## Bava Batra Daf 29a

###### Bava Batra 29a:1
[Bava Batra 29a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:1)

דְּאִי לָא תֵּימָא הָכִי, ״בְּנוּ בָתִּים וְשֵׁבוּ, וְנִטְעוּ גַנּוֹת וְאִכְלוּ אֶת פִּרְיָן״ – מַאי קָאָמַר? אֶלָּא עֵצָה טוֹבָה קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן; הָכָא נָמֵי – עֵצָה טוֹבָה קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן. תִּדַּע, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּנְתַתָּם בִּכְלִי חָרֶשׂ, לְמַעַן יַעַמְדוּ יָמִים רַבִּים״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Because if you do not say so,** then when he states: **“Build houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them”** (Jeremiah 29:5), **what** halakhic statement **was he saying? Rather, he teaches us good advice,** and **here too he teaches us good advice.** The Gemara comments: **Know** that this was mere advice, **as it is written: “And put them in an earthen vessel; that they may continue many days”** (Jeremiah 32:14). This is obviously good advice to preserve the items properly, and is not a halakhic statement. Therefore, this is not a proof that the presumption of ownership cannot be established in under three years.


###### Bava Batra 29a:2
[Bava Batra 29a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:2)

אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: שַׁתָּא קַמַּיְיתָא מָחֵיל אִינִישׁ, תַּרְתֵּי מָחֵיל, תְּלָת לָא מָחֵיל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, Rava said** a different reason: **A person** who sees another profiting from his field might **waive** his rights during **the first year,** and he might **waive** his rights for **two** years, but **he will not waive** his rights for **three** years. Therefore, if one does not lodge a protest by the end of the third year, it is tantamount to a concession that the land is not his.


###### Bava Batra 29a:3
[Bava Batra 29a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:3)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, כִּי הָדְרָא אַרְעָא, תִּיהְדַּר לְבַר מִפֵּירֵי! אַלְּמָה אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: הָדְרָא אַרְעָא וְהָדְרִי פֵּירֵי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to him: If that is so, when** it becomes clear that **the land** is in fact owned by another and it **is returned** to its owner, **it should be returned, save for the produce** that the possessor consumed during the first two years, as the owner waived his rights to it. **Why did Rav Naḥman say: The land is returned and the produce is returned?**


###### Bava Batra 29a:4
[Bava Batra 29a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:4)

אֶלָּא, אָמַר רָבָא: שַׁתָּא קַמַּיְיתָא לָא קָפֵיד אִינִישׁ, תַּרְתֵּי לָא קָפֵיד, תְּלָת קָפֵיד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, Rava said** a different reason: **A person is not particular the first year** to lodge a protest, and he **is not particular** for **two** years, even though he does not waive his rights to the produce. He **is particular** to lodge a protest when he sees another profiting from his field for **three** years. Therefore, if one does not lodge a protest by the end of the third year, it is tantamount to a concession that the land is not his.


###### Bava Batra 29a:5
[Bava Batra 29a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:5)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, כְּגוֹן הָנֵי דְּבֵי בַּר אֶלְיָשִׁיב – דְּקָפְדִי אֲפִילּוּ אַמַּאן דְּחָלֵיף אַמִּיצְרָא דִידְהוּ, הָכִי נָמֵי דִּלְאַלְתַּר הָוֵי חֲזָקָה? וְכִי תֵּימָא הָכִי נָמֵי, אִם כֵּן נָתַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ לְשִׁיעוּרִין!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to him: If that is so,** for people **such as those of the bar Elyashiv household, who are particular even with regard to one who goes on the boundary of their** field, **here too,** will you say **that presumptive ownership is** established **immediately,** as soon as one makes use of their property without their lodging a protest? **And if you would say** that is **indeed** the *halakha*, **if so, you have subjected your statement to the** varying **circumstances** of each case, as there will be a different length of time needed to establish the presumption of ownership depending on who the prior owner is. This is untenable.


###### Bava Batra 29a:6
[Bava Batra 29a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:6)

אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: שַׁתָּא קַמַּיְיתָא מִיזְדְּהַר אִינִישׁ בִּשְׁטָרֵיהּ, תַּרְתֵּי וּתְלָת מִיזְדְּהַר, טְפֵי לָא מִיזְדְּהַר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, Rava said** a different reason: **A person is careful with his document** detailing his purchase of land for **the first year** after the purchase, and he **is** also **careful** for **two and three** years. For **more** time than that, **he is not careful** and might discard the document if no one has lodged a protest concerning his possession of the land. Therefore, the Sages ruled that after three years have passed, he can prove his ownership by means of presumptive ownership.


###### Bava Batra 29a:7
[Bava Batra 29a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:7)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, מֶחָאָה שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו – לָא תִּיהְוֵי מֶחָאָה, דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִי מַחֵית בְּאַפַּאי, הֲוָה מִיזְדְהַרְנָא בִּשְׁטָרַאי!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to him: If that is so, a protest that** is lodged **not in his presence should not be** a valid **protest,** and if three years pass with no protest in his presence, presumptive ownership should be established even if there was a protest lodged before other people. This is **because** the one possessing the land can **say to** the claimant: **If you had protested in my presence, I would have been careful with my document** and would not have discarded it.


###### Bava Batra 29a:8
[Bava Batra 29a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:8)

דְּאָמַר לֵיהּ: חַבְרָךְ חַבְרָא אִית לֵיהּ, וְחַבְרָא דְחַבְרָךְ – חַבְרָא אִית לֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains that this claim would not be accepted, **because** the claimant can **say to him: Your friend has a friend, and your friend’s friend has a friend,** and the assumption is that word of the protest reached you.


###### Bava Batra 29a:9
[Bava Batra 29a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:9)

אָמַר רַב הוּנָא: שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים שֶׁאָמְרוּ, הוּא שֶׁאֲכָלָן רְצוּפוֹת. מַאי קָמַשְׁמַע לַן? תְּנֵינָא: חֶזְקָתָן שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם! מַהוּ דְּתֵימָא, ״מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם״ לְאַפּוֹקֵי מְקוּטָּעוֹת – וּלְעוֹלָם אֲפִילּוּ מְפוּזָּרוֹת; קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **Rav Huna says:** The **three years that** the Sages **said** are required to establish the presumption of ownership **is** referring to **when he** worked and **profited** from the field in **consecutive** years. The Gemara asks: **What is** Rav Huna **teaching us** with this statement? **We learned** this in the mishna: **Their presumption** of ownership is established by use for a duration of **three years from day to day.** The Gemara answers: **Lest you say** that the phrase: **From day to day,** serves **to exclude partial** years and to teach that each of the three years must be full, **and actually even scattered,** i.e., non-consecutive, years are sufficient, therefore, Rav Huna **teaches us** that the years must be consecutive.


###### Bava Batra 29a:10
[Bava Batra 29a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:10)

אָמַר רַב חָמָא: וּמוֹדֵי רַב הוּנָא בְּאַתְרֵי דְּמוֹבְרִי בָּאגֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Ḥama says: And Rav Huna concedes with regard to locations where** they leave **fields [*bagei*]** to **lie fallow** by planting in alternate years, that the three years combine despite not being consecutive, as that is the manner in which owners profit from the land.


###### Bava Batra 29a:11
[Bava Batra 29a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:11)

פְּשִׁיטָא! לָא צְרִיכָא, דְּאִיכָּא דְּמוֹבַר וְאִיכָּא דְּלָא מוֹבַר – וְהַאי גַּבְרָא מוֹבְרַהּ; מַהוּ דְּתֵימָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִם אִיתָא דְּדִידָךְ הֲוַאי, אִיבְּעִי לָךְ לְמִיזְרְעַהּ; קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן דַּאֲמַר לֵיהּ: חֲדָא אַרְעָא בְּכוּלֵּיהּ בָּאגָא – לָא מָצֵינָא לִינְטַר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: Isn’t it **obvious** that this is the *halakha*? The Gemara answers: **No,** it is **necessary** to state this with regard to locations **where there are** some people **who leave** the fields to **lie fallow and there are** some people **who do not leave** the fields to **lie fallow, and this man left** the field to **lie fallow. Lest you say** that the claimant can **say to him: If it is so that** the land **is yours, you should have sown it,** therefore, Rav Ḥama **teaches us that** the possessor **can say to** the claimant: **I am not able to** hire someone to **guard one** parcel of **land within an entire field,** and I acted like those who own other land in this location and let the field lie fallow.


###### Bava Batra 29a:12
[Bava Batra 29a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:12)

וְאִי נָמֵי, בְּהָכִי נִיחָא לִי – דְּעָבְדָא טְפֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And alternatively,** the possessor can say to the claimant: **In this** manner of farming it is **beneficial for me** to farm, **because** the land **produces more** later, and I do not wish to plant year after year and weaken the soil.


###### Bava Batra 29a:13
[Bava Batra 29a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:13)

תְּנַן: חֶזְקַת הַבָּתִּים. וְהָא בָּתִּים – דְּבִימָמָא יָדְעִי, בְּלֵילְיָא לָא יָדְעִי!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara clarifies Rav Huna’s statement that the presumption of ownership can be established only by consecutive use. **We learned** in the mishna about the **presumptive ownership of houses. But** with regard to the use of **houses, where** the witnesses attesting to its use **know** who uses the house only **in the day,** but **they do not know** who uses the house **in the night,** how then can one establish the presumption of ownership in the case of a house? The possessor’s use is not consecutive, as it is continually interrupted by the nights.


###### Bava Batra 29a:14
[Bava Batra 29a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:14)

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: מַאן מַסְהֵיד אַבָּתִּים – שִׁיבָבֵי; שִׁיבָבֵי מִידָּע יָדְעִי בִּימָמָא וּבְלֵילְיָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said: Who testifies about houses? Neighbors,** and **neighbors know** who is inside **in the day and in the night.**


###### Bava Batra 29a:15
[Bava Batra 29a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:15)

רָבָא אָמַר: כְּגוֹן דְּאָתוּ בֵּי תְרֵי, וְאָמְרִי: אֲנַן אָגְרִינַן מִינֵּיהּ, וְדָרֵינַן בֵּיהּ תְּלָת שְׁנִין בִּימָמָא וּבְלֵילְיָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava said** that there is another scenario in which one can bring witnesses with regard to the use of a house. This is **such as when two** people **come and say: We rented** the house **from him and we lived in it for three years, in the day and in the night.** This testimony substantiates that the house was used under the authority of the one who is attempting to prove that he has established the presumption of ownership.


###### Bava Batra 29a:16
[Bava Batra 29a:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:16)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב יֵימַר לְרַב אָשֵׁי: הָנֵי נוֹגְעִין בְּעֵדוּתָן הֵן – דְּאִי לָא אָמְרִי הָכִי, אָמְרִינַן לְהוּ: זִילוּ הַבוּ לֵיהּ אֲגַר בֵּיתָא לְהַאי!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Yeimar said to Rav Ashi:** How can their testimony be relied upon? **These** witnesses **are biased in their testimony, because if they do not say this** testimony, that they rented the house from the possessor for three consecutive years, **we say to them: Go** and **give payment for** the rental of **the house to that** one who is claiming ownership, as the one you paid has not established that he is the true owner.


###### Bava Batra 29a:17
[Bava Batra 29a:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:17)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דַּיָּינֵי דִּשְׁפִילִי הָכִי דָּאיָנִי. מִי לָא עָסְקִינַן כְּגוֹן דִּנְקִיטִי אֲגַר בֵּיתָא וְאָמְרִי: לְמַאן לִיתְּבֵיהּ?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rav Ashi **said to him: Low**-level **judges rule this way.** In other words, only a court composed of ignorant judges would accept the testimony of the renters of the house in a case where they are biased in their testimony. Nevertheless, Rava’s scenario is still possible, as, **are we not dealing with** a case **where they are holding** the money for the **payment for** the rental of **the house, and they are saying** to the court: **To whom shall we give it?** Therefore, they are not biased in their testimony, because they will pay the same amount, regardless of who the actual owner is.


###### Bava Batra 29a:18
[Bava Batra 29a:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/29a:18)

אָמַר מָר זוּטְרָא, וְאִי טָעֵין וְאָמַר: לֵיתוֹ תְּרֵי סָהֲדִי לְאַסְהוֹדֵי לֵיהּ דְּדָר בֵּיהּ תְּלָת שְׁנֵי בִּימָמָא וּבְלֵילְיָא – טַעְנְתֵיהּ טַעֲנָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara quotes a related statement. **Mar Zutra said: And if** the claimant **claims and says: Let two witnesses come to testify for** the possessor **that he lived in** the house **three years in the day and in the night, his claim is** a legitimate **claim.**