More Discussions for this daf
1. Barrel, Pot, and Cup 2. sumchus
DAF DISCUSSIONS - BAVA BASRA 63

omri asked:

why does sumchus say these fractions? 1\2 pit 1\4 barrel 1\8 1\16 pitcher

omri, seattle

The Kollel replies:

Here is what we wrote in the Outline and Review Answers on the Daf, I hope it helps you.

Best wishes,

Kollel Iyun Hadaf

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Based on the Outline of the Daf-

(b) Question: What if he said 'Give him a portion of my

property'?

(c) Answer (Ravina bar Kisi - Beraisa - Sumchus): If Shimon

said 'give Ploni a portion in the pit [to water his fields]', he gets a quarter

(we are unsure if he gets half or an arbitrarily small

share); Sumchus says, since we are in doubt we divide;

'for the barrel' which means for filling a barrel to give his animals to

drink- an eighth [since a half of a pitful of water is needed to feed the animals

and we are unsure if he meant half of the half (a

quarter), or a small share and therefore we divide the

quarter in half]; 'for the pot [i.e. cooking]' - one part in 12 [since a sixth of a pit is needed for cooking]; 'for the

pitcher [i.e. for drinking]' - one part in 16 [since an eighth of a normal pit is needed for drinking].

Answers to review Questions-

(c) Sumchus, the author of this Beraisa, issues this ruling - in keeping with his own ruling in Bava Kama 'Mamon ha'Mutal be'Safek, Cholkin'. 'Ein Pachos me'Revi'a' implies - a little more than a quarter of the pit, because the Safek here is not whether the recipient receives a half or nothing, but a half or a small portion (e.g. a P'rutah's-worth). We divide the half and half because of this doubt, and give the buyer a quarter.

(d) Sumchus continues 'le'Chavis, Ein Pachos mi'Sheminis'. The significance of the eighth is - that a barrel would normally hold half the water in the pit (so the quarter of the pit of the previous case becomes an eighth).