Daf Yomi Highlights – Bava Metzia

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restart 18 Kislev 5777 (Dec. 18, 2016)

#BavaMetzia
83: Workers are hired as per local customs: starting and finishing hour, meals.
84: Fish protected by water from eyes, so too Joseph’s descendents are protected from the Evil Eye.
85: Afflictions came upon Rebbi for an instance of not being merciful. They left because of an act of mercy.
86: 3 angels visited Abraham: Michael to inform about Isaac’s birth, Rafael to heal Abraham, Gabriel to destroy Sodom.
87: Say little and do much. We learn from Abraham who offered guests bread, but served beef.
88: Produce is only liable to tithe when processing done. Permitted to eat before done, prohibited after until tithed.
89: Harvesters of figs, dates, grapes or olives can eat those products while harvesting without tithing.
90: Prohibited to muzzle an animal, even when threshing, except when it’s for the animal’s own health.
91: Prohibited to knead dough with milk & forbidden to eat bread made with milk, lest eat it with meat.
92: Workers in field can eat more than worth of wages, but better not because won’t be hired again. R’ Elazar says no.
93: Guard of a field is not legally entitled to eat from it, but is allowed due to custom.
94: Any conditional agreement where the condition is contrary to the Torah is legally void.
95: If a person borrowed a cow, but the owner accompanied the cow, borrower is exempt from payment if the cow dies.
96: Learn from text: Borrowed cow *from* neighbor, liable. Borrowed cow *with* neighbor, not liable.
97: A person is not liable for an object that he borrowed and broke if didn’t use it abnormally.
98: If admits to part liability obligated to swear on the rest. If not certain, can’t swear & needs to pay fully.
99: R’ Huna: Borrower acquires ax only when starts to chop with it, not before.
100: Buyer & seller each claim cow or slave sold gave birth under their ownership, split value of offspring.
101: The Jewish sharecropper of a field in Israel that is owned by a non-Jew must still separate tithes.
102: If a non-Jew owns the house that a Jew was renting, the Jew takes his Mezuza with him. If Jewish owner, leaves it.
103: Rented a house & it fell, the owner must provide renter a new house with the same attributes (size, # of windows).
104: Hillel: Marriage contract stated woman becomes wife after Nisuin ceremony, not after Kidushin commitment.
105: Can’t force end of profitable Iska (business) partnership before agreed time. Mazal (luck) of 2 greater than 1.
106: Sharecropper took field to plant barley, can’t then plant wheat; but if took to plant wheat, may plant barley.
107: R’ Yochanan: Blessing that 1/3 of your land should be grain fields, 1/3 olive orchards and 1/3 vineyards.
108: The law called Bar Meitzra: neighbor to land that is being sold has the right to buy it before anyone else.
109: Can be fired without warning for negligence: teacher of children, planter, slaughterer, bloodletter & scribe.
110: Can’t delay paying wages. Worked during day, must be paid that night. Worked at night, must be paid following day.
111: Whoever delays in paying wages violates 5 prohibitions and 1 positive commandment.
112: R’ Yosi b R’ Yehuda: One who withholds wages is like one who takes his life.
113: Shmuel: Can’t cure 3 things: ate bitter date on empty stomach; wore wet flax belt; didn’t walk after ate, & slept.
114: Elijah to Raba b Avuha: Can’t separate Teruma if naked: have to bless before separating & can’t bless while naked.
115: Can’t enter borrower’s house to collect collateral & can’t take a utensil used for preparing food as collateral.
116: Took as collateral a utensil that shouldn’t, made of 2 parts (like 2 parts of a scissor), liable for each part.
117: Trees must be kept 25 amot away from wells (around 12.5m); carob or sycamore trees 50 amot (25m).
118: R’ Yosi b R’ Chanina: A courtyard acquires something that entered it, even without the owner’s knowledge.
119: R’ Meir: Orla applies to what grows out of stumps or roots. R’ Yehuda: Orla only applies to what grows from roots.
End Tractate Bava Metzia
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