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Bava Kamma
Daf 21bבְּעָלְמָא בּוֹר בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ פָּטוּר, וְשָׁאנֵי הָכָא דְּאָמַר: לָאו כָּל כְּמִינָךְ דִּמְקָרַבְתְּ לְהוּ לְפֵירוֹתָךְ לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים וּמְחַיְּיבַתְּ לְהוּ לְתוֹרַאי.
that usually, if one digs a pit within his own property and he then declares his property to be ownerless, he is exempt, as he dug the pit when the property was his. But here it is different, because here the owner of the animal can say to the owner of the produce: It is not all in your power to bring your produce close to the public domain and to also hold my ox liable for eating it.
וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: בְּעָלְמָא בּוֹר בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ חַיָּיב. דְּבִשְׁלָמָא בּוֹר, אִיכָּא לְמֵימַר לָאו אַדַּעְתֵּיהּ, אֶלָּא פֵּירוֹת מִי אִיכָּא לְמֵימַר לָאו אַדַּעְתֵּיהּ? הָא חָזֵי לְהוּ!
And Shmuel can say: Usually, if one digs a pit or creates an obstacle that can cause damage within his own property and he then declares his property to be ownerless, he is liable for any damage that is caused by the pit. As with regard to the pit, granted, it is possible to say that he was not aware, meaning the injured party was not thinking about the possibility that there may be a pit there that could cause him harm, and therefore the one who dug the pit is liable. But with regard to produce that is spread out over the ground, can it be said that the animal was not aware of it? It cannot be, because the animal sees the produce.
לֵימָא מַחֲזֶרֶת תַּנָּאֵי הִיא? דְּתַנְיָא: אָכְלָה מִתּוֹךְ הָרְחָבָה – מְשַׁלֶּמֶת מַה שֶּׁנֶּהֱנֵית, מִצִּידֵּי הָרְחָבָה – מְשַׁלֶּמֶת מַה שֶּׁהִזִּיקָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמְרִים: אֵין דַּרְכָּהּ לֶאֱכוֹל אֶלָּא לְהַלֵּךְ;
The Gemara suggests: Let us say that actually, the amoraic dispute about an animal that turns its head and eats produce at the side of the road is the subject of a dispute between tanna’im. As it is taught in a baraita: If an animal ate produce from the public square, the owner of the animal pays for the benefit that the animal derived; but if it ate from the sides of the public square, he pays for that which it damaged. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda. But Rabbi Yosei and Rabbi Elazar say: It is not typical for an animal to eat in the public domain but only to walk there. Consequently, the owner is liable.
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַיְינוּ תַּנָּא קַמָּא! אֶלָּא מַחֲזֶרֶת אִיכָּא בֵּינַיְיהוּ, תַּנָּא קַמָּא סָבַר: מַחֲזֶרֶת נַמִי מְשַׁלֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּהֱנֵית, וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי סָבַר: מְשַׁלֶּמֶת מַה שֶּׁהִזִּיקָה.
Initially, the Gemara understands Rabbi Yosei’s opinion as also referring to a situation in which the animal eats from the sides of the public square, and since this is so, it seems that the opinion of Rabbi Yosei is the same as that of the first tanna, Rabbi Meir, and the mishna presents their opinions as differing. Rather, it is clear that there is a difference between them with regard to a case in which the animal turns its head to eat. The first tanna holds that with regard to an animal that turns its head, the owner of the animal also pays for the benefit that the animal derived, while Rabbi Yosei holds that he pays for that which it damaged.
לָא, דְּכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא מַחֲזֶרֶת אִי כְּרַב אִי כִּשְׁמוּאֵל, וְהָכָא בְּ״בִעֵר בִּשְׂדֵה אַחֵר״ – קָא מִיפַּלְגִי, מָר סָבַר: ״וּבִעֵר בִּשְׂדֵה אַחֵר״ – וְלֹא בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, וּמָר סָבַר: ״וּבִעֵר בִּשְׂדֵה אַחֵר״ – וְלֹא בִּרְשׁוּת הַמַּזִּיק.
The Gemara rejects this: No, it is possible to say that everyone agrees about the halakha in the case of an animal that turns its head, either in accordance with the opinion of Rav or in accordance with the opinion of Shmuel. And here they disagree about the exemption inferred from the verse: “It consumed in the field of another” (Exodus 22:4), which renders the owner of an animal liable for damage classified as Eating. One Sage, Rabbi Meir, holds that only if it ate from private property is its owner liable, as the verse stating the owner’s liability means: “And it consumed in the field of another,” but not when it eats in the public domain. And one Sage, Rabbi Yosei, holds it means that even if it ate from the public domain its owner is liable, as the verse stating the owner’s liability means: “And it consumed in the field of another,” but not when it eats in the domain of the one responsible for the damage; only if the animal ate produce of another that was on the property of the animal’s owner, is its owner is exempt.
בִּרְשׁוּת הַמַּזִּיק?! לֵימָא: פֵּירָךְ בִּרְשׁוּתִי מַאי בָּעֵי! אֶלָּא, דְּאִילְפָא וְרַבִּי אוֹשַׁעֲיָא אִיכָּא בֵּינַיְיהוּ.
The Gemara challenges this: But not when it eats in the domain of the one responsible for the damage? What is the novelty in this statement? Let the owner of the animal say to the owner of the produce: What is your produce doing on my property? The owner would certainly not be liable if the produce is damaged in that case. Rather, it must be that the difference between them is with regard to the dispute between Ilfa
מתני׳ הַכֶּלֶב וְהַגְּדִי שֶׁקָּפְצוּ מֵרֹאשׁ הַגַּג וְשָׁבְרוּ אֶת הַכֵּלִים – מְשַׁלֵּם נֵזֶק שָׁלֵם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן מוּעָדִין. הַכֶּלֶב שֶׁנָּטַל חֲרָרָה וְהָלַךְ לַגָּדִישׁ, אָכַל הַחֲרָרָה וְהִדְלִיק הַגָּדִישׁ – עַל הַחֲרָרָה מְשַׁלֵּם נֵזֶק שָׁלֵם, וְעַל הַגָּדִישׁ מְשַׁלֵּם חֲצִי נֵזֶק.
With regard to a dog or a goat that jumped from a rooftop
גמ׳ טַעֲמָא דְּקָפְצוּ, הָא נָפְלוּ – פָּטוּר; אַלְמָא קָסָבַר: תְּחִלָּתוֹ בִּפְשִׁיעָה וְסוֹפוֹ בְּאוֹנֶס – פָּטוּר.
The Gemara infers from the mishna: The reason the owners must pay the full cost of the damage is because the animals jumped off the rooftop. This indicates that if they fell
תַּנְיָא נַמִי הָכִי: הַכֶּלֶב וְהַגְּדִי שֶׁקָּפְצוּ מֵרֹאשׁ הַגַּג וְשָׁבְרוּ אֶת הַכֵּלִים – מְשַׁלֵּם נֵזֶק שָׁלֵם, נָפְלוּ – פְּטוּרִין. הָנִיחָא לְמַאן דְּאָמַר תְּחִלָּתוֹ בִּפְשִׁיעָה וְסוֹפוֹ בְּאוֹנֶס – פָּטוּר, אֶלָּא לְמַאן דְּאָמַר חַיָּיב מַאי אִיכָּא לְמֵימַר?
The Gemara notes: This is also taught in a baraita: If a dog or a goat jumped from a rooftop and broke vessels while doing so, their owners must pay the full cost of the damage. If they fell from there, they are exempt from all liability. The Gemara asks: This works out well according to the one who says that if an incident begins with negligence and ends in an accident, the one who caused the damage is exempt, but according to the one who says that in such a case he is liable, what can be said? It seems that this baraita constitutes conclusive proof against that opinion.
כְּגוֹן דְּמִקַּרְבִי כֵּלִים לְגַבֵּי כּוֹתֶל, דְּכִי קָפְצִי בִּקְפִיצָה לָא נַפְלִי עֲלַיְיהוּ, וַאֲפִילּוּ תְּחִלָּתוֹ בִּפְשִׁיעָה לֵיכָּא.
The Gemara answers: The case in the baraita is a case where the vessels were brought close to the wall by their owners, so that when the animals jump off the rooftop in an ordinary leap they do not fall on top of them, and the vessels broke because the animal fell and didn’t jump. And since in an ordinary circumstance no damage should occur, this case does not even begin with negligence. Since the damage was caused by falling, the entire case is ruled an accident.
אֲמַר רַב זְבִיד מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרָבָא: פְּעָמִים שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ נָפְלוּ נַמִי חַיָּיב, מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לָהּ בְּכוֹתֶל רָעוּעַ. מַאי נִיהוּ? דְּאִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְאַסּוּקֵי דַּעְתָּא דְּנָפֵיל אָרְחֵי? סוֹף סוֹף לָא נְפַל אָרְחֵי וּנְפוֹל אִינְהוּ, תְּחִלָּתוֹ בִּפְשִׁיעָה וְסוֹפוֹ בְּאוֹנֶס הוּא! לָא צְרִיכָא, בְּכוֹתֶל צַר.
Rav Zevid said in the name of Rava: Sometimes one can be obligated to pay even in a case where the animals fell from the wall of their owner’s house. You find such a case where the wall was unstable, and the owner was negligent in allowing the animals to go up to the roof due to the danger of the wall collapsing. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for this? Is it because it should have occurred to him that bricks may fall from the wall and break the vessels? But ultimately, no bricks fell and instead the animals fell, so this is actually a case that begins with negligence and ends in an accident. The Gemara answers: No, it is necessary to state this halakha with regard to a case of a narrow wall, in which case it is clear that if when they climb up there they will fall, and that is why he is liable for the damage they cause by falling.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַכֶּלֶב וְהַגְּדִי שֶׁדִּלְּגוּ מִמַּטָּה לְמַעְלָה – פְּטוּרִין, מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה – חַיָּיבִין; אָדָם וְתַרְנְגוֹל שֶׁדִּלְּגוּ, בֵּין מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה בֵּין מִלְּמַטָּה לְמַעְלָה – חַיָּיבִין.
The Sages taught in a baraita: If a dog or a goat jumped from below to something that was above them and thereby caused damage, their owners are exempt,