More Discussions for this daf
1. Afrazta 2. Rights of sleeping person to prevent activity 3. A Nochri Metzora
4. ROMBUS/RHOMBUS 5. אבר ובשר המדולדלין 6. אין מלח מקבל טומאה
DAF DISCUSSIONS - BAVA BASRA 20

Boruch Kahan London asked:

There seems to be on Bovo Basra Daf Kaf Omud Aleph a number of what you could strange Heichah Timtzos that the Gemoro comes up with to not have a Kasha on Shmuel which in itself might need a Biur(I would not say I'm a Boki in Shas but I dont think I've ever come across so many "interesting" Ukimtos in one omud!).

When the Gemoro comes to discuss the case of The Avodas Coychovim stuck in the window to not allow the Tumah to pass through it makes an Ukimtoh of an Avoidas Coychovim being a Metzora .How is that Shayach I thought the idea/concept of Metzora Lefi the Ramban in Parshas Metzora and Stam the Mashmoos of the Rishonim is that it only applies to Yidden Hagam we know Mefurash that Paroh Melech Mitzraim and Naamon with Elisha were Metzoroim surely that is not the same as what the Gemoro is talking about.

Any Comments?

Shkoyach, Boruch Kahan, London England

The Kollel replies:

1.

(a) The Metzi'us of Metzora occurs with Nochrim as well. In other words, they also suffer from Tzara'as. It is only the Halachos that do not apply to them, as stated in the Mishnah in Nega'im (3:1) that Nochrim do not recive the Tum'ah of Nega'im of Metzora.

(b) The Gemara in Bava Basra (20a) refers to the physical condition of Tzara'as suffered by a Nochri. The Gemara is looking for an Ukimta that the Nochri will not be removed from the window and therefore can block off the Tum'ah. The Gemara says that the Nochri is tied up and is therefore unable to move away, but then it questions this that his friend will come along and untie him. To refute this possibility, the Gemara makes an ukimta that the Nochri is also a Metzora, and therefore nobody will come along and untie him because everyone is afraid of contracting this infectious disease from the Metzora. It is clear, then, that Nochrim suffered from the infectious disease of Tzara'as, even though the Halachos of Metzora do not apply to Nochrim (but that is not relevant to the discussion in the Gemara).

2.

(a) Just one or two brief comments about seemingly strange "Heichi Timza"'s in the Gemara. See Tosfos in Kesuvos (4b, DH Ad) who discusses using an animal as the cover of a coffin. Tosfos writes that this is not a normal thing to do, but nevertheless we find a number of unusual things which are mentioned in Shas. Tosfos writes that the reason for this is "Lidrosh u'Lekabel Sachar" -- the more Torah we learn, the more reward we receive for studying it, even though some of the examples mentioned are very unlikely.

(b) There is another important idea mentioned in the Rishonim on this subject. This may not be so relevant to the Gemara in Bava Basra, but it can help us understand other seemingly strange Gemaros. This is found in the Rosh in Chulin (8:27). The Rosh comments on the Gemara in Chulin (beginning of 111a) that says that one of the Amora'im served to his guests the windpipe of an animal together with the lungs, heart, and liver, which had all been cooked together. This sounds like an odd thing to do, but the Rosh writes that the way of the Amora'im was to do unusual and vivid examples in order to demonstrate to their Talmidim what the Halachah is. (In this case, they were teaching Halachos concerning how to remove blood from the meat before eating it.)

May we be Zocheh to the Binyan Beis ha'Mikdash and Ge'ulah Sheleimah.

Kol Tuv,

Dovid Bloom