A Stamping Ground
Boruch: Mazel tov on finishing Seder Nashim and half of Shas with daf yomi! Shimon: Thank you. Our continued learning should be a tremendous source of merit for the salvation of klal Yisrael. Boruch: Amen.
Seder Nezikin · dafim 2–119
Bava Kamma
Finished February 29, 2024 in this cycle. 24 articles, 17 stories
Map of the dafim
Articles, in daf order
Of Cats, Cattle, and Craters
There is a worrying epidemic called “high-rise syndrome” that affects many New York families. Cases are more prevalent in the summer months.
Roaring Lions and Goring Oxen
Kimby wandered the streets of Ladispoli, Italy, in early November. It was evening, and few people were around. Kimby didn’t get into any trouble. It was a good thing too, since Kimby was an escaped circus lion.
Breaking Point
The Chasam Sofer says that studying Seder Nezikin can save a person from coming to harm, both physical and financial. If someone, chas v’shalom, has a harsh heavenly decree against him, that decree can be fulfilled by…
Understanding The Gravity Of The Situation
The Chasam Sofer says that studying Seder Nezikin can save a person from coming to harm, both physical and financial. If someone, chas v’shalom, has a harsh heavenly decree against him, that decree can be fulfilled by…
Dinim on Damages
The following stories and the rulings that follow are based on the Chashukei Chemed and Pninei Halacha on Bava Kama. They are not intended to be relied on for practical halacha. 1. Shimshon had a venomous snake as a pet.
Sweet and Salty
The following is based on a true story. Chaim the Customer: Shaya, do you have any sugar in stock? Shaya the Shopkeeper: Sure, and it’s on sale today! Chaim: Sweet! I’d like 5 pounds, please.
It Looks Like Shabbos
One Shabbos, a woman was at her wit’s end when her baby refused to nurse. Looking for guidance, she went to see the Rogochover Gaon. The Rogochover looked up from his sefer and told her not to worry, “It’s a Yeushalmi.”…
Shabbos In Disguise
One Shabbos, a woman was at her wit’s end when her baby refused to nurse. Looking for guidance, she went to see the Rogochover Gaon. The Rogochover looked up from his sefer and told her not to worry—that “it’s a…
When Is Poisoning Allowed?
There is a well-known phenomenon that occurs in communal refrigerators and shelves. Food seems to disappear from them mysteriously. This occurs in dormitories, offices, and schools.
Poison Pills
The great sage Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai desired to give a lecture on the topic of accuracy in weights and measures, but he was unsure whether to deliver the talk.
A Case of Pikuach Nefesh
The Gemara recounts a story where the government sent two officers to a yeshiva to study Torah. The government wanted to find out if there was anything objectionable in the Torah.
We Need To Start The Fire
The Gemara records a fundamental dispute between Reish Lakish and Rebbe Yochanan regarding damages caused by fire. Is fire to be viewed as a possession that one has a duty to safeguard?
Do We Need to Suffer for Torah?
The Gemara (Bava Kama 61b) expounds a story recorded in Shmuel and Divrei Hayamim. Dovid HaMelech was fighting the Philistines. A halachic question arose whether his army was permitted to destroy an individual’s…
Do Not Despair
An intense debate erupted in the Beis Medrash. According to the Gemara, the debate spanned at least three decades (Bava Kama 67b). The debate was so long that there were three different Roshei Yeshiva during this time.
A Time for Torah
Hillel says, “He who seeks a name loses it. He who does not increase decreases” (Pirkei Avos 1:13). The first half of Hillel’s statement is easily explained by a well-known dictum in Eiruvin, “Whoever runs after glory…
Shalom, Zachor!
On erev Shabbos Parshas Bo, a Far Rockaway resident decided to bring a gift for his friend’s shalom zachar. He spent 35 minutes on the round-trip delivery route.
Happy Accidents
The Mishnah tells us that Rebbe Nechunya ben Hakanah used to utter a short prayer upon entering the beis midrash. Those who witnessed his custom asked about the nature of this prayer.
A Fruity Matter
There is a well-known prohibition against cutting down fruit trees needlessly. Indeed, many non-Jewish gardeners are even aware of this.
The Noble Pas Price
There is a commonly accepted custom to eat only pas Yisrael during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. Our bread, bagels, cakes, and muffins should all come from Jewish bakeries during the Ten Days of Repentance.
Putting You First
The Gemara in Bava Kama (92) says that whoever davens for his friend and he needs that same relief, he will be answered first. Does this mechanism work even though one knows that he will be answered first?
A Superbowl Stumper
Boruch: Hi, Shimon. I believe this is yours. Shimon: My Superbowl ticket! Where was it? I was looking all over for it, and I missed the game!
Stolen Wedding Food
Boruch: Mazal tov, Shimon! I’m so thrilled that I was able share in your daughter’s wedding! The food, by the way, was fantastic. Shimon: Thank you so much for coming; it means a lot to me!
Gold Overboard
Yehuda and Tzvi are traveling together on a ship. Unfortunately, they hit turbulent weather and stormy seas. Yehuda is forced to throw his gold bars into the sea to lighten the boat’s load.
Stories in Bava Kamma
Haman's Daughter and the Refuse
Thinking her father is leading Mordechai's horse, Haman's daughter pours refuse on the leader's head. It is Haman, and when she realizes, she jumps from the roof.
The Rogochover and the Baby Who Wouldn't Nurse
A mother whose baby won't nurse on Shabbos gets a cryptic "It's a Yerushalmi" from the Rogochover Gaon. Rav Meir Simcha explains: her Shabbos sheitel.
The Roman Officers Who Studied Torah
The government sends two officers to study the Torah in a yeshiva. They find one law objectionable, but out of gratitude for their warm welcome they keep it secret.
Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky and the Senate Endorsement
Rav Moshe Sherer could save a Jew by endorsing a Senate candidate opposed to Jewish values. Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky rules pikuach nefesh does not permit chillul Hashem.
Dovid HaMelech and the Three Mighty Men
Three warriors risk their lives crossing enemy lines to bring Dovid HaMelech the Sanhedrin's rulings, and he refuses to credit the answers to them.
Rav Meir Shapiro and the Yeshiva Dormitory
A donor tells Rav Meir Shapiro that Torah students should 'kill themselves' for Torah. Rav Shapiro answers that they should toil in Torah, not in finding meals and beds.
The Baal HaTanya and Hallel on Pesach Night
A rav bangs the table at the Baal HaTanya for saying Hallel in shul on Pesach night. Rav Meir Shapiro uses the reply to answer a donor about learning in comfort.
Rabba, Rav Yosef and the Rosh Yeshiva Seat
The Sages choose Rav Yosef's vast knowledge over Rabba's genius to lead the yeshiva, but Rav Yosef steps aside for twenty-two years and later solves Abaye's question.
The Angel Rebukes Yehoshua for Neglecting Torah
In the middle of conquering Eretz Yisrael, an angel rebukes Yehoshua for neglecting Torah at night, and Yehoshua spends that night in deep Torah study.
The Exiles Who Debated Torah in Chains
Rabbi Yochanan marvels at the Torah of Bavel, traced to sages led into exile in chains who were 'mighty warriors' in the give-and-take of Torah.
The Baalei Tosfos' Last Night Before Martyrdom
Facing a choice of conversion or death, the Baalei Tosfos spent their last night writing the two long Tosfos on Bava Kamma 77a, a tradition from the Bnei Yissaschar.
Rav Chisda Asks Rabbah Not to Tell the Students
When Rabbah disproves Rav Chisda's new interpretation, Rav Chisda asks him not to tell the students, lest they rejoice at his error and be punished.
Rav Henoch Leibowitz Declines to Prove He Was Right
Rav Henoch Leibowitz finds his view in a great Acharon after arguing with gedolim, but won't show them, so as not to appear to gloat.
Shmuel's Wine-Flavored Dates
Shmuel tastes wine in the dates his sharecropper brings, learns the palms are sapping his grapevines, and orders the date palms cut down.
Rava bar Rav Chanan's Palm Trees
Birds from Rava bar Rav Chanan's palm trees damage Rav Yosef's vineyard. Rava refuses to cut down his fruitful trees and tells Rav Yosef to do it himself.
The Belzer Rebbe and the Wormy Fruit Tree
A fruit tree with wormy, inedible fruit blocks the expansion of a crowded beis medrash, yet the Belzer Rebbe rules that it should not be cut down.
The Rosh Yeshiva and the Camp Nageela Bequest
A rosh yeshiva helps JEP's Rabbi Dovid Shenker win a bequest, and gift after gift to his own yeshiva arrives first, matching JEP's money almost to the dollar.