Commentary for Bava Kamma 8:6
הַתּוֹקֵעַ לַחֲבֵרוֹ, נוֹתֵן לוֹ סֶלַע. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי, מָנֶה. סְטָרוֹ, נוֹתֵן לוֹ מָאתַיִם זוּז. לְאַחַר יָדוֹ, נוֹתֵן לוֹ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. צָרַם בְּאָזְנוֹ, תָּלַשׁ בִּשְׂעָרוֹ, רָקַק וְהִגִּיעַ בּוֹ רֻקּוֹ, הֶעֱבִיר טַלִּיתוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ, פָּרַע רֹאשׁ הָאִשָּׁה בַּשּׁוּק, נוֹתֵן אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. זֶה הַכְּלָל הַכֹּל לְפִי כְבוֹדוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֲפִילוּ עֲנִיִּים שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, רוֹאִין אוֹתָם כְּאִלּוּ הֵם בְּנֵי חוֹרִין שֶׁיָּרְדוּ מִנִּכְסֵיהֶם, שֶׁהֵם בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁפָּרַע רֹאשׁ הָאִשָּׁה בַּשּׁוּק, בָּאת לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, וְחִיְּבוֹ לִתֵּן לָהּ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי, תֶּן לִי זְמַן. וְנָתַן לוֹ זְמַן. שְׁמָרָהּ עוֹמֶדֶת עַל פֶּתַח חֲצֵרָהּ וְשָׁבַר אֶת הַכַּד בְּפָנֶיהָ, וּבוֹ כְּאִסָּר שֶׁמֶן. גִּלְּתָה אֶת רֹאשָׁהּ, וְהָיְתָה מְטַפַּחַת וּמַנַּחַת יָדָהּ עַל רֹאשָׁהּ. הֶעֱמִיד עָלֶיהָ עֵדִים, וּבָא לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. אָמַר לוֹ, רַבִּי, לָזוֹ אֲנִי נוֹתֵן אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. אָמַר לוֹ, לֹא אָמַרְתָּ כְּלוּם. הַחוֹבֵל בְּעַצְמוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי, פָּטוּר. אֲחֵרִים שֶׁחָבְלוּ בּוֹ, חַיָּבִין. וְהַקּוֹצֵץ נְטִיעוֹתָיו, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי, פָּטוּר. אֲחֵרִים שֶׁקָּצְצוּ אֶת נְטִיעוֹתָיו, חַיָּבִים:
If one strikes his neighbor with his fist, he gives him a sela [for bosheth]. R. Yehudah says in the name of R. Yossi Haglili: A maneh. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.] If he slaps him [on his cheek, the bosheth being greater], he gives him two hundred zuz. If he strikes him with the back of his hand, he gives him four hundred zuz. If he pulled his ear [(Another version: if he struck it)], or tore his hair, or struck him with his spittle, or removed his cloak, or uncovered a woman's hair in the marketplace, he gives four hundred zuz. This is the rule: All according to his distinction. [All of the aforementioned payments are only for one of special distinction. But, for a common person, the amount is less.] R. Akiva said: Even the poor in Israel are perceived as if they had lost their property, for they are children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [R. Akiva differs with the preceding tanna, holding that these penalty payments are the same for all, whether distinguished or common. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Akiva.] A man once uncovered a woman's head in the marketplace, and she came before R. Akiva, who ruled that he give her four hundred zuz — whereupon he said: "Master, give me some time." He gave him time. [This, with respect to bosheth, where there is no monetary loss. But with nezek, where there is, time is not given.] He (the man) waited for her [until he saw her] standing at the entrance of her courtyard, whereupon he broke a pitcher containing an issar's worth of oil before her. She, thereupon, uncovered her head, "palmed" the oil, and anointed her hair. He assigned witnesses to her, came to R. Akiva, and said to him: "Master, shall I give four hundred zuz to one such as this!" [who cheapened herself for an issar's worth of oil, revealing thereby her indifference to bosheth] He responded: "You have said nothing. One who injures himself, though he is not permitted to do so, is not liable; others who injure him are liable. And one who cuts down his plants, though he is not permitted to do so, is not liable; others who cut down his plants are liable.
Rambam on Mishnah Bava Kamma
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Kamma
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Kamma
If he slapped him he must pay 200 zuz.
If with the back of his hand, he must pay him 400 zuz.
If he tore at his ear, plucked out his hair, spat at him and his spit touched him, or pulled his cloak from off him, or loosed a woman’s hair in the street, he must pay 400 zuz.
This is the general rule: all is in accordance with the person’s honor.
Rabbi Akiva said: “Even the poor in Israel are regarded as free people who have lost their possessions, for they are the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It once happened that a man unloosed a woman’s hair in the street and she came before Rabbi Akiva and he condemned him to pay her 400 zuz. He said, “Rabbi, give me time”. And he gave him time. He caught her standing at the entrance to her courtyard, and he broke a jug of one issar’s worth of oil in front of her. She unloosed her hair and scooped up the oil in her hand and laid her hand on her head. He had set up witnesses up against her and he came before Rabbi Akiva and said to him, “Rabbi, should I give one such as this 400 zuz?” He answered, “You have said nothing.”
If a man injures himself, even though he has no right to do so, is not liable. But others who injure him are liable.
If a man cuts down his own saplings, even though he has no right to do so, is not liable. But, if others cut them down, they are liable.
Most of mishnah six deals with injuries inflicted on another person that do not cause lasting damage but cause great embarrassment. The end of the mishnah deals with people who injure themselves or their own property.
Sections one through four contain a list of fines a person must pay for striking another person. These types of blows will probably not cause any damage and therefore the fines are for embarrassment only. Note that these are extremely large fines. They demonstrate that Jewish law takes publicly embarrassing another person very seriously and penalizes such a person with a stiff financial penalty. Indeed according to Jewish tradition one who publicly embarrasses another is akin to a murderer.
Section five tempers the fines imposed in sections one through four. According to section five, these fines are imposed only one those people who are of the highest honor and are therefore greatly embarrassed by being slapped etc. Rabbi Akiva disagrees with this statement. According to Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest, if not the greatest Rabbi in the Mishnah, all of Israel is of equal honor, since all of Israel comes from the same roots. A person’s honor is not based on his current financial status, as the opinion in section five intimates. Rather it is based on his noble roots as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The story in sections 6a through 6f illustrates this point. In this story a man disgraces a woman who, as we learn later in the story, is willing to disgrace herself over a tiny portion of oil. (An issar is probably less than an ounce of oil). Nevertheless, Rabbi Akiva makes the man pay 400 zuz, as he would have to pay to a woman of the most honorable status. According to Rabbi Akiva, all Israelites are of equal honor, even those who are poor.
Section seven relates to the story told in section six. Here, and in the next section, we learn that a person is not allowed to injure himself, but there is nevertheless no penalty for doing so. However, if another person should inflict such an injury on him, he is liable, even if the injured person regularly should injure himself. In the example in the story, although the woman undid her own hair, and thus disgraced herself, no other person has the right to do this to her.
Section eight relates a similar law with regards to cutting down saplings. A person should not cut down his own saplings but if he should do so, he is not liable. However, if another should cut down his saplings, he is liable, even though this is something that the person himself has done before.
A final note on unloosing a woman’s hair. This phrase can alternatively be translated “to uncover a woman’s hair.” In Mishnaic times it was customary for men and women to cover their hair in public. It was considered a disgrace for anyone to go out with their hair uncovered.