Continuing on Bava Batra daf 63a. Yesteday we saw Ravya bar Kisi, rather than the printed text’s Ravina bar Kisi, made a statement. we read about cisterns and smaller containers, and even smaller containers, of which a “portion” / chelek is granted.
אָמַר רָבִינָא בַּר קִיסִי, תָּא שְׁמַע: דְּתַנְיָא, הָאוֹמֵר: ״תְּנוּ חֵלֶק לִפְלוֹנִי בְּבוֹר״ – סוֹמְכוֹס אוֹמֵר: אֵין פָּחוֹת מֵרְבִיעַ. ״לְחָבִית״ – אֵין פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁמִינִית. ״לִקְדֵרָה״ – אֵין פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁנֵים עָשָׂר. ״לְטָפִיחַ״ – אֵין פָּחוֹת מִשִּׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר.
Ravina bar Kisi said: Come and hear a proof concerning the halakha in this case, as it is taught in a baraita: With regard to one who says: Give so-and-so a portion of my cistern for his water needs, Sumakhos says: He must give him not less than one-quarter of the water in the cistern. If he qualifies his words and says: Give so-and-so a portion of my cistern’s water for his barrel, he must give him not less than one-eighth of the water. If he says: Give him a portion for his pot, he must give him not less than one-twelfth of the water. And if he says: Give him for his cup, he must give him not less than one-sixteenth of the water. In any event, this baraita indicates that the unqualified phrase: Give so-and-so a portion, should be understood to mean: Give him one-quarter.
It seems remarkably strange that one would convey a sixteenth of a cup of water, and that they are arguing about how big that portion size should be.
Therefore, as Rashbam notes, some say that we are dealing with a different liquid, namely wine.
בבור - של מים מכונסים ואית דמוקמי לה בבור של יין ולא נהירא:
Writing on the initial case, bevor, he says that it means a cistern of water. And some say we are dealing with a cistern of wine, but this is not compelling.
I understand what’s motivating those others - namely, water is so inexpensive. And I understand what’s bothering Rashbam. Who ever heard of a wine cistern? (If you Google the phrase, you’ll see one red wine cistern that ruptured in Sicily.
But that is likely a translation from non-native English speakers. So too, a wine-cistern is indeed a thing, but it is a vessel of cold water in which you immerse your wine bottle to keep it chilled.
It is decidedly not a bor or a dut filled with wine.
Yet, I will argue with Rashbam. Indeed, a bor of wine is not something you would expect. How about a kur, which is a volume measure, of wine? Thus,
בכור turned to בבור since it looks so similar, and we keep discussing a bor vedut.
Now, it may be strange to have kur as a liquid volume measure, but much less so than a wine pit.