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Bava Basra 101

BAVA BASRA 101-105 - Sponsored by a generous grant from an anonymous donor. Kollel Iyun Hadaf is indebted to him for his encouragement and support and prays that Hashem will repay him in kind.

1) BURIAL CAVES

(a) (Mishnah): If one sold a place for or accepts to build a burial cave, the interior of the cave must be four Amos by six Amos;
1. He hollows out eight Kuchin (places for coffins) from the interior, three on each long side, and two on the short side opposite the entrance.
2. Each Kuch is four Amos long, seven Tefachim high, and six Tefachim wide.
(b) R. Shimon says, the cave must be six Amos by eight Amos;
1. He hollows out 13 Kuchin, 4 on each long side, three on the short side opposite the entrance, and two by the entrance, one on each side.
(c) He builds a courtyard on top of the cave, six Amos by six Amos, enough for the coffin and the people carrying it.
(d) He builds two caves in opposite directions (from the entrance);
(e) R. Shimon says, he builds four caves, one in each direction;
(f) R. Shimon ben Gamliel says, he builds according to the hardness of the ground.
(g) (Gemara) Question: According to R. Shimon, how are the two Kuchin near the entrance positioned?
1. Suggestion: They face out (from the interior).
2. Objection #1: This is under the courtyard (the weight of the people carrying the coffin might make it cave in)!
3. Objection #2 - (Mishnah): One who stands in the courtyard on top of a burial cave is Tahor, and if there are corpses buried under the courtyard one who enters should be Tamei.
(h) Answer #1 (R. Yosi b'Rebbi Chanina): They are vertical
(i) Question: But R. Yochanan taught, one buries a donkey (but not people) by dropping it in a pit!
101b---------------------------------------101b

(j) Answer #2: According to R. Yochanan, they go out from the corners opposite the entrance (picture 'Aleph' in Rashbam).
1. Question: (We assume that there is one Amah between Kuchim on each side, and half an Amah free from the last Kuch until the corner.) There is (the diagonal of a square whose side is a half Amah, which is) less than an Amah free in the corner - the Kuch (whose width is an Amah) overlaps other Kuchim!
2. Answer (Rav Ashi): The corner Kuchim are above or below the ones on the sides.
3. Support: We must say so according to R. Shimon regarding the Kuchim nearest the entrance in adjacent directions, otherwise they overlap (picture 'Beis' in Rashbam) - we can say the same about those in the corners.
4. Objection (Rav Huna brei d'Rav Yehoshua): No, we can say that the Kuchim on the sides (do not extend straight out, rather, they extend on a diagonal (picture 'Aleph' in Rashbam), therefore they do not overlap those of the adjacent direction.
5. Rejection: This is wrong! The diagonal of a square is seven fifths the length of a side; the long side of the cave is eight Amos, so the line between corners of adjacent directions is seven fifths of this, i.e. 11 Amos and a fifth;
i. This is not enough for eight Kuchim (along the two long sides) and the seven spaces between them (each is an Amah, and all of these must cross this line)!
(k) Answer #3: We answer like Rav Shisha brei d'Rav Idi answered elsewhere, he found Nefalim (miscarriages);
1. Here also, the Kuchin near the entrance are for Nefalim (they are in the free space on the long side, and are very small).
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