REVIEW QUESTIONS ON GEMARA AND RASHI
prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem
Previous daf
Bava Basra 4
BAVA BASRA 3-5 - sponsored by Harav Ari Bergmann of Lawrence, N.Y., out of
love for Torah and those who study it.
|
1)
(a) What did Bava ben Buta reply, when Hurdus came to him incognito, and ...
- ... asked him to curse 'that wicked slave'?
- ... claimed that he was not a king?
- ... insisted that he was not 'Oseh Ma'aseh Amcha'?
- ... pointed out that there was nobody else but them present, and that he could speak his mind freely?
(b) How did Hurdus respond to Bava ben Buta's refusal to indict him?
(c) According to the first Lashon, Bava ben Buta advised him to kindle the
light of the world (that he had extinguished with the killing of the
Sanhedrin). How does the second Lashon put it?
(d) What did he advise him to do, to allay his fears that the Romans would
certainly not grant him permission to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash?
2)
(a) How did the Romans react to Hurdus request? How did they refer to him?
(b) What does 'Reicha' mean?
(c) We learn this from one of two sources; one of them, a Pasuk in Shmuel
"Anochi Ha'yom Rach u'Mashu'ach Melech" (said by Shlomoh); the other is a
Pasuk in Miketz. Which Pasuk?
(d) What did they mean when they said 'Avda K'lanya Mis'aved'?
3)
(a) What did people say about the Beis-Hamikdash that Hurdus built?
(b) He built it with green (or blue) and white marble, says Rava. Why did
...
- ... he stagger the rows?
- ... they object when he wanted to overlay it with gold?
(c) In what way do we query Bava ben Buta? From whom should he have taken
his cue?
(d) Daniel was punished, says Rav Yehudah Amar Rav (or Rebbi Yehoshua ben
Levi), for offering Nevuchadnetzar good advice. What did he advise him to
do? What was the result of that advice?
4)
(a) Perhaps Bava ben Buta issued Hurdus with the above advice (in spite of
Rav Yehudah Amar Rav [or Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi]), because a slave
(Hurdus), unlike a Nochri (Nevuchadnetzar), is obligated to keep the
Mitzvos. On what other grounds do we vindicate Bava ben Buta?
(b) Daniel's punishment is evident, if we explain that Daniel was called
'Hasach' (in Megilas Esther "Va'tikra Esther le'Hasach"), because he was cut
him down from his greatness (from the word 'Chatach', to cut). What other
ramifications does the name 'Hasach' have?
(c) According to this interpretation of his name, in what way was Daniel
punished for advising Nevuchadnetzar?
5)
(a) After listing the various walls that the Shutfim are obligated to build,
the Mishnah concludes 'ha'Kol ke'Minhag ha'Medinah'. This comes to include a
place where the Minhag is to build a partition of Hutza ve'Dafna. What is
'Hutza ve'Dafna'?
(b) And the Tana continues 'Lefichach, Im Nafal ha'Kosel, ha'Makom
ve'ha'Avanim shel Sheneihem'. Is it not obvious that since, to begin with,
they provided the space and the bricks equally, they subsequently share
them, should it collapse? How do we establish the Mishnah to answer this
Kashya?
(c) What do we initially infer from the Mishnah ...
- ... 've'Chein be'Ginah, Makom she'Nahagu li'Ge'dor, Mechayvin Oso'?
- ... 'Aval Bik'ah, Makom she'Nahagu she'Lo Li'gedor, Ein Mechayvin Oso'?
(d) How do these two inferences clash?
6)
(a) Abaye therefore amends the Mishnah to read 've'Chein S'tam Ginah,
u've'Makom she'Nahagu Li'gedor be'Bik'ah, Mechayvin Oso'. On what grounds
does Rava object to Abaye's explanation? Which word in the Seifa of our
Mishnah bothers Rava?
(b) How does Rava therefore amend the Mishnah?
(c) 'Ela Im Ratzah, our Mishnah stated, 'Ko'nes le'Toch she'Lo, u'Boneh
ve'Oseh Chazis'. How does Rav Huna define 'Chazis'?
7)
(a) In the first Lashon, Rav Huna explains that Reuven builds the Chazis on
the outside (the far side of the wall that borders Shimon's field). Why
not on his own side?
(b) By the same token, why are we not worried that now too, Shimon will lop
off the Chazis and claim that the wall is joint property?
(c) According to Rav Huna in the second Lashon, Reuven builds the Chazis on
the inside (his own side), because otherwise, Shimon will lop off the Chazis
and claim that the wall is joint property. By the same token, why are we
not worried that he will attach his own Chazis and make the same claim?
(d) But how can Rav Huna argue with our Mishnah, which writes explicitly
'mi'ba'Chutz'?
Answers to questions
4b---------------------------------------4b
8)
(a) Rebbi Yochanan interprets 'Chazis' as Neshayeih be'Amsa le'Bar'. What
does he mean by that?
(b) Why not from the inside?
(c) Then why are we not afraid that now too, he will scrape off the lime
from his side of the wall?
9)
(a) How does Rav Nachman define a Chazis in the case of a partition of palm
and laurel branches?
(b) Abaye disagrees. What does he consider the only safe method to employ
to ensure that the partner who puts up a partition gets it back should it
collapse?
(c) Where they built the wall jointly, the Tana rules that both partners
must build a Chazis. Why is that? Would it not be more logical for neither
to build one?
10)
(a) What problem do we have with the current ruling?
(b) But is the entire Din of Chazis not coming to teach us how to handle a
swindler?
(c) How does Ravina answer the Kashya? What is the Chidush in the Seifa?
11)
(a) The Tana Kama of our Mishnah rules that if Reuven, whose fields surround
Shimon's on three sides, builds a wall on all three sides dividing between
his fields and Shimon's, the latter is not obligated to share the costs. Why
is that (according to the Hagahah)?
(b) Why can the reason not be because it is customary not to build partition
walls in a valley (as we learned in our Mishnah)?
(c) What does Rebbi Yossi say?
(d) Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel rules like Rebbi Yossi. What does he add to
Rebbi Yossi's words?
12)
(a) Rav Huna obligates Shimon to pay half the costs of whatever materials
Reuven used. What does Chiya bar Rav say?
(b) Bearing in mind Shmuel's previous ruling, how do we try and prove Rav
Huna's opinion from the Machlokes Tana'im in our Mishnah?
(c) Why can the Machlokes not be that the Tana Kama confines Shimon's
obligation to pay to where Reuven builds the fourth wall, whereas Rebbi
Yossi obligates him even if Shimon built it?
(d) What do we answer? What in fact, might the Tana Kama obligate Shimon to
pay, if not for a fence of cheap canes?
13)
(a) If, as we suggest next, they are not arguing over the fourth wall at
all, then what *are* they arguing over?
(b) What is the Tana Kama's reason? Why should Shimon not pay retroactively
for the first three walls that Reuven built?
(c) As a third alternative, we propose that their Machlokes is when *Reuven*
built the fourth wall. What is then the basis of their Machlokes?
(d) What would they hold if Shimon was the one to built it?
14)
In the final answer, we reverse their roles, and Rebbi Yossi is the one who
is lenient. What is then the basis of their Machlokes?
Answers to questions
Next daf
|