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Bava Batra
Daf 159bאֲבָל לְעִנְיַן דִּינָא לָא?
but with regard to the halakha it does not indicate anything?
וְהָתַנְיָא: נָפַל הַבַּיִת עָלָיו וְעַל אָבִיו, עָלָיו וְעַל מוֹרִישָׁיו, וְהָיְתָה עָלָיו כְּתוּבַּת אִשָּׁה וּבַעַל חוֹב, יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב אוֹמְרִים: הַבֵּן מֵת רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת הָאָב, וּבַעַל חוֹב אוֹמֵר: הָאָב מֵת רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת הַבֵּן;
But isn’t it taught in the mishna (157a): A house collapsed on a son and upon his father, or upon a certain person and upon those from whom he stands to inherit, and it is unknown who died first. If the son bore the responsibility to pay the marriage contract of his wife and to pay a creditor, and the son had no money with which to pay them except that which he might inherit from his father, and the father’s heirs say: The son died first and afterward the father died, and therefore the son did not inherit property from his father, and the creditor says: The father died first and afterward the son died, there is a dispute as to the halakha. The son therefore inherited his father’s property, and his creditor has a lien upon the property, enabling him to collect payment from the property even after the son’s death.
מַאי לָאו יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב – בְּנֵי, מוֹרִישָׁיו – אַחֵי; וְאִי סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ לָא מָצֵי אָמַר ״מִכֹּחַ אֲבוּהּ דְּאַבָּא קָאָתִינָא״, דְּכִי כְּתִיב ״תַּחַת אֲבֹתֶיךָ יִהְיוּ בָנֶיךָ״ – בִּבְרָכָה כְּתִיב, כִּי מֵת הַבֵּן וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת הָאָב מַאי הָוֵי? נֵימָא לְהוּ בַּעַל חוֹב: יְרוּשַּׁת אֲבוּהוֹן קָא שָׁקֵילְנָא!
What, is it not correct to explain that the father’s heirs are the son’s sons, and the term: Those from whom he stands to inherit, is referring to the deceased son’s brothers?
לָא, יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב – אֶחָיו, מוֹרִישָׁיו – אַחֵי דַּאֲבוּהּ.
The Gemara rejects this explanation: No, the father’s heirs are the deceased son’s brothers, who certainly inherit from their father directly, and the term: Those from whom he stands to inherit, is referring to the deceased son’s father’s brothers. Therefore, one cannot derive from the mishna that a grandson inherits from his grandfather directly.
בָּעוּ מִינֵּיהּ מֵרַב שֵׁשֶׁת: בֵּן מַהוּ שֶׁיִּירַשׁ אֶת אִמּוֹ בַּקֶּבֶר לְהַנְחִיל לָאַחִין מִן הָאָב? אֲמַר לְהוּ רַב שֵׁשֶׁת, תְּנֵיתוּהָ: הָאָב שֶׁנִּשְׁבָּה וּמֵת בְּנוֹ בַּמְּדִינָה, וּבֵן שֶׁנִּשְׁבָּה וּמֵת אָבִיו בַּמְּדִינָה – יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב וְיוֹרְשֵׁי הַבֵּן יַחֲלוֹקוּ;
§ The Sages raised a dilemma before Rav Sheshet: What is the halakha with regard to a son inheriting from his mother while he is in the grave, in order to bequeath that inheritance to his paternal brothers? If a son dies, and afterward his mother dies, does the deceased son inherit from his mother, and subsequently bequeath the inheritance to his paternal brothers, who are not related to the mother? Rav Sheshet said to them: You learned it in a baraita: Consider the case of a father who was taken captive and died in captivity, and his son died in the province, i.e., at home, and consider the case of a son who was taken captive and died, and his father died in the province. Since it is not known who died first, the father’s heirs and the son’s heirs divide the inheritance.
הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? אִילֵימָא כִּדְקָתָנֵי – הֵי נִינְהוּ יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב וְהֵי נִינְהוּ יוֹרְשֵׁי הַבֵּן? אֶלָּא לָאו הָכִי קָאָמַר: אָב שֶׁנִּשְׁבָּה וּמֵת בֶּן בִּתּוֹ בַּמְּדִינָה, וּבֶן בִּתּוֹ שֶׁנִּשְׁבָּה וּמֵת אֲבִי אִמּוֹ בַּמְּדִינָה, וְלָא יָדְעִינַן הֵי מִינַּיְיהוּ מִית בְּרֵישָׁא – יוֹרְשֵׁי הָאָב וְיוֹרְשֵׁי הַבֵּן יַחֲלוֹקוּ;
The Gemara asks: What are the circumstances of the case? If we say that the case is as the baraita teaches, the baraita is difficult. Who are the father’s heirs
וְאִם אִיתָא, נְהִי נַמִי דְּבֵן מֵת בְּרֵישָׁא, לֵירְתֵיהּ לַאֲבוּהּ דְּאִמֵּיהּ בְּקִבְרֵיהּ וְלֵירְתִינְהוּ לַאֲחוּהּ מִן אֲבוּהּ! אֶלָּא לָאו שְׁמַע מִינָּהּ: אֵין הַבֵּן יוֹרֵשׁ אֶת אִמּוֹ בַּקֶּבֶר לְהַנְחִיל לָאַחִין מֵאָב.
And if it is so that a son inherits from his mother while in the grave, although the son indeed died first, he should inherit from his mother’s father while in his grave and bequeath his inheritance to his paternal brothers, and the son’s heirs should receive the entire inheritance. Rather, isn’t it correct to conclude from the baraita that the son does not inherit from his mother while in the grave in order to bequeath that inheritance to his paternal brothers?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב אַחָא בַּר מִנְיוּמִי לְאַבַּיֵי, אַף אֲנַן נַמִי תָּנֵינָא: נָפַל הַבַּיִת עָלָיו וְעַל אִמּוֹ – אֵלּוּ וְאֵלּוּ מוֹדִים שֶׁיַּחֲלוֹקוּ; וְאִם אִיתָא, נְהִי נַמִי דְּבֵן מֵת בְּרֵישָׁא, לֵירְתֵיהּ לְאִמֵּיהּ בְּקִבְרֵיהּ וְלֵירְתוּ אִינְהוּ לְאַחֵי מֵאֲבוּהּ! אֶלָּא לָאו שְׁמַע מִינָּהּ: אֵין הַבֵּן יוֹרֵשׁ אֶת אִמּוֹ בַּקֶּבֶר לְהַנְחִיל לָאַחִין מִן הָאָב, שְׁמַע מִינָּהּ.
Rav Aḥa bar Minyumi said to Abaye: We learn this halakha in the mishna (158b) as well: If the house collapsed on a son and upon his mother, both these Sages and those Sages, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, concede that the son’s heirs and the mother’s heirs divide the property between them. And if it is so that a son inherits from his mother while in the grave, although the son indeed died first, he should inherit from his mother while in his grave and they should inherit from him, i.e., he should bequeath his inheritance to his paternal brothers. Rather, isn’t it correct to conclude from that mishna that the son does not inherit from his mother while in the grave in order to bequeath that inheritance to his paternal brothers? The Gemara affirms: Conclude from the mishna that this is so.
TOSAFOT
אמר ליה רב אחא בר מניומי תא שמע נפל הבית עליו ועל אמו כו׳ תימה רב ששת אמאי לא מייתי לה למתני׳ והלא פשוט הוא ועוד דאיהו גופיה אמר לעיל בפרק יש נוחלין (בבא בתרא דף קיד:) האשה את בנה הא קמ״ל אשה את בנה דומיא דאשה את בעלה מה אשה את בעלה כו׳ אף אשה את בנה אין הבן יורש את אמו בקבר להנחיל לאחין מן האב ואומר רבי דמשום דהך ברייתא משבשתא היא הביאה והיה רוצה לתרצה. מ״ר:
וְטַעֲמָא מַאי? אָמַר אַבַּיֵי: נֶאֶמְרָה סִיבָּה בְּבֵן וְנֶאֶמְרָה סִיבָּה בְּבַעַל, מַה סִיבָּה הָאֲמוּרָה בְּבַעַל – אֵין הַבַּעַל יוֹרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ בַּקֶּבֶר, אַף סִיבָּה הָאֲמוּרָה בְּבֵן – אֵין הַבֵּן יוֹרֵשׁ אֶת אִמּוֹ בַּקֶּבֶר לְהַנְחִיל לָאַחִין מִן הָאָב.
And what is the reason
TOSAFOT
אשה את בעלה אין הבעל יורש את אשתו כשהיא בקבר לעיל בפ׳ יש נוחלין (בבא בתרא דף קיד: ד״ה מה אשה) פי׳ להך מילתא מנין דבעל אינו יורש את אשתו כשהיא בקבר:
הַהוּא דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ לְחַבְרֵיהּ: ״נִכְסֵי דְּבַר סִיסִין מְזַבְּנִינָא לָךְ״. הֲוַאי חֲדָא אַרְעָא דַּהֲוָה מִיקַּרְיָא ״דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין״, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָא לָאו דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין הִיא, וְאִיקַּרוּיֵי הוּא דְּמִיקַּרְיָא ״דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין״.
§ There was a certain person who said to another: I am selling to you all of the property that I own of bar Sisin.
TOSAFOT
ההוא דא״ל לחבריה נכסי דבר סיסין כו׳ משום דאיירי הכא בנכסים בחזקת מי הם אייתי ההיא עובדא דמיירי בה נמי לאוקומה נכסי בחזקת לוקח ובחזקת מוכר מיהו תימה היא שמביאו הגמרא שני פעמים במסכת אחת כאן ובחזקת הבתים (לעיל בבא בתרא דף ל.):
אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב נַחְמָן, אוֹקְמָהּ בִּידָא דְּלוֹקֵחַ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא לְרַב נַחְמָן: דִּינָא הָכִי? הַמּוֹצִיא מֵחֲבֵירוֹ עָלָיו הָרְאָיָה! וְרָמֵי דְּרָבָא אַדְּרָבָא, וּדְרַב נַחְמָן אַדְּרַב נַחְמָן;
The matter came before Rav Naḥman, and he placed the land in the possession of the buyer. Rava said to Rav Naḥman: Is this the halakha? The halakha is that the burden of proof rests upon the claimant, which in this case is the buyer. And the Gemara raises a contradiction between this statement of Rava and another statement of Rava, and between this statement of Rav Naḥman and another statement of Rav Naḥman.
דְּהַהוּא דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ לְחַבְרֵיהּ: מַאי בָּעֵית בְּהַאי בֵּיתָא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִינָּךְ זְבִינְתָהּ וַאֲכָלִית שְׁנֵי חֲזָקָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֲנָא בִּשְׁכוּנֵי גַּוָּאֵי הֲוַאי;
The Gemara explains the contradictions. There was a certain man who said to another: What do you want, i.e., what are you doing, with this house of mine? He said to the claimant: I purchased it from you and I worked and profited from it for the years necessary for establishing the presumption of ownership. The claimant said to him: I was traveling among the settlements in a distant location, and I was unaware that you were residing in my house, which is why I did not lodge a protest.
אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב נַחְמָן, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: זִיל בְּרוֹר אֲכִילָתָךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא לְרַב נַחְמָן: דִּינָא הָכִי? הַמּוֹצִיא מֵחֲבֵירוֹ עָלָיו הָרְאָיָה! קַשְׁיָא דְּרָבָא אַדְּרָבָא, וּדְרַב נַחְמָן אַדְּרַב נַחְמָן!
The one residing in the house came before Rav Naḥman for a judgment. Rav Naḥman said to him: Go clarify your profiting,
דְּרָבָא אַדְּרָבָא לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָכָא מוֹכֵר קָאֵי בְּנִכְסֵיהּ, הָתָם לוֹקֵחַ קָאֵי בְּנִכְסֵיהּ.
The Gemara answers: The apparent contradiction between the first statement of Rava and the second statement of Rava is not difficult. Here, with regard to the property of bar Sisin, the seller stands in possession of his property, and the buyer claims the parcel of land from him. There, the buyer stands in possession of his property, since he dwells in the house, and the seller wishes to evict him.
דְּרַב נַחְמָן אַדְּרַב נַחְמָן לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָכָא, כֵּיוָן דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ ״דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין״ וּמִיקַּרְיָא ״דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין״ – עֲלֵיהּ דִּידֵיהּ רַמְיָא לְגַלּוּיֵי דְּלָאו דְּבֵי בַּר סִיסִין הִיא. הָכָא, לֹא יְהֵא אֶלָּא דְּנָקֵיט שְׁטָרָא, מִי לָא אָמְרִינַן לֵיהּ: קַיֵּים שְׁטָרָךְ וְקוּם בְּנִכְסֵי? הדרן עלך מי שמת
The contradiction between one statement of Rav Naḥman and the other statement of Rav Naḥman is not difficult as well, because there, since the seller said to him: I am hereby selling you all of the property that I own of the house of bar Sisin, and this parcel of land is called: Of the house of bar Sisin, it is incumbent on him to reveal that it is not of the house of bar Sisin. But here, in the case where the claimant states that he had been in a distant location, it should not be considered as any case other than one where the possessor is holding a document as evidence that he purchased the house. Wouldn’t we then say to him: First ratify your document, and only then be established as the owner of the property?
SUMMARY
Several fundamental issues were discussed in this chapter. With regard to the division of the estate of the deceased between the sons and the daughters, the Gemara says that when the estate is large, the sons inherit it, and they are required to provide the daughters with sustenance out of their inheritance. If the estate is insufficiently large to provide for both the sons and the daughters, the daughters’ claim takes precedence over the sons’ claim, since their right to sustenance is based on the stipulations of the marriage contract. The daughters are therefore provided with sustenance from the estate, while the sons are required to provide for themselves. A tumtum, whose sexual organs are indeterminate, is unable to prove his claim either to the rights of a son or to the rights of a daughter. The tumtum is therefore excluded from receiving the inheritance of the sons in the case of a large estate and the sustenance of the daughters in the case of a small estate. The tumtum is still a child of the deceased and inherits from the father if there is no other child. The Gemara examined the related issue of the legal status of a fetus. It concluded that a fetus is not considered a legal person and cannot acquire property. There is one exception to this principle: One can transfer ownership of his property to his own unborn child. When some of the heirs are adults and others are minors, the income from and expenditures spent due to the inheritance are divided equally between the heirs until the property is divided. This also applies to profits or losses incurred by one of the brothers due to the honor of the family and social obligations such as the gifts of groomsmen. The adult sons may declare at the outset that they intend to engage in business, enhancing the property for themselves. Furthermore, if the property was enhanced due to the efforts or expenditure of the adult sons, in any event the enhancement belongs entirely to the adult sons. The same applies with regard to a wife who inherited her husband’s property. The Sages instituted that a person on his deathbed can transfer ownership of his property by verbal instruction, without performing a formal act of acquisition. This was instituted due to the concern that the sick person’s condition might be exacerbated by the anxiety and anguish caused by his inability to ensure the implementation of his will. The Gemara’s conclusion is that the gift of a person on his deathbed bestowed by verbal instruction is valid whether it was bestowed on a weekday or on Shabbat. With regard to several matters the gifts of a person on his deathbed have the legal status of inheritance, e.g., the transfer of ownership is effected only when the giver dies. The Sages distinguish between several forms of gifts of a person on his deathbed. If a person on his deathbed transfers the ownership of all his property, his gift has the legal status of a gift of a person on his deathbed, and if he recovers he can retract the gift. Furthermore, during his illness he can retract the gift or transfer it to another, and the last instruction that he issues takes effect. If a person on his deathbed transfers the ownership of only some of his property, reserving part of his property for himself, his gift does not have the status of the gift of a person on his deathbed, and he cannot retract the gift even if he recovers. If the person on his deathbed clearly indicates that he is bestowing the gift due to his expectation of imminent death, his gift has the status of the gift of a person on his deathbed, even if he transfers ownership of only some of his property. The chapter concluded with several discussions pertaining to the division of inheritance in cases where two relatives died under circumstances that rendered it impossible to ascertain which of them died first. If a son and his father died under such circumstances, the father’s heirs inherit the property, even if the son owed money to creditors. If the heirs of the two relatives are not the same individuals, e.g., in the case of a mother and son who died, the property is inherited by the heirs whose status is certain. If a husband and wife died under such circumstances, the sum of the marriage contract is inherited by the husband’s heirs, the usufruct property is inherited by the wife’s heirs, and the guaranteed property is divided between them.