## Bava Batra Daf 101a

###### Bava Batra 101a:1
[Bava Batra 101a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:1)

וְרׇחְבָּן שִׁשָּׁה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**and their width** is **six** handbreadths.


###### Bava Batra 101a:2
[Bava Batra 101a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:2)

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: עוֹשֶׂה תּוֹכָהּ שֶׁל מְעָרָה שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת עַל שְׁמוֹנֶה, וּפוֹתֵחַ לְתוֹכָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר כּוּךְ – אַרְבָּעָה מִכָּאן, וְאַרְבָּעָה מִכָּאן, וּשְׁלֹשָׁה מִכְּנֶגְדָּן, וְאֶחָד מִימִין הַפֶּתַח, וְאֶחָד מִן הַשְּׂמֹאל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Shimon says: He should construct the inside of** each burial **chamber six cubits** wide **by eight** cubits long **and open up into** the chamber, by digging into its walls, **thirteen** burial **niches. Four** niches should be opened up **from** the wall **here,** along the length of the chamber, **and four from there,** along the other side, **and three** niches **from** the wall **facing** the entrance, **and one from the right of the entrance and** another **one from the left.**


###### Bava Batra 101a:3
[Bava Batra 101a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:3)

וְעוֹשֶׂה חָצֵר עַל פִּי הַמְּעָרָה שֵׁשׁ עַל שֵׁשׁ, כִּמְלֹא הַמִּטָּה וְקוֹבְרֶיהָ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mishna describes the general structure of the catacomb: **And he** must **fashion a courtyard at the entrance of the** burial **chamber** that should be **six** cubits **by six** cubits, which is **equal to the** combined **length** of **the bier** of the deceased **and those who bury him,** to ensure adequate room for the burial to take place.


###### Bava Batra 101a:4
[Bava Batra 101a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:4)

וּפוֹתֵחַ לְתוֹכָהּ שְׁתֵּי מְעָרוֹת – אַחַת מִכָּאן וְאַחַת מִכָּאן. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: אַרְבַּע לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹתֶיהָ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And he** should **open up two** burial **chambers into** the courtyard, **one from here and one from there,** i.e., on opposite sides of the courtyard. **Rabbi Shimon says:** He should open up **four** burial chambers, one **on** each of the courtyard’s **four sides.**


###### Bava Batra 101a:5
[Bava Batra 101a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:5)

רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: הַכֹּל לְפִי הַסֶּלַע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Everything** is **dependent on** the nature of **the bedrock.** If the bedrock is hard and strong it will be able to accommodate more niches, which will be more closely packed together, with less bedrock between them. If the bedrock is softer, fewer and more sparsely spaced niches should be formed.


###### Bava Batra 101a:6
[Bava Batra 101a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:6)

**גְּמָ׳** הָנֵי תְּרֵי לְהֵיכָא שָׁדֵי לְהוּ? אִי לְבָרַאי – הָא קָמִיתַּדְשִׁי לְהוּ! וְתוּ, הָא תְּנַן: חֲצַר הַקֶּבֶר, הָעוֹמֵד בְּתוֹכוֹ – טָהוֹר!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** In Rabbi Shimon’s depiction of a burial chamber, he states that two niches should be opened up, one from the right of the entrance and one from the left. The Gemara asks: **These two** niches, **in which** direction **does he set them? If** they are directed **toward the outside** of the chamber, i.e., under the floor of the courtyard, **won’t** people **trample** over **them** when they enter the courtyard, which is improper? **And furthermore, didn’t we learn** in the mishna (*Oholot* 15:8): With regard to **the courtyard of a catacomb, one who stands inside it** is **ritually pure** because it can be presumed that he did not stand over a dead body? Clearly, these niches are not to be dug underneath the courtyard.


###### Bava Batra 101a:7
[Bava Batra 101a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:7)

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא: דְּעָבֵיד לְהוּ כְּמִין נֶגֶר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: He makes** these two niches at the side of the entrance, vertically, **like a door bolt.**


###### Bava Batra 101a:8
[Bava Batra 101a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/101a:8)

וְהָא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara challenges this explanation: **But doesn’t Rabbi Yoḥanan say** with regard to the burial of people in a vertical position: