## Bava Batra Daf 90a

###### Bava Batra 90a:1
[Bava Batra 90a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:1)

וְעוּכְלָא. וְכַמָּה הִיא עוּכְלָא? אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשָּׁה בִּרְבִיעַ. וּבְמִדַּת הַלַּח הוּא עוֹשֶׂה הִין, וַחֲצִי הִין, וּשְׁלִישִׁית הַהִין, וּרְבִיעִית הַהִין, וְלוֹג, וַחֲצִי לוֹג, וּרְבִיעִית, וּשְׁמִינִית, וְאֶחָד מִשְּׁמוֹנָה בִּשְׁמִינִית – וְזֶהוּ קוּרְטוֹב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**and an *ukla*. And how much is an *ukla*?** It is **one-fifth of a quarter** of a *kav*. **And** in the case **of liquid measures, one** may **prepare a *hin*,** which is twelve *log*; **and a half-*hin*,** or six *log*; **and a third**-***hin*,** or four *log*; **and a quarter-*hin*,** three *log*; **and a *log*; and a half**-***log*; and a quarter**-*log*; **and an eighth-***log*; **and an eighth of an eighth-***log*, **and this,** the last mentioned, **is a *kortov*.**


###### Bava Batra 90a:2
[Bava Batra 90a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:2)

וְלֶעְבֵּיד נָמֵי קַבַּיִים! אָתֵי לְאִיחַלּוֹפֵי בְּתַרְקַב. אַלְמָא טָעוּ אִינָשֵׁי תִּילְתָּא – אִי הָכִי, קַב נָמֵי לָא לֶיעְבֵּיד; דְּאָתֵי לְאִיחַלּוֹפֵי בַּחֲצִי תַּרְקַב! אֶלָּא קַבַּיִים הַיְינוּ טַעְמָא דְּלָא עָבֵיד – דְּאָתֵי לְאִיחַלּוֹפֵי בַּחֲצִי תַּרְקַב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And let one also prepare** a measure equal to **two *kav*.** The Gemara answers that this measure is not used, lest people **come to mistake it for a *tarkav*,** which is three *kav*. The Gemara observes: **Apparently, people err** by **one-third** of a measure. **If that is so, one should also not prepare** a measure equal to **a *kav*, as** people may **come to mistake it for a half-*tarkav*,** which is equal to one and one-half *kav*. **Rather, this is the reason that one may not prepare a two-*kav*** measure: **That** people might **come to mistake it for a half-*tarkav*,** which is equal to one and one-half *kav*.


###### Bava Batra 90a:3
[Bava Batra 90a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:3)

אַלְמָא טָעֵי אִינִישׁ רִיבְעָא – אִי הָכִי, חֲצִי תּוֹמֶן וְעוּכְלָא לָא לֶיעְבֵּיד! אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: מִדּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת בְּקִיאִי בְּהוּ אִינָשֵׁי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara again suggests: **Apparently, people err** by **one-quarter** of a measure. **If that is so, one should also not prepare** measures of **a half-*tomen*,** which is one-sixteenth of a *kav*, **and an *ukla*,** which is one-twentieth of a *kav*. Since they differ by only one-fifth, there is a concern that people might mistake one measure for the other. **Rav Pappa said: People are well-versed in small measures** and can distinguish between them.


###### Bava Batra 90a:4
[Bava Batra 90a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:4)

שְׁלִישִׁית הַהִין, רְבִיעִית הַהִין – לָא לֶיעְבֵּיד! כֵּיוָן דַּהֲווֹ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, לָא גְּזַרוּ בְּהוּ רַבָּנַן. בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ נָמֵי לִיגְזוֹר! כֹּהֲנִים זְרִיזִין הֵן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara continues: If people err by one-quarter of a measure, then since one may prepare a measure equal to four *log*, **one-third of a *hin*, let one not prepare** a measure equal to three *log*, **one-quarter** of **a *hin*.** The Gemara answers: **Since** these measures **were** used **in the Temple, the Sages did not decree** that they not be used. The Gemara asks: **In the Temple as well, let** the Sages **decree** that they should not be used, in case the two measures are mistaken for each other. The Gemara answers: The **priests** who serve in the Temple **are vigilant** and would not commit this error.


###### Bava Batra 90a:5
[Bava Batra 90a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:5)

אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵין מוֹסִיפִין עַל הַמִּדּוֹת יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁתוּת, וְלֹא עַל הַמַּטְבֵּעַ יָתֵר מִשְּׁתוּת, וְהַמִּשְׂתַּכֵּר אַל יִשְׁתַּכֵּר יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁתוּת. אֵין מוֹסִיפִין עַל הַמִּדּוֹת יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁתוּת – מַאי טַעְמָא? אִילֵּימָא מִשּׁוּם אַפְקוֹעֵי תַּרְעָא, שְׁתוּת נָמֵי לָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **Shmuel says:** If the residents of a certain place want to change the standard of their measures and augment them by a certain fraction, **they may not increase the measures** by **more than one-sixth, and** they may **not** increase the value of **a coin** by **more than one-sixth** of its previous value. **And one who profits** from his sales **may not profit** by **more than one-sixth.** The Gemara analyzes these statements. When Shmuel said: **They may not increase the measures** by **more than one-sixth, what is the reason** for this? **If we say** it is **because** doing so causes market **prices to rise,** the same concern should apply to raising the prices by **one-sixth,** and therefore this should **also not** be allowed.


###### Bava Batra 90a:6
[Bava Batra 90a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:6)

אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם אוֹנָאָה – דְּלָא לֶיהֱוֵי בִּיטּוּל מִקָּח? וְהָאָמַר רָבָא: כׇּל דָּבָר שֶׁבְּמִדָּה וְשֶׁבְּמִשְׁקָל וְשֶׁבְּמִנְיָן – אֲפִילּוּ פָּחוֹת מִכְּדֵי אוֹנָאָה חוֹזֵר!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** you will say that the prohibition is **due to** concern for **exploitation;** and they may increase the measures only by up to one-sixth, so **that there will not be nullification of the transaction,** as the transaction is nullified only when the disparity is more than one-sixth of the value of the item. The Gemara raises an objection: **But doesn’t Rava say:** With regard to **any item that** is otherwise subject to the *halakhot* of exploitation, and it is sold **by measure, or by weight, or by number, even** if the disparity was **less than the measure of exploitation** in the transaction, the transaction is **reversed.** A disparity of one-sixth between the value of an item and its price constitutes exploitation only in cases where there is room for error in assessing the value of an item. In a case where the details of the item are easily quantifiable, any deviation from the designated quantity results in a nullification of the transaction.


###### Bava Batra 90a:7
[Bava Batra 90a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:7)

אֶלָּא דְּלָא לֶיהֱוֵי פְּסֵידָא לְתַגָּרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** the prohibition is **so that there will not be a loss** suffered **by the merchant,** who might not realize that a new standard was issued, and sell in accordance with the old standard. Since a merchant usually enjoys a profit of one-sixth of the value of an item, if the standard is not increased by more than this amount he will not suffer a loss, as at worst he will forfeit his profit margin.


###### Bava Batra 90a:8
[Bava Batra 90a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:8)

פְּסֵידָא הוּא דְּלָא לֶיהֱוֵי לֵיהּ – רַוְוחָא לָא בָּעֵי?! זְבַן וְזַבֵּין – תַּגָּרָא אִיקְּרִי?!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
This Gemara notes: This explanation is also difficult, since even if the aim is to ensure **that there will not be a loss** for the merchant, **does he not need** to earn **a profit?** There is a well-known adage in this regard: If you **buy and sell** without making any profit, **will** you **be called a merchant?** A merchant must profit from his sales; therefore, if this decree was instituted for the protection of merchants, the Sages should have ensured that they earn a profit.


###### Bava Batra 90a:9
[Bava Batra 90a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Batra/r/90a:9)

אֶלָּא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: שְׁמוּאֵל קְרָא אַשְׁכַּח וּדְרַשׁ – ״וְהַשֶּׁקֶל – עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה; עֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים, חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים, עֲשָׂרָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁקֶל – הַמָּנֶה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, Rav Ḥisda said:** The prohibition is not based on logical reasoning. Instead, **Shmuel found a verse and interpreted it homiletically: “And the shekel shall be twenty *gera*; twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, ten, and five shekels, shall be your *maneh*”** (Ezekiel 45:12). According to this verse, the combination of all of these numbers, sixty shekels, is equivalent to a *maneh*.