Shor Rhymes With Bor (article preview)

Beginning Bava Kamma

Two bachurim were studying the opening Mishnah of Bava Kamma together in a Chofetz Chaim beit midrash. Yossi read “אַרְבָּעָה אֲבוֹת”, then stopped. “Wait. How can this Mishnah say that there are four avos, when we know that there are only three: Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov?” Shimmy thought for a moment, then said, “Well, if you just read the next word, you’ll see that it actually says אַרְבָּעָה אֲבוֹת נְזִיקִין, that there are four categories of damage.” Yossi scoffed and replied, “Don’t bring me proof from bekius!”

It’s sometimes worth it to slow down and carefully consider a Talmudic concept from multiple perspectives, even as we’re driven forward by the Daf Yomi schedule. Let us drill down into the אַרְבָּעָה אֲבוֹת נְזִיקִין. The Mishnah lists these as הַשּׁוֹר וְהַבּוֹר וְהַמַּבְעֶה וְהַהֶבְעֵר, the Ox, the Pit, the Mav’eh, and the Fire. Others make other lists not  – a brayta lists four categories related to an ox, namely הַקֶּרֶן וְהַשֵּׁן וְהָרֶגֶל, the Horn, the Tooth, and the Foot. Further, the Mishnah’s categories aren’t entirely clear-cut. Rav explains that Mav’eh is Man as damager, while Shmuel explains it as Tooth (3b). Similarly (4a), it’s unclear what Ox refers to. Rav Yehuda explains that, for Shmuel, Ox refers to Goring, while Rava explains that, for Shmuel, Ox refers to Foot.

Rav Herschel Schachter posed the following question in shiur: The Mishnah was written / redacted by Rabbi (Yehuda HaNasi), and he presumably had a specific intent when he said Mav’eh. Also, Rav and Shmuel both studied from Rabbi in Israel. When Rabbi studied this Mishnah with them, did he explain it as Man or as Tooth?