Si l'on a entouré son voisin (avec des champs) de trois côtés, et qu'il a clôturé le premier, le deuxième et le troisième, il (le voisin) n'est pas obligé (de partager les frais de clôture), [car il (le premier) a fait ne lui profite pas du tout, ses terres étant toujours ouvertes. Mais s'il (le premier) clôturait le quatrième côté, auquel cas il lui profite définitivement, il (le voisin) est obligé de payer, nominalement, la moitié du coût des roseaux (c'est-à-dire d'une clôture en roseau), mais pas la moitié de ses (les dépenses du premier. Car il (le voisin) peut lui dire: Pour moi, une cloison en roseau est suffisante, et je ne veux pas les frais d'une clôture en pierre.] R. Yossi dit: S'il (le premier) s'est levé et a clôturé le quatrième (côté), tout lui est imposé (le voisin) [c'est-à-dire la moitié des dépenses réelles d'escrime. Et c'est la différence entre le premier tanna et R. Yossi. La halakha est conforme à R . Yossi. Et il va sans dire que si celui qui est entouré clôturait le quatrième côté, en montrant qu'il était en faveur de l'escrime de son voisin, tout lui est imposé, et il paie la moitié des dépenses de son voisin.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין מחייבין אותו – for it doesn’t benefit him at all, for his land is still open. But, if he (i.e., the other partner) fenced in the fourth side, for now, it absolutely benefits him, we require him to pay one-half the cost of the purchase at the cheapest rate. But not half of his outlay, for he says to him: For me it is enough for me with a partition of reeds, and I don’t need an outlay of a stone fence.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah three discusses a person who builds a fence partially around another person’s property and wishes that person to share in the costs of the fence.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מגלגלין עליו את הכל – one-half of his outlay according to what he fenced in. And there is the difference between the first Tanna/teacher and Rabbi Yosi. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yosi. And we don’t have to say if he himself is the one who fenced in the fourth side, for he revealed his intention that he is pleased with what his fellow fenced in that we make him bear the expenses for the fencing in of everything, and he pays his fellow half of his outlays.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man’s land surrounded his fellow’s land on three sides, and he fenced it on the first and the second and the third sides, they do not obligate him [to share in the costs]. Rabbi Yose says: “If he rose a built a fence on the fourth side, they obligate him to share in all of the costs.” In the scenario discussed in this mishnah Reuven owns three fields which surround Shimon’s fields on three of its four sides. If Reuven were to fence in all three of his fields he would have built a fence around three sides of Shimon’s fields. Since this fence does not totally surround Shimon’s field, Reuven cannot claim that Shimon benefited from the field and should therefore share in the costs. Rabbi Yose adds that if Shimon were to fence in four sides, he would thereby show that he wished to have his field fenced in. In that case he is obligated to share in the costs of all of the fences, since he now benefits from them all.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • If Reuven owns fields surrounding all four sides of Shimon’s field and he puts a fence around all of them, will Shimon have to share in the costs?
