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REVIEW QUESTIONS ON GEMARA AND RASHI

prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem

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Bava Metzia 52

BAVA METZIA 51-55 - Mrs. Estanne Abraham-Fawer has dedicated two weeks of Dafyomi study material to honor the second Yahrzeit of her father, Reb Mordechai ben Eliezer Zvi (Weiner, who passed away 18 Teves 5761). May the merit of supporting and advancing the study of the Talmud be l'Iluy Nishmaso.

1)

(a) How do we reconcile our Mishnah, which gives the Shiur of a deficient Sela as *not* constituting Ona'ah, with the Beraisa which gives the same Shiur as constituting Ona'ah? Is the specified Shiur Ona'ah or not?

(b) What apparent discrepancy is there between our Mishnah and the Mishnah which discusses the Shiur of Ona'ah by an object?

(c) Rabah establishes the author of the latter as Rebbi Shimon.
How does Abaye reconcile the two Mishnahs, even if the author of that Mishnah is Rebbi Meir or Rebbi Yehudah?

(d) What is the meaning of the adage 'Ashik le'Gabach, ve'Shavi li'K'reisach'?

2)
(a) At what price does one assess a slightly deficient coin that is not subject to Ona'ah?

(b) At which point may one no longer retain a deficient Sela?

(c) Why the difference between a deficient Sela that is the size of a Shekel and one that is less?

3)
(a) The Beraisa permits retaining a Dinar until it reaches a quarter.
Why does Abaye interpret this as a quarter of a Shekel (and not of a Dinar)?

(b) How does Rava extrapolate this from the word 'Rova'?

(c) Why does the Tana find it necessary to present the deficient Dinar as a fraction of a Shekel?

(d) This proves a statement of Rebbi Ami.
What did Rebbi Ami say about a Dinar that comes from ...

  1. ... a Shekel?
  2. ... a Sela?
4)
(a) What can one do with a coin that has reached the stage of 'K'dei Ona'ah'?

(b) One may not however, sell it to a merchant, to a 'Charam or to a Harag. Why not?

(c) A Harag is a murderer.
What is 'a Charam'?

5)
(a) The Beraisa adds 'Pachos mi'Ch'dei Isar, Asur'.
Why can this not mean that if a Sela depreciated to more than an Isar less than a Shekel, or a Dinar to more than an Isar less than half a Dinar?

(b) So Abaye establishes the Beraisa when it depreciated to an Isar more than K'dei Ona'ah (according to the respective opinions of Rebbi Meir and Rebbi Yehudah).
What is the Beraisa then coming to teach us?

(c) What problem does Rava have with this explanation?

(d) So how does Rava explain the Beraisa? Who will then be the author?

6)
(a) Another Beraisa states that if one designated a depreciated Sela to use as a weight, it becomes subject to Tum'ah.
Why is that?

(b) As long as it depreciated up to two Dinrim and no more, the owner is permitted to keep it, as we learned earlier.
What must he do should it depreciate further?

(c) According to Rav Huna, if it depreciate less than that, he also cuts it in half.
What does Rebbi Ami say?

Answers to questions

52b---------------------------------------52b

7)

(a) We learned in the Beraisa on the previous Amud, 'Yeser al Kein Mochrah be'Shavyah'.
How will Rav Huna interpret this?

(b) The same Tana continues 'Ad Kamah Tipaches vi'Yehei Rashai le'Kaymah? be'Sela ad Shekel'.
According to Rav Huna, why does it not become forbidden to retain before it reaches the Shiur of a Shekel?

(c) Another Beraisa forbids using a forbidden coin as a weight or throwing it on to the pile of broken silver vessels.
What else does the Tana prohibit doing with it?

(d) What else can he do with it besides grinding it down or cutting it up?

8) How does Rebbi Elazar (who, according to some, is quoted by Rav Huna) reconcile the latter Beraisa with the Beraisa that we learned earlier, permitting the use of such a coin as a necklace for one's son or daughter?

9)

(a) In view of the current Mishnah, what problem do we have with the earlier Mishnah, which gives the purchaser time to show the article to a merchant to retract?

(b) Abaye establishes that Mishnah by a Tallis in a town.
What will be the Din regarding a Tallis in a village?

(c) What does Rava say? Why does he not differentiate by a Tallis between a town and a village?

10)
(a) We learned in our Mishnah that if the purchaser recognized the coin then he should accept it even after twelve months.
What is the problem with this statement?

(b) Rav Chisda therefore explains that our Mishnah is coming to teach Midas Chasidus (that it is a good thing to return it, but not that he is obligated to do so).
What problem do we have with this from the Seifa 'Ein Lo Alav Ela Tar'umos'?

(c) Then what *does* the Tana mean?

11)
(a) What does Rav Papa extrapolate from our Mishnah, which talks about a Nefesh Ra'ah?

(b) This corroborates Chizkiyah, who says 'Ba le'Portah, Portah be'Shavyah. Ba le'Chalelah, Mechalelah be'Yafah'.
What does 'Ba le'Portah Partah be'Shavya' mean?

(c) Why can this not be an intrinsic Chidush?

(d) Then what is Chizkiyah coming to each us?

12)
(a) What do we mean when we ask 'Lemeimra de'Savar Chizkiyah de'Mezalzelin be'Ma'aser Sheini'? What does 'Mezalzelin' mean?

(b) What does Chizkiyah say about Ma'aser Sheini that is worth less than a P'rutah?

(c) And he concludes 'le'Fi she'I Efshar le'Adam le'Tzamtzem Ma'osav'.
What does he mean? How does this pose a Kashya on his first statement?

(d) How do we then explain 'Mechalehah be'Yafah', to reconcile the two statements of Chizkiyah?

13) And what do we mean when we say 'T'rei Zilzulei Lo Mezalzelinan'?

Answers to questions

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