POINT BY POINT SUMMARY
Prepared by Rabbi P. Feldman of Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
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Bava Kama 24
BAMA KAMA 23 & 24 - This daf has been dedicated l'Iluy Nishmas Esther Chaya
Rayzel bas Gershon Eliezer, upon her Yahrzeit and Yom Kevurah, by her
daughter and son-in-law, Jeri and Eli Turkel. Esther Friedman was a woman of
valor who was devoted to her family and gave of herself unstintingly,
inspiring all those around her.
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1) THE SOURCE FOR WHAT MAKES A MU'AD
(a) Question: What is R. Meir's reason?
(b) Answer: If it becomes Mu'ad after intermittent gorings,
all the more so when the gorings are close together!
1. Chachamim: A Zavah (a woman that experienced
post-menstrual bleeding) disproves this - if she
sees blood on 3 consecutive days, she is a Zavah,
but not for 3 sightings on 1 day!
2. R. Meir: "This is the law of his Tum'ah through his
emissions" - the Torah attributes the Tum'ah of a
Zav (a man that sees emissions) to sightings, and
that of a Zavah to the days she sees.
3. Question: How do we know that the verse excludes a
Zavah (that she is not Teme'ah through sightings,
unless they are on consecutive days) - perhaps it
excludes a Zav from Tum'ah if he sees on consecutive
days!
4. Answer: "And one that has a flow, a man or a woman"
- the Torah equates them.
i. Just as a woman becomes a Zavah through
sightings on consecutive days, also a man.
5. Suggestion: We should also equate a woman's law to
that of a man - just as a man becomes a Zav through
sightings on 1 day, also a woman!
6. Rejection: "This is" excludes a woman.
7. Question: Why not learn the other way? (That a woman
becomes a Zavah through sightings on 1 day, as a
man, and "This is" excludes a man who sees on
consecutive days)
8. Answer: The verse "This is" speaks of sightings (on
1 day) - it is more reasonable that it comes to
exclude sightings (of a woman) on 1 day, than to
exclude sightings (of a man) on consecutive days.
(c) (Beraisa - R. Yosi): An animal is Mu'ad after witnesses
testify that it gored on 3 days; an animal that does not
gore when children play with it is Tam;
1. R. Shimon says, after witnesses testify 3 times that
it gored, it is Mu'ad;
i. Three days are only needed to revert to being
Tam (if it doesn't gore in 3 days).
(d) (Rav Nachman): The law is as R. Yehudah by a Mu'ad and as
R. Meir by a Tam, because R. Yosi holds that way.
1. Rava: Why not say the law is as R. Meir by a Mu'ad
and as R. Yehudah by a Tam, because R. Shimon holds
that way!
(e) Rav Nachman: I hold as R. Yosi because he has superb
reasons and proofs.
2) WHY THREE DAYS ARE NEEDED
(a) Question: Why are 3 days needed - to establish that the
ox gores, or to warn the man?
1. Question: What difference does it make?
2. Answer: If 3 sets of witnesses testify on 1 day
about gorings on 3 days.
i. This suffices to establish that the ox gores,
but not to warn the man - he can say, I only
learned of the gorings now.
(b) (Beraisa): An ox does not become Mu'ad unless they
testify about it in front of the owner and in front of
Beis Din;
1. If 2 witnesses testified about the first goring, 2
about the second, and 2 about the third, they are 3
testimonies, but they are considered 1 testimony
regarding Hazamah:
i. If the first 2 witnesses are found to be Edim
Zomemim (witnesses that testified about
something they were not present to see) - the
latter 2 testimonies stand, the lying witnesses
are not punished (for trying to make the ox
Mu'ad);
ii. If the next 2 witnesses are also found to be
Zomemim - the last testimony stands, the ox is
not Mu'ad, the lying witnesses are not
punished;
iii. If all the witnesses are found to be Zomemim -
they are all punished - "You will do to him as
he plotted".
(c) This fits the opinion that the testimony is to establish
the ox as a gorer.
24b---------------------------------------24b
(d) Question: If we need 3 days to warn the man - why are the
first 2 pairs of witnesses punished?
1. They can say, (we didn't intend to make it Mu'ad,)
we didn't know that more witnesses would come!
(e) Question (Rav Kahana): We can similarly ask if the
testimony is to establish the ox as a gorer!
1. The witnesses on the last goring can say, we only
came to make the owner pay half-damage - we didn't
know why the other witnesses were in Beis Din!
(Rashi - the case is, the third damagee asked all 6
witnesses to testify - the witnesses on the previous
gorings know, he wants to make the ox Mu'ad. Tosfos
- the case is, the witnesses on the previous gorings
only testified after the witnesses on the last
goring. Ra'avad - even the witnesses on the last
goring can claim, they only came to obligate
half-damage.)
(f) Answer #1: The witnesses gestured to each other. (Rashi -
this (and the coming) answers are as the opinion that the
testimony is to establish the ox as a gorer; Tosfos - the
answers also work for the opinion that the testimony is
to warn the man.)
(g) Answer #2 (Rav Ashi): The witnesses came together.
(h) Answer #3 (Ravina): The witnesses do not know which ox
gored (so they cannot obligate half-damage), but they
know whose ox gored.
(i) Question: If so, how can they make it Mu'ad?
(j) Answer: They say, since the man has a goring ox, he must
guard his whole herd.
3) INCITEMENT TO GORE
(a) Question: Levi incited Reuven's dog to bite Shimon - what
is the law?
1. Surely, Levi is exempt (he only caused damage) - is
Reuven liable?
i. Can he say - I didn't do anything!
ii. Or - since he knows that his dog can be
incited, he should not have such a dog!
(b) Answer (R. Zeira - Mishnah): An animal that does not gore
when children play with it is Tam;
1. (Inference): If it does gore other oxen (when
incited by children), it is liable!
2. Rejection (Abaye): No - if it gores when incited, it
is a Mu'ad ox - but it is exempt for that goring.
(c) (Mishnah): A man incited a dog or snake to bite - he is
exempt.
(d) Question: Who is exempt?
1. Suggestion: The inciter is exempt, but the owner of
the dog or snake is liable.
(e) Answer: No, even the enciter is exempt.
(f) (Rava): If you will say that when Levi incited Reuven's
dog to bite Shimon, Reuven is liable - but if it bit the
inciter, Reuven is exempt.
1. This is because if 1 party does something abnormal,
and another party acts abnormally and damages the
first, the second party is exempt.
(g) (Rav Papa): Reish Lakish supports Rava.
1. (Reish Lakish): A cow was crouching in a public
domain; another cow was walking. If the walking cow
kicked the crouching cow - it is exempt;
i. If the crouching cow kicked the walking cow -
it is liable.
(h) (Rava): I say, even in the first case, it is liable - the
walking cow has the right to walk over the crouching cow,
it may not kick it.
4) "KEREN" IN THE PREMISES OF THE PERSON WHO WAS DAMAGED
(a) (Mishnah): An ox that damages in the damagee's premises:
1. If it gored, pushed, bit, crouched or kicked in the
public domain, it pays half-damage;
2. In the damagee's premises - R. Tarfon says it pays
full damage, Chachamim say, half-damage.
3. R. Tarfon: In a public domain, the Torah is lenient
to exempt Shen and Regel, but they pay full damage
in the damagee's premises - Keren, which pays
half-damage in a public domain, all the more so it
pays full damage in the damagee's premises!
4. Chachamim: Dayo (the most we can learn from a Kal
va'Chomer is the same as the source) - just as Keren
pays half-damage in a public domain, also in the
damagee's premises.
5. R. Tarfon: I need not learn Keren from Keren - I can
learn Keren from Regel!
i. In a public domain, the Torah is lenient to
exempt Shen and Regel, but Keren pays
half-damage - in the damagee's premises, where
Shen and Regel pay full damage, all the more so
Keren pays full damage!
6. Chachamim: Dayo - it only pays half-damage, as in a
public domain.
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