Commentaire sur Bava Batra 1:1
הַשֻּׁתָּפִין שֶׁרָצוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת מְחִצָּה בֶּחָצֵר, בּוֹנִין אֶת הַכֹּתֶל בָּאֶמְצַע. מְקוֹם שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ לִבְנוֹת גָּוִיל, גָּזִית, כְּפִיסִין, לְבֵנִים, בּוֹנִים, הַכֹּל כְּמִנְהַג הַמְּדִינָה. בְּגָוִיל, זֶה נוֹתֵן שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים, וְזֶה נוֹתֵן שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים. בְּגָזִית, זֶה נוֹתֵן טְפָחַיִם וּמֶחֱצָה, וְזֶה נוֹתֵן טְפָחַיִם וּמֶחֱצָה. בִּכְפִיסִין, זֶה נוֹתֵן טְפָחַיִם, וְזֶה נוֹתֵן טְפָחַיִם. בִּלְבֵנִים, זֶה נוֹתֵן טֶפַח וּמֶחֱצָה, וְזֶה נוֹתֵן טֶפַח וּמֶחֱצָה. לְפִיכָךְ אִם נָפַל הַכֹּתֶל, הַמָּקוֹם וְהָאֲבָנִים שֶׁל שְׁנֵיהֶם:
Si les partenaires souhaitaient faire une cloison dans une cour, ils construisent le mur au milieu. [La "cour" en est une pour laquelle il n'y a pas de loi de partage, il n'y a pas quatre coudées pour chacun des partenaires, raison pour laquelle nous avons "s'ils le voulaient", c'est-à-dire, c'est seulement s'ils le voulaient tous les deux que ils le font, mais l'un ne peut pas obliger l'autre à le faire. Car dans une cour soumise à la loi de partage, chacun peut contraindre son voisin à se diviser. Et maintenant, on nous apprend que, comme ils voulaient se diviser et que chacun s'appropriait la section qui lui était accordée d'un commun accord, ils construisirent le mur au milieu, chacun fournissant de sa section la moitié de l'espace de l'épaisseur du mur.] lieu où il était de coutume de construire avec des pierres non taillées, des pierres rabotées, des lattes, [la moitié (la largeur) d'une brique, une largeur de main et demie aux trois largeurs de main d'une brique], ou des briques, ils le font—le tout selon la coutume du pays [«tout», pour inclure un endroit où il était coutume de faire une partition avec des pousses de vigne et des branches d'arbres. La coutume de la terre est suivie tant que la cloison est suffisamment épaisse pour empêcher chacun de regarder dans le domaine de son voisin, car «regarder les dommages» est appelé dommage. Et la hauteur du mur ou de la cloison ne peut être inférieure à quatre coudées.] Pour (une cloison de) pierre non taillée, chacune fournit trois largeurs de main. Pour les pierres rabotées, chacune fournit deux largeurs de main et demie. [Un mur de pierres non taillées nécessite une largeur de main plus qu'un mur de pierres rabotées pour permettre des têtes de pierre grossières et saillantes.] Pour les lattes, chacune fournit deux largeurs de main. Pour les briques, chacune fournit une largeur de main et demie. [Un mur de lattes est une largeur de main plus épaisse qu'un mur de briques, car une latte est placée de chaque côté, trois largeurs de main et une largeur de main (à gauche) au milieu, où l'argile est placée pour les joindre. L'épaisseur d'un mur de briques est celle d'une brique entière, trois largeurs de main, aucune argile n'étant nécessaire au milieu.] Donc, si le mur tombe, l'espace et les pierres appartiennent aux deux. [Nous sommes informés par la présente que même si les pierres tombaient dans le domaine de l'un d'entre eux, ou si l'un d'eux s'avançait et les nettoyait dans son domaine—Je pourrais penser que "la charge de la preuve incombe à celui qui exigerait (le paiement) de son voisin"; nous sommes donc informés du contraire.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
The first mishnah of Bava Batra deal with neighbors who share a courtyard. The mishnah is concerned with the building of a wall to separate the neighbors and with the ability of one neighbor to force the other neighbor to share the costs of building the wall.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
1) If two partners wish to make a partition in a courtyard they build the wall in the middle.
2) In a place where the custom is to build of unshaped stones, or of hewn stones, or of half-bricks, or of whole bricks, so they should build it—everything is according to local custom.
a) [If the wall is made of] unshaped stones this one supplies [from his property] three handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] three handbreadths.
b) [If the wall is made of] hewn stones this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths.
c) [If the wall is made of] half-bricks this one supplies [from his property] two handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] two handbreadths.
d) [If the wall is made of] whole bricks this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
In the time of the mishnah most homes did not have openings to the street but rather would open onto a common courtyard. The courtyard was used for all sorts of purposes and was the common property of the owners of the houses surrounding it. Our mishnah states that if the two partners wish to build a wall separating the courtyard they should build the wall in the middle and when they do, they should build the wall with the materials customary used in their place. There are four kinds of building materials mentioned in the mishnah, and the mishnah lists each one.
Clauses 2a through 2d all state how much of a person’s property he should allocate for the thickness of the wall. This space will depend on the thickness of the building materials. Unshaped stones are (on average) 6 handbreadths wide and therefore each partner must allocate three handbreadths of his property for the building of the wall. Hewn stones are only 3 handbreadths wide and therefore each partner allocates one and a half handbreadths. A whole brick is 3 handbreadths wide, and therefore each partner allocates one and a half handbreadths. Half bricks are one and half handbreadths wide. In order to make a wall with them they would use two half-bricks, placing mortar in between the two. The total width of the wall would be four handbreadths, and therefore each partner would allocate two handbreadths.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
• Mishnah one: If one partner wished to build with half-bricks and one partner with whole bricks, and the custom of the land was to use hewn stone, what type of wall should they build?
• What laws in modern society are similar to these types of laws? How are they different?
If two partners wish to make a partition in a courtyard they build the wall in the middle.
In a place where the custom is to build of unshaped stones, or of hewn stones, or of half-bricks, or of whole bricks, so they should build it everything is according to local custom. [If the wall is made of] unshaped stones this one supplies [from his property] three handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] three handbreadths. [If the wall is made of] hewn stones this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths. [If the wall is made of] half-bricks this one supplies [from his property] two handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] two handbreadths. [If the wall is made of] whole bricks this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths, and this one supplies [from his property] one and a half handbreadths.
The first mishnah of Bava Batra deal with neighbors who share a courtyard. The mishnah is concerned with the building of a wall to separate the neighbors and with the ability of one neighbor to force the other neighbor to share the costs of building the wall.
In the time of the mishnah most homes did not have openings to the street but rather would open onto a common courtyard. The courtyard was used for all sorts of purposes and was the common property of the owners of the houses surrounding it. Our mishnah states that if the two partners wish to build a wall separating the courtyard they should build the wall in the middle and when they do, they should build the wall with the materials customary used in their place. There are four kinds of building materials mentioned in the mishnah, and the mishnah lists each one.
Clauses 2a through 2d all state how much of a person’s property he should allocate for the thickness of the wall. This space will depend on the thickness of the building materials. Unshaped stones are (on average) 6 handbreadths wide and therefore each partner must allocate three handbreadths of his property for the building of the wall. Hewn stones are only 3 handbreadths wide and therefore each partner allocates one and a half handbreadths. A whole brick is 3 handbreadths wide, and therefore each partner allocates one and a half handbreadths. Half bricks are one and half handbreadths wide. In order to make a wall with them they would use two half-bricks, placing mortar in between the two. The total width of the wall would be four handbreadths, and therefore each partner would allocate two handbreadths.