Commentaire sur Bava Batra 7:5

האומר לחבירו בית כור עפר – the measurement of a Khor’s worth of seed is seventy-five thousand cubits where the courtyard of the Tabernacle was a field requiring two Se’ah of seed, which was one hundred [cubits] by fifty [cubits] and a Khor is thirty Se’ah.

If a man said to his fellow, “I will sell you a kor’s space of soil”, and it contained crevices ten handbreadths deep or rocks ten handbreadths high, these are not included in the measurement.
But if they were less than this they are included.
If he said to him, “About a kor’s space of soil”, even if it contained crevices deeper than ten handbreadths or rocks higher than ten handbreadths, they are included in the measurement.
The seventh chapter of Bava Batra deals with errors in the measurement of fields discovered after they were sold. The question asked is must the buyer return the error to the seller if the seller gave more than the stated amount and vice versa, may the buyer demand that the seller give more land if the land was less than the stated amount.
According to our mishnah if a person promises to sell exactly a kor’s space of soil (about 20,000 square meters) then any crevices which are lower than ten handbreadths or rocks higher than ten handbreadth’s are not counted as part of the field. Since they cannot be used for planting, they do not contribute to the measure of a kor’s space of soil. However, if he sold him “about a kor’s space of soil” these rocks and crevices are included. Since he didn’t say that he was selling precisely a kor’s space of soil the measurements do not have to be precise.

עפר – that is appropriate for sowing is implied. But if he stated, in an area requiring a Khor’s of seed undefined, or a field requiring a Khor of seed, even if all of it is rocks, he takes possession of it, for perhaps it was to build a house or to spread out fruit [to dry], he required it.

נקעים – fields ten handbreadths deep or [rocks] ten handbreadths high, and for example, they are wide four handbreadths by four handbreadths and are an important place.

אין נמדדין עמה – and he must give him an area requiring a complete Khor of seed from level/smooth ground, for a person does not want to put all of his money into one place, and he will show him two or three places.

כבית כור – which implies as it is, whether it is rocks or soil.

מדה בחבל – meaning to say, with an exact measurement, I sell you this field which has a Khor’s worth of soil, just as they measure with the rope’s measurement, no less and no more.

Introduction Mishnah two continues to deal with error’s made in the measurements of a field and the rules regarding returning the difference in such cases.

פחת כל שהוא – for that field did not have a complete Khor’s worth of soil, the transaction exists and the seller deducts according to that which is less.

[If he said, “I will sell you] a kor’s space of soil as measured by a rope”, and he gave him less, the buyer may reduce the price; and if he gave him more, the buyer must give it back. But if he said, “Whether less or more”, even if he gave the buyer a quarter-kab’s space less in every seah’s space, or a quarter kab’s space more in every seah’s space, it becomes his; if [the error] was more than this, a reckoning must be made. If a person sold a piece of land by the measure of a rope, the expectation is that the land must be sold precisely. Hence, if the land was smaller the buyer may reduce the price and if the land was larger the buyer must give it back. As we shall see later in the mishnah, the buyer may under such circumstances, be required to pay more money for the extra land. If, however, the seller said that he was selling more or less a piece of land the size of a kor, than the margin of error is a quarter-kab. This works out to 1/24 of the land sold. If the error was under that margin, then the sale stands as is. If the error was greater then the buyer must return the surplus if the plot was larger or the seller must lower the price if the plot was smaller.

הותיר – land [was additional] a little bit, over the Khor’s worth, he (i.e., the purchaser) returns to the seller the land that was added on or the value of the land as will be explained further on.

What does he (the give him back? Its value in money; but if the seller wants, he gives him back the land. And why did they say that he could give back its value in money? To strengthen the power of the seller, for if, in a field [containing a kor’s space] there would still have remained to him nine kab’s space, or, in a garden, a half-kab’s space, or according to Rabbi Akiva a quarter-kab’s space, the buyer must give back to him land. When the buyer returns the surplus sold to him, under certain circumstances he gives the seller extra money and does not return the land itself. This is considered to be a benefit to the seller. According to the strict letter of the law, if a kor’s space was sold, the buyer should not be forced to buy more land and he should therefore return the extra land itself. However, if the buyer were to return to him a very small piece of land, it would be unusable. Therefore, if the seller should so desire he can ask for money in return for the extra land. If, on the other hand, the land was large enough, as listed in the end of section 2c, then the seller can take back the land.

אם אמר לו – the area of a Khor’s worth of soil I am selling to you, whether it be less, whether it be more for such and such a cost, and he did not tell him, “according to the measurement of the rope.”

And not only must he give back the quarter-kab’s space, but all of the surplus. If the margin was slightly over the accepted margin of error, the buyer does not only return a small portion to place the error under the margin of error. Rather he returns the entire surplus. In other words if the margin of error is a quarter-kab per seah, and the surplus was a half-kab, the buyer returns the entire half-kab and not just a quarter.

אפילו פחת או הותיר רובע קב – for every Se’ah, which means thirty quarters (i.e., a quarter Kab equals 104 1/6 square cubits) for the area requiring a Khor of seed, he takes possession of it. For since the Tanna/teacher [of the Mishnah] taught even if he lessened it by one-quarter for a Se’ah (i.e., a Se’ah’s area equals 2500 square cubits), and did not teach “even if he lessened it seven and one-half kabs to the Khor, we learn from it, that even in a small sale, such as a Se’ah I am selling you, whether it be less or more, if he lessened it by a quarter of a Khor or added to it a quarter, he takes possession of it. But if he said, an undefined area requiring a Khor of seed, also whether it is less or more, it is similar.

Questions for Further Thought:
• What is the difference between the subject of mishnah one and the subject of mishnah two?
• The mishnah presents a leniency on the seller, namely that he has a choice to receive the surplus in money or in land. Why is the mishnah lenient on the seller, even though it might force the buyer to pay for more land than he intended?

יותר מכאן – more than one-quarter for every Se’ah if he gave too much, he should make an accounting, calculating how much he gave over the area requiring a Khor of seed, and how much they are worth, according to the calculations that he sold him an area requiring a Khor of seed.

ולמה אמרו יחזיר לו מעות – for according to the law, he doesn’t have to return anything to him other than land, for the purchaser did not buy anything other than an area requiring a Khor of seed., but the Sages did not establish that he should give him money corresponding to this extra part, but rather to give the prerogative to the seller, so that he will not lose that small amount of land, and it will not appear to him to be anything.

שאם שייר – in the area of a field requiring a Khor of seed, a house of nine Kabs, for now it appears to him that this field that we spokk about which is a house of nine Kabs is considered to be called a field, therefore, he does not return to him the money, but rather, the seller takes his field. And we learn from our Mishnah that seven and one-half kabs for a Khor which is a quarter of a kab for every Se’ah, there is a pardon. From seven and one-half kabs until nine kabs but not exactly in total, he makes an accounting; nine tabs or more, he returns the land.

ולא את הרובע – this is what he said: where we said that he should make an accounting, or return the land, not the additional alone does he return, but also the thirty fourths of the extra area of the Khor of seed he also returns. And because he has important land among everything, he does not forgive anything.

מדה בחבל וכו' – A person who says to his fellow these two languages that contradict each other, the measure of the rope, which implies be defining exactly/squeezed in/confined whether less or more [as measured by the rope] that implies that he was not strict about a small amount less or more, the latter language which is a small amount less or more nullifies the first language which is that which is measured by the rope, and even if he lessened it a quarter of a Se’ah or made it larger by a quarter of a Se’ah, he has taken possession of it.

Introduction Mishnah three continues to deal with the measurement of fields for purposes of selling.

דברי בן ננס – for he holds that one should take hold of the latter language. And the Rabbis disagree with him, whether the first [language] or the latter [language] for they doubt if he took possession of the first language or the latter language. And the purchaser takes the lesser of the measurements, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

[If he said], “I will sell you [a piece of land] as measured by the rope, whether it is less or more” the condition “whether it is less or more” makes void the condition “as measured by the rope”. [And if he said], “Be it less or more, as measured by the rope”, the condition “as measured by the rope” makes void the condition “be it less or more”, according to Ben Nanas. In the scenario mentioned in both clauses of section one, the seller uses contradictory language when selling the field. As we learned in mishnah two, when the seller says that he is selling “as measured by the rope”, the intention is that the measurement be precise. On the other hand, if he says, “whether it is less or more” the intention is that the measurement will not necessarily be precise. According to our mishnah if he said both languages within one sentence the last language voids the first language. In other words, we assume that when he said the last language he intended to change his mind from the first language. Therefore the case will be adjudicated only based on the last language.

בסימניו ובמצריו – He (i.e., the seller) said to him (i.e., the purchaser): “I am selling to you an area requiring a Khor of seed of soil within these markers and these boundaries.

[If he said, I will sell you a piece of land] by its marks and its boundaries”, and the difference was less than a sixth, the sale stands. If it was as much a sixth the buyer may reduce the price. If a person sold a piece of land using its marks and boundaries as indicators to the place of the land, there is an allowance of up to one-sixth error. Beyond that, meaning more than one sixth error, the buyer may reduce the price if the error was to the seller’s favor (i.e. the land was smaller than stated). Alternatively, the buyer will return money or the property to the seller, if the error was to the buyer’s favor (i.e. the land was larger than stated).

[הכי גרסינן] פחות משתות הגיעו [עד] שתות ינכה – This is the interpretation: if he lessened it by one-sixth of the area of a Khor of seed, and all the more so, less than one-sixth, he takes possession of it, but more than one-sixth and below up until one-sixth, but not one-sixth included, he deducts from it.

משמנין ביניהן – they see the place of the fatter/better part of the field, and the seller takes that part, for the hand of the purchaser is at a disadvantage, and corresponding to it, he (i.e., the seller) gives to the boundarTalmud Bava Batra 107b). For when he (i.e., the seller) said to him (i.e., the purchaser): “I am selling you one-half of the field,” according to the worth of the half of the field, he said to him. And if it was one-hundred cubits [in total] for one hundred denars, but within it are thirty cubits which is the fatter/better part worth fifty denars, the seller takes that, and gives to the purchaser the seventy cubits which are the from the worst part for fifty denars. And the practical difference is that a person wants a Kab of the best took hold of the first language or the latter language, and the purchaser takes the less of the

Introduction Mishnah four continue to deal with the measurement of fields for purposes of selling.

חציה שבדרום אני מוכר לך – we do not compromise to average all of the field as it is in the first part [of the Mishnah], but rather, we estimate what half of the field in the South is worth, whether good or bad, and corresponding to what one-half of the field is in the South, the seller gives to the purchaser in any direction what he desires from the worst that he has, for the hand of the purchaser is at a disadvantage, and perhaps, this is what he said to him: “What is worth half that is in the South, I sell you from my land in any place that I desire.”

If a man said to his fellow, “I will sell you half of the field”, it must be divided between them into portions of equal value, and the buyer takes half of the field [which the other allots to him]. When a man sells half a field to another, they must divide the field into equal portions of monetary value. In a one hundred square meters field worth one hundred dollar, there may be a thirty square meter portion which is worth 50 dollars and a seventy square meter portion that is worth 50 dollars. In such a case the seller has a choice which piece of the field to keep. If he wishes he may keep the smaller, better field, or he may keep the larger, but of lesser quality field.

ומקבל עליו – the purchaser with his one-half field that he purchased to make a fence, and/or a large ditch or a small ditch. Both of them are behind the fence from the outside, in order that no wildlife not jump in and enter the field, for if he made a large ditch, he does not make a small ditch, for since the ditch is wide, it enters into it and jumps above its second rim, but if he made a small ditch and did not make a large ditch, since it is small, there exists garbage and it jumps. And how much is the distance between one small ditch and another small ditch? A handbreadth.

[If he said, “I will sell you] the southern half”, the field must be divided between them into portions of equal value, and the buyer takes the southern half. If, however, the seller stated which portion of the field he was selling, then they again divide the field into two, but this time the seller must give the specified portion. Since he specified which portion he was selling, he loses the right to decide which portion to give to the buyer.

He accepts responsibility for [providing the ground] for the dividing wall and the large and small ditches. How large is the large ditch? Six handbreadths. And the small ditch? Three handbreadths. The buyer is responsible for providing part of his land to make a dividing fence (as we learned in the first mishnah in Bava Batra) as well as part of his land to build ditches. These ditches would have surrounded the fence and would have prevented animals from jumping over the fence. The buyer’s part of land given for fences and ditches should be equal to the part given by the seller.

Questions for Further Thought:
• Section three: If the mishnah had not stated that the buyer must provide a share of his land on which to build the fence and dishes what might you have thought? In other words, is there grounds to think that the seller must solely provide the ground?