## Bava Batra Daf 164b

###### Bava Batra 164b:1
[Bava Batra 164b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:1)

וַהֲלֹא אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה זְמַנּוֹ שֶׁל זֶה לִזְמַנּוֹ שֶׁל זֶה! פָּשׁוּט; מָלַךְ שָׁנָה – מוֹנִין לוֹ שָׁנָה, שְׁתַּיִם – מוֹנִין לוֹ שְׁתַּיִם. מְקוּשָּׁר; מָלַךְ שָׁנָה – מוֹנִין לוֹ שְׁתַּיִם, שְׁתַּיִם – מוֹנִין לוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**But the date of this one,** a tied document, **is not the same as the date of that one,** an ordinary document. In **an ordinary** document, when the king has **reigned** for one **year,** one **year is counted for him,** and when he has reigned for **two** years, **two** years **are counted for him.** By contrast, in **a tied** document, when the king has **reigned** for one **year, two** years **are counted for him,** and when he has reigned for **two** years, **three** years **are counted for him.** If a tied document is simply opened up and used as an ordinary document, then it will emerge that it is postdated by a year.


###### Bava Batra 164b:2
[Bava Batra 164b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:2)

וְזִימְנִין דְּיָזֵיף מִינֵּיהּ זוּזֵי בִּמְקוּשָּׁר, וּמִיתְרְמֵי לֵיהּ זוּזֵי בֵּינֵי בֵּינֵי וּפָרַע לֵיהּ; וְאָמַר לֵיהּ: הַב לִי שְׁטָרַאי, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ: אִירְכַס לִי; וְכָתֵב לֵיהּ תְּבָרָא;

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi continues: **And** there are **times** this can be problematic, as in a case **where** the debtor **borrows money from** the creditor, and the details of the loan are written **in a tied** document. **And** the debtor **chances upon** some **money in the interim,** i.e., during the first year after the document was written, **and** he **repays** the creditor, **and says to him: Give me** back **my** promissory **note,** as I have just repaid you. **And** the creditor **says to** the debtor: **I lost** the document and cannot give it to you. **And** in lieu of returning the promissory note, the creditor **writes a receipt** for the debtor, as protection against a second collection.


###### Bava Batra 164b:3
[Bava Batra 164b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:3)

וְכִי מָטֵי זִמְנֵיהּ, מְשַׁוֵּי לֵיהּ פָּשׁוּט, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ: הָנֵי הַשְׁתָּא דִּיזַפְתְּ מִינַּאי!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi continues: **And** then, **when the time for** repayment written in the promissory note **arrives,** the creditor will **make it** into **an ordinary** document by undoing its stitches and opening it up, **and** he can then **say to** the debtor: **It is now that you borrowed this** money **from me,** as attested in this promissory note, and the receipt you have in your possession is for a previous debt, as its date precedes the date on my document.


###### Bava Batra 164b:4
[Bava Batra 164b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:4)

קָא סָבַר: אֵין כּוֹתְבִין שׁוֹבָר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: Rabbi Ḥanina ben Gamliel **holds** that **one does not write a receipt** in such cases. If a creditor loses his promissory note, the debtor need not pay him at all, out of concern that the debt may one day be collected again when the promissory note is found. He is not required to pay the debt and accept only a receipt, which he will then have to guard permanently to protect himself against a second collection.


###### Bava Batra 164b:5
[Bava Batra 164b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:5)

וּמִי בָּקִי רַבִּי בִּמְקוּשָּׁר? וְהָא הָהוּא מְקוּשָּׁר דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי, וְאָמַר רַבִּי: שְׁטָר מְאוּחָר זֶה! וְאָמַר לוֹ זוּנִין לְרַבִּי: כָּךְ מִנְהָגָהּ שֶׁל אוּמָּה זוֹ; מָלַךְ שָׁנָה – מוֹנִין לוֹ שְׁתַּיִם, שְׁתַּיִם – מוֹנִין לוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks with regard to the previous discussion: **And was Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **expert in** the *halakhot* of **tied** documents? **But** wasn’t there **a certain tied** document **that came before Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi, **and** when **Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi saw the date he **said: This is a postdated document. And** a Sage named **Zunin said to Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi: **Such is the custom of this nation;** when the king has **reigned** for one **year, two** years **are counted for him,** and when he has reigned for **two** years, **three** years **are counted for him.** The document is therefore not postdated. From this anecdote it is clear that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi himself had not been familiar with this practice.


###### Bava Batra 164b:6
[Bava Batra 164b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:6)

בָּתַר דְּשַׁמְעַהּ מִזּוּנִין, סַבְרַהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **After** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi **heard it from Zunin** he accepted the explanation **and held this** way himself, and that is what prompted him to raise his objection.


###### Bava Batra 164b:7
[Bava Batra 164b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:7)

הָהוּא שְׁטָרָא דַּהֲוָה כְּתִב בֵּיהּ: ״בִּשְׁנַת פְּלוֹנִי אַרְכָן״. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: יִבְדֹּק אֵימָתַי עָמַד אַרְכָן בְּאַרְכָנוּתֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ There was **a certain document on which was written,** as its date: **In the year of so-and-so, Archon [*Arkhan*],** a title for a ruler, without stating any particular year of his reign. **Rabbi Ḥanina said: Let it be investigated when** it was that this **Archon rose to his** position of **archon,** i.e., find out the year he came to power, and the validity of the document is established from that year.


###### Bava Batra 164b:8
[Bava Batra 164b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:8)

וְדִלְמָא דַּאֲרִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵיהּ! אָמַר רַב הוֹשַׁעְיָא: כָּךְ מִנְהָגָהּ שֶׁל אוּמָּה זוֹ; שָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה – קוֹרִין לוֹ ״אַרְכָן״, שְׁנִיָּה – קוֹרִין לוֹ דִּיגוֹן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **But perhaps** the writer of the document was using an Aramaic or Hebrew term, and intended to say **that the reign of** so-and-so had already **extended [*arikh*]** for several years. **Rav Hoshaya says: Such** is **the custom of this nation** where the document was written: In the **first year** of the king’s reign **they refer to him** with the title **Archon;** in his **second** year **they refer to him** with the title ***Digon*.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:9
[Bava Batra 164b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:9)

וְדִלְמָא עַבּוֹרֵי עַבְּרוּהוּ, וַהֲדַר אוֹקְמוּהוּ! אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה: הָהוּא ״אַרְכָן דִּיגוֹן״ קָרְאוּ לֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **But perhaps** the people **deposed** the ruler **and then reinstated him,** and the document was written in the first year of his second reign. **Rabbi Yirmeya said:** In **that** case, **they** would **refer to him** with the title **Archon *Digon*.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:10
[Bava Batra 164b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:10)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״הֲרֵינִי נָזִיר הֵינָא״ – סוֹמְכוֹס אָמַר: ״הֵינָא״ – אַחַת. ״דִּיגוֹן״ – שְׁתַּיִם. ״טְרִיגוֹן״ – שָׁלֹשׁ. ״טֶטְרִיגוֹן״ – אַרְבַּע. ״פֶּנְטִיגוֹן״ – חָמֵשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ Apropos these Greek terms, the Gemara cites two *baraitot* that mention them. **The Sages taught** (*Tosefta*, *Nazir* 1:2) that if one said: **I am hereby a nazirite *heina*,** or stated a similar expression with other comparable Greek terms, **Sumakhos said** that his status depends on which term he used. If he used the word ***heina*,** he is a nazirite for **one** term of naziriteship, i.e., thirty days; if he said ***digon*,** he is a nazirite for **two** terms of thirty days each; if he said ***terigon*,** he is a nazirite for **three** terms; ***tetrigon*,** for **four** terms; ***pentigon*,** for **five** terms.


###### Bava Batra 164b:11
[Bava Batra 164b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:11)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בַּיִת עָגוֹל; דִּיגוֹן; טְרִיגוֹן; פֶּנְטִיגוֹן – אֵינוֹ מִטַּמֵּא בִּנְגָעִים. טֶטְרִיגוֹן – מִטַּמֵּא בִּנְגָעִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** in another *baraita* (*Tosefta*, *Nega’im* 6:3): **A round house,** or one that is shaped like **a *digon*,** i.e., it has two walls, one straight and one curved, or one that is shaped like **a *terigon*,** i.e., a triangle, or one that is shaped like **a pentagon, does not become susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots.** If it is shaped like **a *tetrigon*,** i.e., a quadrilateral, it **becomes susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:12
[Bava Batra 164b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:12)

מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי? דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן, לְמַעְלָה אוֹמֵר: ״קִיר–קִירֹת״ – שְׁתַּיִם; לְמַטָּה אוֹמֵר: ״קִיר–קִירֹת״ – שְׁתַּיִם; הֲרֵי כָּאן אַרְבַּע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **From where are these matters** derived? The Gemara answers: It is **as the Sages taught** in a *baraita*: The Torah **states above:** “If the plague be in the walls of the house” (Leviticus 14:37). The verse did not state: **A wall,** but **“walls,”** indicating that the house in question has at least **two** walls. And where it **states below:** “If the plague has spread in the walls of the house” (Leviticus 14:39), instead of stating: **A wall,** the verse states **“walls,”** indicating another **two** walls. There **are** a total of **four** walls mentioned **here** in order to indicate that a house can become impure through leprous spots only if it has four sides.


###### Bava Batra 164b:13
[Bava Batra 164b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:13)

הָהוּא מְקוּשָּׁר דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי, וְאָמַר רַבִּי: אֵין זְמַן בָּזֶּה?! אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר רַבִּי לְרַבִּי: שֶׁמָּא בֵּין קְשָׁרָיו מוּבְלָע? פַּלְיֵיהּ, וְחַזְיֵיהּ. הֲדַר חֲזָא בֵּיהּ רַבִּי בְּבִישׁוּת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָאו אֲנָא כְּתַבְתֵּיהּ, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה חַיָּיטָא כַּתְבֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כְּלָךְ מִלָּשׁוֹן הָרָע הַזֶּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The Gemara relates: There was **a certain tied** document **that came before Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi, **and Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi, not realizing it was a folded document, **said: There is no date on this** document, so it is not valid. **Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi, **said to Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi: **Perhaps** the date is **hidden between its tied** folds. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi **opened it and saw** that the date was in fact between the tied folds. **Afterward, Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **looked at** his son **disapprovingly,** as he held that one should not write a tied document. His son **said to him: I did not write it; Rabbi Yehuda Ḥayyata wrote it.** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi **said to** his son: **Turn away from** uttering **this** kind of **malicious speech.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:14
[Bava Batra 164b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:14)

זִימְנִין הֲוָה יָתֵיב קַמֵּיהּ, וְקָא פָסֵיק סִידְרָא בְּסֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים; אָמַר רַבִּי: כַּמָּה מְיוּשָּׁר כְּתָב זֶה! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָאו אֲנָא כְּתַבְתֵּיהּ, יְהוּדָה חַיָּיטָא כַּתְבֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כְּלָךְ מִלָּשׁוֹן הָרָע הַזֶּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Another **time,** Rabbi Shimon **was sitting before** his father **and reciting a section of the book of Psalms. Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **said** to him: **How straight** and neat is **this writing** in this book from which you are reading. Rabbi Shimon **said to him: I did not write it; Yehuda Ḥayyata wrote it.** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi **told** his son: **Turn away from** uttering **this** kind of **malicious speech.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:15
[Bava Batra 164b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:15)

בִּשְׁלָמָא הָתָם, אִיכָּא לָשׁוֹן הָרָע; אֶלָּא הָכָא, מַאי לָשׁוֹן הָרָע אִיכָּא? מִשּׁוּם דְּרַב דִּימִי – דְּתָנֵי רַב דִּימִי אֲחוּהּ דְּרַב סָפְרָא: לְעוֹלָם אַל יְסַפֵּר אָדָם בְּטוֹבָתוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵירוֹ, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ טוֹבָתוֹ בָּא לִידֵי רָעָתוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Granted, there,** in the first episode, **there is malicious speech** involved, since Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was displeased with the writer of the document, **but here,** in the second episode, **what malicious speech is there?** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was complimenting the writer of the book of Psalms, not criticizing him. The Gemara answers: It is **because of** what **Rav Dimi** teaches. **As Rav Dimi, the brother of Rav Safra, teaches: A person should never speak the praises of another, as out of the praise** spoken about **him** someone may **come to** speak to **his detriment.**


###### Bava Batra 164b:16
[Bava Batra 164b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/164b:16)

אָמַר רַב עַמְרָם אָמַר רַב: שָׁלֹשׁ עֲבֵירוֹת אֵין אָדָם נִיצּוֹל מֵהֶן בְּכׇל יוֹם – הִרְהוּר עֲבֵירָה, וְעִיּוּן תְּפִלָּה, וְלָשׁוֹן הָרָע. לָשׁוֹן הָרָע סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ?!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Amram says** that **Rav says:** There are **three sins from which a person is not spared each day.** They are: Having **sinful thoughts, and** committing sins concerning **deliberation in prayer, and** uttering **malicious speech.** The Gemara asks: Can it **enter your mind** that a person cannot go through the day without uttering **malicious speech?**