Comentário sobre Baba Kamma 2:5
שׁוֹר הַמַּזִּיק בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק כֵּיצַד. נָגַח, נָגַף, נָשַׁךְ, רָבַץ, בָּעַט, בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, מְשַׁלֵּם חֲצִי נֶזֶק. בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק, רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר נֶזֶק שָׁלֵם, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים חֲצִי נֶזֶק. אָמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, וּמַה בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁהֵקֵל עַל הַשֵּׁן וְעַל הָרֶגֶל בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, שֶׁהוּא פָטוּר, הֶחְמִיר עֲלֵיהֶם בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק לְשַׁלֵּם נֶזֶק שָׁלֵם, מְקוֹם שֶׁהֶחְמִיר עַל הַקֶּרֶן בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, לְשַׁלֵּם חֲצִי נֶזֶק, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁנַּחְמִיר עָלֶיהָ בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק לְשַׁלֵּם נֶזֶק שָׁלֵם. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, דַּיּוֹ לַבָּא מִן הַדִּין לִהְיוֹת כַּנִּדּוֹן, מַה בִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים חֲצִי נֶזֶק, אַף בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק חֲצִי נֶזֶק. אָמַר לָהֶם, אֲנִי לֹא אָדוּן קֶרֶן מִקֶּרֶן, אֲנִי אָדוּן קֶרֶן מֵרֶגֶל. וּמַה בִמְקוֹם שֶׁהֵקֵל עַל הַשֵּׁן וְעַל הָרֶגֶל, בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, הֶחְמִיר בַּקֶּרֶן, מְקוֹם שֶׁהֶחְמִיר עַל הַשֵּׁן וְעַל הָרֶגֶל, בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁנַּחְמִיר בַּקֶּרֶן. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, דַּיּוֹ לַבָּא מִן הַדִּין לִהְיוֹת כַּנִּדּוֹן, מַה בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים חֲצִי נֶזֶק, אַף בִּרְשׁוּת הַנִּזָּק חֲצִי נֶזֶק:
"Um boi que causa dano no domínio dos nizac" (1: 4). Como assim? Se derramado, golpeado, mordido, deitado ou chutado,—No domínio público, ele paga meio nezek; no domínio dos nizak, R. Tarfon diz que paga um nezek completo, e os sábios dizem um meio-nezek. R. Tarfon disse-lhes: Agora, se em um lugar onde (as Escrituras) eram indulgentes com shen e regel— em domínio público — onde estão isentos, (as Escrituras) eram rigorosas com eles no domínio dos nizak, fazendo com que pagassem um nezek completo — então, em um lugar onde (as Escrituras) eram (relativamente) rigorosas com keren — em domínio público —fazendo com que pague meio nezek, não se segue que devemos ser rigorosos com ele no domínio do nizak e fazê-lo pagar um nezek completo! Disseram-lhe: É suficiente que o que é derivado de uma lei seja como a lei da qual é derivado. Assim como no domínio público (ele paga) um meio-nezek, assim como no domínio do nizak (ele paga) um meio-nezek. [Keren no domínio do nizak, que você deriva da lei de keren no domínio público, dizendo: "Keren, com o qual as Escrituras eram rigorosas em domínio público, não se segue que devemos ser rigorosos com ela no domínio do nizak "—é suficiente que seja tão (rigoroso) quanto a lei de que é derivada, queren no domínio público, e que seja responsável por apenas meio-nezek no domínio do nizak, assim como no domínio público.] Ele lhes disse: Não derivarei keren de keren: [como acima, mas] derivarei keren de regel. [Em um lugar onde as Escrituras eram rigorosas com shen e regel, não se segue que devemos ser rigorosas com keren, viz .:] Agora, se em um lugar onde (as Escrituras) eram branda com shen e regel— em domínio público — foi rigoroso com keren — então em um lugar onde era rigoroso com shen e regel — no domínio do nizak —não se segue que devemos ser rigorosos com keren! Eles disseram a ele: É suficiente que o que é derivado de uma lei seja tão (rigoroso) quanto a lei de que é derivada. Assim como no domínio público (ele paga) um meio-nezek, assim como no domínio do nizak (ele paga) um meio-nizak. [Na última análise, se não fosse para keren em domínio público, o argumento a fortiori (kal vachomer) não pôde ser construído. E R. Tarfon, apesar de sustentar que "é suficiente, etc." é um princípio bíblico, viz. (Números 12:14): "E se seu pai tivesse cuspido em seu rosto, ela não seria humilhada por sete dias!"— a fortiori, em relação à Shechiná, catorze dias! — mas é suficiente que o que é derivado de uma lei seja tão rigoroso quanto a própria lei, motivo pelo qual ela fica confinada por sete dias e não mais. —ainda assim, em nosso caso, R. Tarfon não sustenta que "é suficiente, etc." obtém, sustentando que se aplica somente onde o argumento a fortiori não é refutado, como no exemplo acima, onde os sete dias da Shechinah não estão sendo escritos, o argumento a fortiori é aduzido para quatorze dias de responsabilidade, e "é suficiente etc. " remove sete e deixa sete, de modo que o argumento a fortiori estabelece um passivo de sete dias e não é totalmente refutado. Mas aqui, onde, as Escrituras prescrevem meio-nezek tanto para o domínio público quanto para o domínio dos nizak, e o argumento a fortiori é aduzido para um meio-nezek adicional, tornando-o um nezek completo—se "é suficiente, etc." foram postulados e o pagamento foi estabelecido como meio-nezek, como no começo, o argumento a fortiori teria sido totalmente refutado, de nada valendo. E os rabinos sustentam que, mesmo em tais casos, "é suficiente, etc." é postulado. A halachá está de acordo com os sábios.]
Rambam on Mishnah Bava Kamma
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Kamma
English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Kamma
But if in the private domain of him that is injured, Rabbi Tarfon says, “He pays full damages.” The Sages says, “Half damages.”
Rabbi Tarfon said to them: “Now, in a case in which the law dealt leniently with regards to damages caused by the foot and tooth in the public domain, in which case he is exempt, and stringently in the private domain of him that is injured to pay full damages, then since they have dealt stringently with damage caused by the horn in the public domain, ought we not deal more stringently with damage cause by the horn in the private domain of him that was injured, so that full damages be imposed.” They (the said to him: “It is enough if the inferred law is as strict as that from which it is inferred: if [for damages caused by the horn] in the public domain half damages [are imposed], so also [for like damages] in the private domain of him that was injured, half damages [are imposed].
He said to them: “I shall not derive the law in one case of damage caused by the horn from the law in another case of damage caused by the horn. Rather I will derive the law of damage caused by the horn from the law of damage caused by the foot. Now in a case in which the law dealt leniently with regards to damages caused by the foot or tooth in the public domain, they have dealt strictly with damage caused by the horn, ought we not deal more stringently with damage cause by the horn in the private domain. They (the said to him: “It is enough if the inferred law is as strict as that from which it is inferred: if [for damages caused by the horn] in the public domain half damages [are imposed], so also [for like damages] in the private domain of him that was injured, half damages [are imposed].
This mishnah deals with one of the clauses from mishnah four of chapter one, which stated that the owner of an ox that damages on the property of the damaged party is obligated for full damages. If the same ox had committed this type of damage in the public domain the owner would only be obligated half damages. However, since a person should be extra careful when they bring their animal onto another person’s property the owner is more liable. Being a father of two little children, the following, albeit imperfect analogy, comes to mind. If I bring an expensive toy over to my son’s friend’s house, and one of the children breaks it, I believe I am at fault. However, if someone brings their child over to my house, and breaks something I believe that they should be at fault. There are many more analogies that one could make; this was just an example.
One important note with regards to learning the mishnah. We will see a dispute between the sages and Rabbi Tarfon, and as part of this dispute the sages will state that, “It is enough if the inferred law is as strict as that from which it is inferred.” This principle means that when you learn a law regarding one situation from a law regarding a similar situation, the inferred law does not need to be stricter than the original law from which it was inferred. This principle is learned from Numbers 12:14 where God punishes Miriam for speaking against Moses. God says, “If her father spat in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut out of camp for seven days.” God says that had her father rebuked her, Miriam would have been punished for seven days. One might have thought that God’s rebuke would carry an even more serious consequence. The Torah teaches us the aforementioned principle that the inferred law, the length of Miriam’s punishment when God rebukes her, is not stricter than the law from which it was inferred, the length of Miriam’s punishment had her father rebuked her.
This is a long mishnah and is not a simple one, but we will try in any case to explain briefly. The sages and Rabbi Tarfon argue at length whether an ox that gores or does some other unusual form of damage in the private domain of the one who is injured would be obligated full or half damages. Rabbi Tarfon’s initial argument in section 3 is based on the following chart.
Public Domain
Private domain of him that is injured
Horn
Half damages
Acc. to Rabbi Tarfon full damages.
Foot and tooth
Exempt
Full damages
Rabbi Tarfon claims that since we are lenient on damages caused by the foot and tooth in the public domain and yet strict in the private domain, we should also be strict in the private domain on damages caused by the horn, since after all we were relatively strict in the public domain. The other sages reply that by the means of this type of logical argument one cannot extend the liability for damages caused by the horn, beyond what we already know, that one is liable for half damages.
Rabbi Tarfon’s second argument in section 4 is a different variation on his first argument. He claims that he is not learning liability for damages done by the horn in the private domain from damages done by the horn in the public domain. Rather he emphasizes that he is learning from damages done by the foot and tooth in the private domain, in which case one should not say that one cannot extend the liability, as the sages argued with him. Again the sages reply with the same reply they gave in section 3a. In their opinion, no matter how you phrase it, Rabbi Tarfon’s argument is based on the relative strictness of damages done by the horn in the public domain. Since this is so, the law cannot be extended further by an argument based on logic.