Post Thanksgiving Post
I’ll keep it brief, as this is a short Friday.
First, an important halachic point. The bracha for Thanksgiving leftovers is HaNotein Li Cold Turkey.
Second, the gemara on Bava Kamma 19b began:
גְּמָ׳ תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַשֵּׁן מוּעֶדֶת לֶאֱכוֹל אֶת הָרָאוּי לָהּ – כֵּיצַד? בְּהֵמָה שֶׁנִּכְנְסָה לַחֲצַר הַנִּיזָּק, וְאָכְלָה אוֹכָלִין הָרְאוּיִין לָהּ וְשָׁתְתָה מַשְׁקִין הָרְאוּיִין לָהּ – מְשַׁלֵּם נֶזֶק שָׁלֵם. וְכֵן חַיָּה שֶׁנִּכְנְסָה לַחֲצַר הַנִּיזָּק, וְטָרְפָה בְּהֵמָה וְאָכְלָה בָּשָׂר – מְשַׁלֵּם נֶזֶק שָׁלֵם.
GEMARA: The Sages taught: Eating is deemed forewarned in that an animal tends to eat that which is fit for it to eat. How is this applied? In the case of a domesticated animal that entered the courtyard of the injured party and it ate food fit for it to eat, or if it drank drinks fit for it to drink, the owner of the animal must pay the full cost of the damage. And similarly, in the case of an undomesticated animal that entered the courtyard of the injured party and tore apart a domesticated animal and ate its meat there, the owner must pay the full cost of the damage.
which placed the word keitzad at the end, as opposed to the beginning. The immediately preceding Mishnah read כֵּיצַד הַשֵּׁן מוּעֶדֶת לֶאֱכוֹל אֶת הָרָאוּי לָהּ. That most clearly illustrates that, for the Tanna of the brayta at least, the question mark appears at the end, not in the middle, just as the Ri argues. Most probably for the author of the Mishnah as well. See my earlier post about placing the question mark.
Third, in today’s daf, Bava Kamma 22b, there was a brayta which used some choice language.
תָּא שְׁמַע: הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ אֶת הַבְּעֵירָה בְּיַד חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן – פָּטוּר מִדִּינֵי אָדָם, וְחַיָּיב בְּדִינֵי שָׁמַיִם.
The Gemara attempts another resolution: Come and hear a mishna (59b): One who sends a fire, i.e., places a burning object, in the hand of a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor is exempt for any damage later caused by the fire according to human laws but liable according to the laws of Heaven, meaning that he would not be held liable in court, but nevertheless he remains responsible to pay for what he has done.
That seems to channel veshilach et be’iroh uvi’eir bisdei acheir. That is not the same as Rava / another brayta which makes a diyuk from the next verse:
אָמַר רָבָא: קְרָא וּמַתְנִיתָא מְסַיַּיע לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן. קְרָא – דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ״ – תֵּצֵא מֵעַצְמָהּ, ״יְשַׁלֵּם הַמַּבְעִר אֶת הַבְּעֵרָה״ – שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ אִשּׁוֹ מִשּׁוּם חִצָּיו.
Rava said: A verse and a baraita both support Rabbi Yoḥanan’s opinion. The verse supporting his opinion is as it is written: “If fire breaks out” (Exodus 22:5), indicating that the fire breaks out on its own; yet the verse continues, “the one who ignited the fire shall pay,” indicating that the fire was ignited by a person. Conclude from the verse that one’s liability for the damage caused by his fire is due to its similarity to damage caused by his arrows, as the resolution of the apparent inconsistency in the verse is that it relates to the individual as if he had himself started the blaze, and that is why he is obligated to pay for the damage.
What I am trying to point out here is that הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ אֶת הַבְּעֵירָה taps into the ambiguous verse which I claim actually does talk about fire, not about sending forth grazing cattle. See my article about this, or my article summary, point #7.
Shabbat shalom!