Chazakah n'obtient pas avec un marzev [un petit bec placé au bout d'une gouttière de toit], mais il obtient à sa place. [S'il y avait un marzev là, et que le propriétaire de la cour est venu l'enlever complètement, pour que les eaux du toit ne se répandent pas dans sa cour, il ne peut pas le faire; car l'autre a déjà une chazakah que ses eaux de toit déversent de cette marzev. Mais s'il est venu le retourner, par exemple s'il était positionné au sud, et qu'il est venu le positionner au nord, le propriétaire du marzev ne peut pas l'arrêter, car il n'y perd rien, et il n'a pas de chazakah qui il était toujours positionné sur un côté. "marzev"—l'endroit d'où coule la goutte de pluie. "mar" = une goutte, comme dans (Esaïe 40:15): "Voici, les nations sont comme une goutte (mar) d'un seau."] Chazakah obtient avec une mazchilah [une gouttière de toit. Étant un objet fixe, il a une chazakah.] Chazakah n'obtient pas avec une échelle égyptienne. [Comme il est petit et non fixe, on ne s'oppose pas à ce que quelqu'un le place dans sa cour pour monter sur son (propre) toit ou colombe, raison pour laquelle il n'a pas de chazakah.] Chazakah n'obtient pas avec une fenêtre égyptienne. [Une petite ouverture, pas assez grande pour que la tête d'un homme puisse passer, n'a pas de chazakah. Et si le propriétaire de la cour souhaite construire en face de la fenêtre et la bloquer, le propriétaire de la fenêtre ne peut pas lui dire: "J'ai déjà une chazakah dedans, et vous ne pouvez pas la bloquer." Car l'autre peut lui dire: "Je ne l'ai permis que parce que cela ne m'a causé aucun dommage." Et même ainsi, s'il le souhaitait, il aurait pu l'empêcher de le faire en premier lieu, même s'il était supérieur à quatre coudées. Car il aurait pu lui dire: "(j'objecte), car vous pourriez mettre un banc sous la fenêtre pour me regarder." Et après lui avoir permis de le faire aussi, il n'a pas de chazakah.] Et la chazakah obtient avec une fenêtre tyrienne, [une ouverture à travers laquelle la tête d'un homme peut passer, même si elle est supérieure à quatre coudées. Ou une ouverture faite pour admettre la lumière, même si elle est très petite. Ou une fenêtre en dessous de quatre coudées. Toutes ces trois ouvertures—Si on leur permet de les faire, la chazakah obtient avec eux, et lui (le propriétaire de la cour) ne peut plus construire en face d'eux et les bloquer. Car la chazakah obtient là où il y a (acquiescement) des dommages, à l'exception des (dommages de) fumée, poussière et toilettes (c'est-à-dire une odeur nauséabonde), la chazakah n'obtient pas avec ces trois, même après le passage de nombreuses années. Mais la chazakah obtient avec (acceptation) des dommages à la vue. Et trois ans de chazakah ne sont pas nécessaires pour les dommages; mais il obtient dès qu'il (le "damager") peut dire à celui qui est endommagé: "Vous avez subi les dégâts et vous n'avez pas protesté."] Quelle est une fenêtre égyptienne? Tout ce que la tête d'un homme ne peut traverser. R. Yehudah dit: S'il a un cadre, [comme un linteau au-dessus et une traverse en dessous], même si la tête d'un homme ne peut pas passer à travers, la chazakah obtient avec elle. Un ziz [bois ou pierre faisant saillie d'un mur dans la cour de son voisin], jusqu'à ce qu'une largeur de main, chazakah l'emporte avec lui. [Si c'est une largeur de main ou plus, la chazakah obtient avec elle et le propriétaire de la cour ne peut pas construire contre elle et bloquer le ziz, l'autre ayant une chazakah dedans.] Et il peut protester. [Si le propriétaire souhaite insérer un ziz, une largeur de main ou plus, le propriétaire de la cour peut protester contre ce qu'il fait.] Avec moins d'une largeur de main, la chazakah n'obtient pas, et il ne peut pas protester. [S'il est inférieur à une largeur de main, ce n'est pas un objet fixe, raison pour laquelle la chazakah n'obtient pas avec lui, de sorte que l'autre puisse construire contre lui et le bloquer. Et si le propriétaire du mur souhaite insérer un tel ziz pour commencer, le propriétaire de la cour ne peut pas l'arrêter.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מרזב – a small spout, that they place it at the end of the large spout that goes all around the perimeter of the roof.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah six continues to discuss what types of activities can create chazakah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין לו חזקה ויש למקומו חזקה – if there was a there a spout and the owner of the courtyard came to uproot it completely, so that the water of he roof would not spill into his courtyard, he is not able to do so, for he already has possession for this that the root waters spill via that spout, but if he comes to reverse it, that it was placed in the southern direction and he comes to place it in the northern direction, the owner of the movable tube attached to the roof gutters cannot delay it, for it is not something that causes him loss, and he lacks possession, for it will always stand in that direction.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Our mishnah continues to discuss the same issue as we discussed in the previous mishnah: which acts entail possession in order to establish the right to continue to do the acts after a period of three years. If the act is considered a sign of possession than the owner of the item can tell others that they may not use the object. Since if another person uses the object he will establish the right to continue to do so in the future, it makes sense that the owner can prevent them from usage in the present. If, however, the act is relatively insignificant, and will not lead to the right to continue to do the act in the future, than the owner cannot prevent others from doing so in the present. We will now explain each section separately.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מרזב – the place where the drop of rain water flows from it. [The word] מר /bitter is a טפה/droop, like (Isaiah 40:15): “The nations are but a drop in a bucket.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
A gutter spout cannot cause title through possession [so that the spout may still be moved] but title through possession may be claimed to its place [so that the place must be left for its present purpose]. A gutter spout is a tiny pipe on the edge of a larger gutter pipe which would be on the roof to allow drainage of water. If the spout, which belongs to one person, is draining into another’s courtyard the owner of the courtyard can direct the spout out of his courtyard and this will not establish possession over the spout. He cannot, however, totally remove the spout for the mere existence or non-existence of the spout is a sign of possession. If he were to remove the spout and the owner were not to protest, the owner would not be able to protest after three years.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מזחילה – a large spout that supports all the length of the roof. This is a something fixed, therefore it has presumed possession.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
A gutter can give title through possession. A gutter (larger than the spout) is a sign of possession. Therefore the owner of a courtyard cannot even direct another person’s gutter, for if the owner were not to protest after three years he would lose his right to do so.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
סולם [המצרי] – small and is not fixed, and no one is strict about it if one puts it into the courtyard of his fellow in order to ascend on it to his roof or to the dovecote. Therefore, it does not have presumption of possession.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
An Egyptian ladder cannot give title through possession but a Tyrian ladder can. An Egyptian ladder is a small ladder used on a temporary basis. Placing one in another person’s courtyard is not a significant act. If Reuven were to place his Egyptian ladder on Shimon’s property for three years, Shimon could still protest after three years. However, the use of a Tyrian ladder, which is large, is a significant act. If a person were to use it in another’s courtyard for three years then the owner of the courtyard could not subsequently protest.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
חלון המצרי – a small window where the head of person cannot enter it,
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
An Egyptian window cannot give title through possession but a Tyrian window can. What is an Egyptian window? Any through which a man’s head may not enter. Rabbi Judah says: “If it has a frame, even though a man’s head cannot enter through it, it can give title through possession.” An Egyptian window is a small window. If Reuven were to open an Egyptian window in the wall of his courtyard and it were to exist for three years, Shimon could still subsequently block the window. Even though Shimon did not protest for three years, there are no subsequent rights caused by a small window. However, a Tyrian window which is large, does cause subsequent rights. If Reuven were to open a Tyrian window in the wall of his courtyard and it were to exist for three years, Shimon could not subsequently block the window. If he wished to protest he should have done so during the three years.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
he has no presumption of possession, but if the owner of the courtyard wanted to build opposite the widow and to close it up, the owner of the window cannot say: “I have already taken possession of it and you cannot close it up.” And he said to him this: “You were not appeased other than that I didn’t have any damages in it, and even so, if he had wanted from the outset, when he opened it up, he could have delayed it that he would not open it. And even if it was higher than four cubits, for he could have said to him, lest you place a small bench near the window so that you can look at me, and after he placed it [also] he opened it, he has no presumption of possession.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
A projection, if it extends a handbreadth or more can give title through possession, and the other [into whose premises it projects] can protest against it. But if it is less than a handbreadth it cannot give title through possession and the other cannot protest against it. If Reuven were to build a wall that had a projection on it, such as a stray piece of wood or stone, longer than a handbreadth and that projection were to extend onto Shimon’s property, and Shimon did not protest for three years, he could no longer protest. Since this is an intrusive projection, we also allow Shimon to force Reuven to take it down, provided he protest within three years. A smaller projection is different. If it were to extend less than one handbreadth into Shimon’s property, Shimon may not protest. However, even after three years Shimon could take down the projection, or otherwise block it, since there is no assumption of possession.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ולצורית יש לו חזקה – a window where the head of a person can enter into it, and even where it is higher than four cubits, or a window that is made of for its light, and even if it is very small, or a window which is lower than four cubits, each one of these three windows, if he left it and opened it, he has possession, but furthermore, he is not able to build opposite it and close it up, for there is possession for damages except for fumigating and dust and the bathroom, meaning to say, bad smell, for these three [things] do not have presumption of possession, even if he held them several years. But damage is a proof that he has possession, and he doesn’t need possession for damages for three years but when damage occurs, in order that he can say to the one who suffered damage: “you already knew of this damage and didn’t protest, this is possession.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מלבן – a building from outside like a kind of lintel from above or a lower door-sill from below.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
זיז – wood or stone that projects out from its wall to the airspace of his fellow’s courtyard. If it has a handbreadth or more, he has possession and the owner of the courtyard opposite to him cannot build to close the projection [serving as a shed over the entrance], after he has taken possession of it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ויכול למחות בו – when the owner of the wall comes to remove the projection which has a handbreadth or more, the owner of the courtyard can protest it that he should not remove it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
פחות מטפח – this is not a matter of being fixed. Therefore, he does not have possession, and he can build opposite him and close it up, and when the owner of the wall comes to remove it ab initio, the owner of the courtyard cannot prevent it.
