## Bava Batra Daf 156b

###### Bava Batra 156b:1
[Bava Batra 156b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:1)

אָמְרוּ לוֹ: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאִמָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי רוֹכֵל שֶׁהָיְתָה חוֹלָה, וְאָמְרָה: ״תְּנוּ כְּבִינְתִּי לְבִתִּי, וְהִיא בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מָנֶה״, וּמֵתָה, וְקִיְּימוּ אֶת דְּבָרֶיהָ! אָמַר לָהֶן: בְּנֵי רוֹכֵל – תִּקְבְּרֵם אִמָּן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Rabbis **said to** Rabbi Elazar: There was **an incident involving the mother of the sons of Rokhel, who was sick, and** who **said: My brooch shall be given to my daughter, and it is** valued **at twelve hundred dinars. And** this woman subsequently **died, and** the Sages **upheld her statement.** This indicates that a person on his deathbed can gift property without an act of acquisition. Rabbi Elazar **said to them:** That case was different; **the sons of Rokhel should be buried by their mother,** i.e., he cursed them. It is not possible to bring a proof from this incident, as these sons were wicked people. Consequently, when ruling in this matter the Sages did not act in accordance with the *halakha*, but allowed the mother of the sons of Rokhel to give this valuable piece of jewelry to their sister without an act of acquisition having been performed.


###### Bava Batra 156b:2
[Bava Batra 156b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:2)

**גְּמָ׳** תַּנְיָא, אָמַר לָהֶן רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר לַחֲכָמִים: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּמָרוֹנִי אֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְהָיוּ לוֹ מִטַּלְטְלִין הַרְבֵּה וּבִיקֵּשׁ לִיתְּנָם בְּמַתָּנָה. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֵין לָהֶם תַּקָּנָה עַד שֶׁיַּקְנֶה עַל גַּב קַרְקַע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **It is taught** in a *baraita*: **Rabbi Eliezer said to the Rabbis:** There was **an incident involving a certain** man **of Meron who was in Jerusalem, and he had a lot of movable property. And he desired to give** the movable property **as gifts** to various individuals, but they could not be acquired by pulling. The Rabbis **said to him: There is no remedy for** transferring the property **unless he transfers** the movable property **by means of** transferring the ownership of **land.**


###### Bava Batra 156b:3
[Bava Batra 156b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:3)

הָלַךְ וְלָקַח בֵּית סֶלַע אֶחָד סָמוּךְ לִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְאָמַר: צְפוֹנוֹ לִפְלוֹנִי, וְעִמּוֹ מֵאָה צֹאן וּמֵאָה חָבִיּוֹת; וּדְרוֹמוֹ לִפְלוֹנִי, וְעִמּוֹ מֵאָה צֹאן וּמֵאָה חָבִיּוֹת. וָמֵת, וְקִיְּימוּ חֲכָמִים אֶת דְּבָרָיו. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: מִשָּׁם רְאָיָה?! מָרוֹנִי בָּרִיא הָיָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**He went and acquired one** plot of **rocky** land **adjacent to Jerusalem, and** he **said:** I give **the north** part **of** this area **to so-and-so, and with it one hundred sheep and one hundred barrels. And** I give **the south** part **of** the area **to so-and-so, and with it one hundred sheep and one hundred barrels. And he died, and the Sages upheld his statement.** This indicates that a person on his deathbed cannot transfer property without an act of acquisition. The Rabbis **said to** Rabbi Eliezer: Do you bring **proof from there?** The man **of Meron was healthy** at the time. This was not the gift of a person on his deathbed, and it could not be acquired by verbal instruction.


###### Bava Batra 156b:4
[Bava Batra 156b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:4)

אָמַר לָהֶן: בְּנֵי רוֹכֵל תִּקְבְּרֵם אִמָּן וְכוּ׳. מַאי טַעְמָא קָא לָיֵיט לְהוּ? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: מְקַיְּימֵי קוֹצִים בַּכֶּרֶם הָיוּ, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְטַעְמֵיהּ – דִּתְנַן: הַמְקַיֵּים קוֹצִים בַּכֶּרֶם, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: קִדֵּשׁ; וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: לֹא קִדֵּשׁ, אֶלָּא דָּבָר שֶׁכָּמוֹהוּ מְקַיְּימִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: Rabbi Elazar **said to them:** That case was different; **the sons of Rokhel should be buried by their mother.** The Gemara asks: **What is the reason** that **he was cursing them? Rav Yehuda says** that **Shmuel says: They were maintaining thorns in a vineyard** and did not uproot them, **and Rabbi Eliezer** conforms **to his** line of **reasoning, as we learned** in a mishna (*Kilayim* 5:8): With regard to **one who maintains thorns in a vineyard, Rabbi Eliezer says: He has proscribed** the vineyard, rendering it forbidden due to the prohibition against diverse kinds. **And the Rabbis say: Only** growing **a matter,** i.e., a crop, **the like of which** people usually **maintain, proscribes** a vineyard and renders it forbidden.


###### Bava Batra 156b:5
[Bava Batra 156b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:5)

בִּשְׁלָמָא כַּרְכּוֹם, חֲזֵי; אֶלָּא קוֹצִים, לְמַאי חֲזֵי? אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: מַאי טַעְמָא דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר? שֶׁכֵּן בַּעֲרַבְיָא מְקַיְּימִין קוֹצִים בַּשָּׂדוֹת לִגְמַלֵּיהֶן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Granted,** if it were **saffron** that grew in the vineyard, it **is useful** for seasoning and other uses, and therefore it proscribes the vineyard. **But** with regard to **thorns, for what are they useful? Rabbi Ḥanina said: What is the reasoning of Rabbi Eliezer?** It is **because in Arabia they maintain thorns in the fields for their camels.** Rabbi Eliezer holds that since thorns are maintained in one place, they are considered useful everywhere.


###### Bava Batra 156b:6
[Bava Batra 156b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:6)

אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: קוֹנִין קִנְיָן מִשְּׁכִיב מְרַע, אֲפִילּוּ בְּשַׁבָּת. וְלֹא לָחוֹשׁ לְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, אֶלָּא שֶׁמָּא תִּטָּרֵף דַּעְתּוֹ עָלָיו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Levi says:** An act of **acquisition may be performed** in order to effect acquisition of property **from a person on his deathbed even on Shabbat,** even though transactions are not performed on Shabbat. **And** this, that an act of acquisition must be performed, is **not** stated in order **to take into consideration the statement of Rabbi Eliezer** that the gifts of any person on his deathbed require an act of acquisition. **Rather,** the reason for this is that if a person on his deathbed requests the performance of an act of acquisition, his request is fulfilled, **lest** his anxiety upon seeing that his will is not being carried out cause him to **lose control of his mind** due to his grief, exacerbating his poor physical state.


###### Bava Batra 156b:7
[Bava Batra 156b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:7)

**מַתְנִי׳** רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: בַּשַּׁבָּת – דְּבָרָיו קַיָּימִין, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין יָכוֹל לִכְתּוֹב; אֲבָל לֹא בַּחוֹל. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: בַּשַּׁבָּת אָמְרוּ, קַל וָחוֹמֶר בַּחוֹל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **Rabbi Eliezer says: On Shabbat, the** verbal **statement** of a person on his deathbed **stands, as** he **cannot write,** and the Sages instituted that he can effect the transaction verbally lest the inability to do so exacerbate his condition. **But** a verbal instruction does **not** stand if stated **on a weekday. Rabbi Yehoshua says: With regard to Shabbat,** the Sages **stated** that his verbal instruction is sufficient, even though writing is prohibited. One can infer ***a fortiori*** that the same applies **with regard to a weekday,** when writing is permitted.


###### Bava Batra 156b:8
[Bava Batra 156b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:8)

כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ – זָכִין לַקָּטָן, וְאֵין זָכִין לַגָּדוֹל; דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: לַקָּטָן אָמְרוּ, קַל וָחוֹמֶר לַגָּדוֹל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Similarly, one can acquire** property **on behalf of a minor, but one cannot acquire** property **on behalf of an adult,** since he can perform the act of acquisition himself; this is **the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Yehoshua says:** The Sages **stated** this *halakha* **with regard to a minor,** and one may infer ***a fortiori*** that this also applies **with regard to an adult,** who is able to perform the act of acquisition himself.


###### Bava Batra 156b:9
[Bava Batra 156b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:9)

**גְּמָ׳** מַתְנִיתִין מַנִּי? רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הִיא – דְּתַנְיָא: רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: בַּחוֹל – דְּבָרָיו קַיָּימִין, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לִכְתּוֹב; אֲבָל לֹא בַּשַּׁבָּת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The Gemara asks: **Whose** opinion is expressed in the **mishna?** The Gemara answers: **This is** the opinion of **Rabbi Yehuda.** This is **as it is taught** in a *baraita*: **Rabbi Meir says** that **Rabbi Eliezer says:** With regard to a person on his deathbed who distributes his property by verbal instruction, **on a weekday, his statements stand, because he can write, but** his statement does **not** stand **on Shabbat,** because he cannot write.


###### Bava Batra 156b:10
[Bava Batra 156b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/156b:10)

רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yehoshua**