes the baraita.

וחכמת יוונית מי אסירא?! והתניא: אמר רבי: בארץ ישראל –

The Gemara asks a question with regard to this baraita: And is it really prohibited to study Greek wisdom? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: In Eretz Yisrael,