## Bava Kamma Daf 113b

###### Bava Kamma 113b:1
[Bava Kamma 113b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:1)

שֶׁלֹּא יִמְשְׁכֶנּוּ וְיֵצֵא. יָכוֹל יִגְלוֹם עָלָיו? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְחִשַּׁב עִם קֹנֵהוּ״ – יְדַקְדֵּק עִם קוֹנֵהוּ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
indicating **that** one should **not take** a Hebrew slave by force **and** thereby allow him to **leave** the gentile’s jurisdiction. Rather, the Jew must be freed by legal means. **One might have thought** that it is permitted to **deceive him** in order to free the Jew. **Therefore, the verse states: “And he shall reckon with him that bought him”** (Leviticus 25:50), in order to teach that one must **be precise** in the financial dealings **with** the **purchaser** of a Hebrew slave, and one must pay him the appropriate sum without employing any form of deception. This indicates that it is prohibited to steal from a gentile.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:2
[Bava Kamma 113b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:2)

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: לָא קַשְׁיָא; הָא, בְּגוֹי, הָא בְּגֵר תּוֹשָׁב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers that **Rav Yosef said:** It is **not difficult,** as **this** ruling that permits the court to deceive a gentile is issued **with regard to** a regular **gentile,** whereas **that** verse, which teaches that it is prohibited to deceive a gentile, is stated **with regard to a gentile who resides in Eretz Yisrael and observes the seven Noahide mitzvot [*ger toshav*].**


###### Bava Kamma 113b:3
[Bava Kamma 113b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:3)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי, וְהָא תַּרְוַיְיהוּ גַּבֵּי הֲדָדֵי כְּתִיבִי: לֹא לְךָ, אֶלָּא לְגֵר – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְגֵר״. וְלֹא לְגֵר צֶדֶק, אֶלָּא לְגֵר תּוֹשָׁב – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְגֵר תּוֹשָׁב״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to** Rav Yosef: How is it possible to differentiate between a gentile and a *ger toshav*? **Aren’t both of them written next to each other,** indicating that the same *halakha* pertains to both? As it is taught in a *baraita*: One who violates the prohibitions of the Sabbatical Year will be punished by having to resort to selling himself as a slave. And he will sell himself **not to you, but to a stranger, as it is stated:** “And sell himself unto **the stranger”** (Leviticus 25:47), **and not to a stranger** who is a convert, **but to a *ger toshav*, as it is stated:** “And sell himself unto **the stranger who is a settler [*ger toshav*]** with you” (Leviticus 25:47).


###### Bava Kamma 113b:4
[Bava Kamma 113b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:4)

״מִשְׁפַּחַת גֵּר״ – זֶה הַגּוֹי; כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר: ״אוֹ לְעֵקֶר״ – זֶה הַנִּמְכָּר לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The verse continues and states: “Or to the offshoot of a stranger’s family.” When it says **“a stranger’s family,” this** is referring to **the gentile** family members of a *ger toshav*, who are idolaters. **When it says “or to the offshoot,” this** is referring to a Jew **who is sold to idol worship,** i.e., to work in a temple dedicated to idolatry. Since it is subsequently stated: “He shall reckon with him that bought him” (Leviticus 25:50), it is apparent that this reckoning applies equally to each of the above, including the gentile. This contradicts Rav Yosef’s answer.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:5
[Bava Kamma 113b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:5)

אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: לָא קַשְׁיָא; כָּאן בִּגְזֵילוֹ, וְכָאן בְּהַפְקָעַת הַלְווֹאָתוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, Rava said:** It is **not difficult** because **here,** in the case of the slave, the *halakha* is stated **with regard to** an actual act of **robbery** committed against a gentile, **but there,** in the case of the *baraita*, where it would be permitted to employ deception if not for the desecration of God’s name, the *halakha* is stated **with regard to abrogating his loan.** Abrogating a loan owed to a gentile is permitted because it does not entail actually taking money.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:6
[Bava Kamma 113b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:6)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: עֶבֶד עִבְרִי – הַפְקָעַת הַלְווֹאָתוֹ הוּא! רָבָא לְטַעְמֵיהּ, דְּאָמַר רָבָא: עֶבֶד עִבְרִי גּוּפוֹ קָנוּי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to** Rava: The release of **a Hebrew slave** from his gentile master **is** akin to the **abrogation of his loan.** The purchase price paid by the master is considered as a loan that the slave pays back over the years of his servitude until he goes free at the Jubilee. Consequently, deceptively bringing about his early release is akin to abrogating a loan, yet Rabbi Akiva derives from the verse that it is prohibited to do so. The Gemara answers that **Rava** conforms **to his** standard line of **reasoning, as Rava says: The body of a Hebrew slave is owned** by his master, and retaking him from the gentile by deceptive means would therefore constitute actual robbery.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:7
[Bava Kamma 113b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:7)

אָמַר רַב בִּיבִי בַּר גִּידֵּל אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן חֲסִידָא: גֶּזֶל גּוֹי אָסוּר, אֲבֵידָתוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת. גְּזֵילוֹ אָסוּר – דְּאָמַר רַב הוּנָא: מִנַּיִן לְגֶזֶל הַגּוֹי שֶׁהוּא אָסוּר? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת כׇּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ״ – בִּזְמַן שֶׁהֵן מְסוּרִים בְּיָדְךָ, וְלֹא בִּזְמַן שֶׁאֵינָם מְסוּרִין בְּיָדְךָ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara cites another statement related to stealing from a gentile. **Rav Beivai bar Giddel says** that **Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida says:** It is **prohibited** to **rob a gentile,** but it is **permitted** to retain **his lost item,** i.e., one is not required to return it to him. The Gemara examines the basis for each of these rulings: It is **prohibited** to **rob a gentile, as Rav Huna says: From where** is it derived **that** it is **prohibited** to **rob a gentile?** It is derived from a verse, **as it is stated: “And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God shall deliver unto you”** (Deuteronomy 7:16), indicating that it is permitted to consume the other nations’ property only **when they are delivered into your hand,** i.e., in times of war, **but not when they are not delivered into your hand.**


###### Bava Kamma 113b:8
[Bava Kamma 113b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:8)

אֲבֵידָתוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת – דְּאָמַר רַב חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא אָמַר רַב: מִנַּיִן לַאֲבֵידַת הַגּוֹי שֶׁהִיא מוּתֶּרֶת? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְכׇל אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ״ – לְאָחִיךָ אַתָּה מַחְזִיר, וְאִי אַתָּה מַחְזִיר לְגוֹי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
It is **permitted** to retain **his lost item, as Rav Ḥama bar Gurya says** that **Rav says: From where** is it derived that it is **permitted** to retain **the lost item of a gentile?** It is derived from a verse, **as it is stated** with regard to the mitzva of returning a lost item: **“With every lost thing of your brother’s”** (Deuteronomy 22:3), indicating that it is only **to your brother** that **you return** a lost item, **but you do not return** a lost item **to a gentile.**


###### Bava Kamma 113b:9
[Bava Kamma 113b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:9)

וְאֵימָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי הֵיכָא דְּלָא אֲתַי לִידֵיהּ, דְּלָא מִחַיַּיב לְאַהְדּוֹרֵי בָּתְרַהּ; אֲבָל הֵיכָא דְּאָתֵי לִידֵיהּ, אֵימָא לַיהְדְּרַהּ! אָמַר רָבִינָא: ״וּמְצָאתָהּ״ – דַּאֲתַאי לִידֵיהּ מַשְׁמַע. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר אוֹמֵר: בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ חִילּוּל הַשֵּׁם, אֲפִילּוּ אֲבֵידָתוֹ אָסוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara questions this derivation: **But say** that **this applies** only **where** the item **has not yet come into** the Jew’s **hand, as he is not obligated to pursue it** in an effort to find the lost item and return it. **But** in a case **where the item had** already **come into his hand, say** that he must **return it** to the gentile. The Gemara answers that **Ravina said:** It is understood from the verse itself, as it states: “And so shall you do with every lost thing of your brother’s, which he has lost, **and you have found”** (Deuteronomy 22:3), which **indicates** that the verse refers even to an item **that** has already **come into one’s hand.** It **is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir says: In a case where there is** a concern that retention of an article lost by a gentile will result in the **desecration of** God’s **name,** it is **prohibited even** to retain a gentile’s **lost item.**


###### Bava Kamma 113b:10
[Bava Kamma 113b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:10)

אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: טָעוּתוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת. כִּי הָא דִּשְׁמוּאֵל זְבַן מִגּוֹי לָקָנָא דְּדַהֲבָא בְּמַר דְּפַרְזְלָא – בְּאַרְבַּע זוּזֵי, וְאַבְלַע לֵיהּ חַד זוּזָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara adds: **Shmuel says** that it is **permitted** to financially benefit from a business **error** of a gentile, i.e., it need not be returned. The Gemara notes that this is **like that** incident **where Shmuel purchased a golden bowl [*lakna*] from a gentile in exchange [*bemar*] for** the price **of an iron** bowl, which was **four dinars, and** Shmuel **included one** additional **dinar** in the payment so that the gentile would not realize his mistake.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:11
[Bava Kamma 113b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:11)

רַב כָּהֲנָא זְבַן מִגּוֹי מְאָה וְעֶשְׂרִין חָבְיָתָא בִּמְאָה, וְאַבְלַע לֵיהּ חַד זוּזָא; אֲמַר לֵיהּ: חֲזִי, דַּעֲלָךְ קָא סָמֵיכְנָא. רָבִינָא זְבַן דִּיקְלָא הוּא וְגוֹי לְצַלָּחָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְשַׁמָּעֵיהּ: קְדֵם וְאַיְיתִי מֵעִיקָּרוֹ, דְּגוֹי מִנְיָינָא יָדַע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates another incident: **Rav Kahana purchased one hundred and twenty barrels from a gentile for** the price of **one hundred** barrels, **and he included one** additional **dinar** in the payment. Rav Kahana **said to him: Take note that I am relying upon you** to check that the transaction has been carried out properly. The Gemara records a third episode: **Ravina and a gentile purchased a palm tree** together in order **to chop it up** and split the wood between them. Ravina **said to his attendant: Hurry and precede** the gentile so that you can bring my share of the wood **from the trunk** of the tree, which is thicker than the upper part of the tree, **as the gentile knows** only the **number** of logs that he is due to receive and will not realize that you are taking thicker pieces.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:12
[Bava Kamma 113b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:12)

רַב אָשֵׁי הֲוָה קָאָזֵיל בְּאוֹרְחָא, חֲזָא שִׁיבְשָׁא דְגוּפְנָא בְּפַרְדֵּיסָא, וּתְלוּ בַּהּ קִיטּוּפֵי דְּעִינְבֵי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְשַׁמָּעֵיהּ: זִיל חֲזִי, אִי דְּגוֹי נִינְהוּ – אַיְיתִי. אִי דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל נִינְהוּ – לָא אַיְיתִי לִי. שְׁמַע הָהוּא גּוֹי דַּהֲוָה יָתֵיב בְּפַרְדֵּיסָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּגוֹי שְׁרֵי?! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גּוֹי שָׁקֵיל דְּמֵי, יִשְׂרָאֵל לָא שָׁקֵיל דְּמֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates a final anecdote: **Rav Ashi was traveling on the road** and **he saw a branch of a grapevine in an orchard, and** there were **clusters of grapes hanging on it. He said to his attendant: Go see** to whom these clusters belong. **If they are** owned by **a gentile, bring** some to me, but **if they are** owned by **a Jew, do not bring me** any. **A certain gentile who was sitting in the orchard overheard** Rav Ashi’s instructions. The gentile **said to him:** Is it **permitted** to steal the property **of a gentile?** Rav Ashi **said to him: A gentile takes money** for his grapes, and I intended to pay for them, but **a Jew does not take money** for his grapes and I did not want to take them without paying for them.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:13
[Bava Kamma 113b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:13)

גּוּפָא – אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: דִּינָא דְמַלְכוּתָא דִּינָא. אָמַר רָבָא: תִּדַּע, דְּקָטְלִי דִּיקְלֵי וְגָשְׁרִי גִּישְׁרֵי – וְעָבְרִינַן עֲלַיְיהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The Gemara relates to **the** matter of civil law **itself. Shmuel says: The law of the kingdom is the law,** and the halakhic principle is that Jews must obey the laws of the state in which they reside. **Rava said: Know** that this principle is true from the fact **that** the municipal authorities **cut down palm trees** without the consent of their owners **and construct bridges** from them, **and** yet **we cross over them.** Evidently, the wood is not considered stolen property, which one is prohibited from using, because the law of the kingdom is the law.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:14
[Bava Kamma 113b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:14)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: וְדִלְמָא מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיַּיאוּשׁ לְהוּ מִינַּיְיהוּ מָרַיְיהוּ! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִי לָא דִּינָא דְמַלְכוּתָא דִּינָא, הֵיכִי מִיָּיאֲשִׁי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye said to** Rava: **Perhaps** the reason the bridges may be used is **because their owners despaired of retrieving them** and not because the law of the kingdom is the law. Rava **said to** Abaye: **If not** for the fact that **the law of the kingdom is the law, how** would the **despair** of the owners of the trees allow us to use the bridges? The fact that the owners have despaired of retrieving their wood does not effect a transfer of property, and it therefore still belongs to them.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:15
[Bava Kamma 113b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:15)

וְהָא לָא קָא עָבְדִי כִּדְאָמַר מַלְכָּא – מַלְכָּא אָמַר: זִילוּ וּקְטֻלוּ מִכֹּל בָּאגֵי, וְאִינְהוּ אָזְלוּ וְקָטְלוּ מֵחַד בָּאגָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara questions Rava’s understanding: **But** the municipal authorities **do not act as the king said. The king said: Go and cut** down a bit of wood **from all the valleys** in the area so that each individual loses only a small amount of wood. **They,** however, disobey the king and **go and cut** down all the wood needed for the bridge **from one valley.** Therefore, even if the law of the kingdom is the law, this cannot be the reason that the *halakha* permits Jews to cross over such bridges, as the authorities are not enforcing the law of the kingdom, but rather their own unlawful inclinations.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:16
[Bava Kamma 113b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:16)

שְׁלוּחָא דְמַלְכָּא – כְּמַלְכָּא, וְלָא טָרַח; וְאִינְהוּ אַפְסִיד אַנַּפְשַׁיְיהוּ – דְּאִיבְּעִי לְהוּ (דְּאִינְקוּט) [לְמִינְקַט] מִכּוּלֵּיהּ בָּאגֵי, וּמִשְׁקַל דְּמֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **An agent of a king** is **like the king** himself, and he is **not** expected to **trouble** himself to collect wood proportionally from each valley. **They,** the owners of the land where the wood is cut, **cause themselves a loss, as they should collect** compensation **from all** the other residents **of the valleys and take money** from them for this purpose. Since the land owners whose wood was used have permission to collect compensation from all the residents in the area, the authorities are acting within their rights by confiscating wood from a single location.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:17
[Bava Kamma 113b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:17)

אָמַר רָבָא: מַאן דְּמִשְׁתְּכַח בְּבֵי דָרֵי, פָּרַע מְנָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי שׁוּתָּפָא, אֲבָל אֲרִיסָא – אֲרִיסוּתֵיהּ הוּא דְּקָא מַפֵּיק.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Similarly, **Rava says:** When the king’s agents come to collect the king’s share of the grain from a field owned by several partners, the **one who is found in the granary** must **pay the king’s share** for the entire property, as the agents are not expected to locate and exact payment from each individual proprietor separately. The partner who paid may later claim reimbursement from the other owners for covering their share of the tax. **And this statement** applies only to **partners** who share ownership of the field. **But a sharecropper collects his portion** from the crop but does not own a share of the land. Consequently, the tax may not be collected from his produce, and doing so would constitute robbery.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:18
[Bava Kamma 113b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:18)

וְאָמַר רָבָא: בַּר מָתָא אַבַּר מָתָא מִיעֲבָט. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי דְּבֹרָלָא אַרְעָא וּכְרָגָא דְּהַאי שַׁתָּא, אֲבָל שַׁתָּא דַּחֲלֵיף – הוֹאִיל וְאִפַּיַּיס מַלְכָּא, חֲלֵיף.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And Rava** also **says:** Property that belongs to **a town dweller may be taken as security for** the tax owed by another **town dweller. And this statement applies** only **to the property tax and head tax of that year, but** with regard to taxes from **the previous year, since the king has** already **been appeased,** the ability to take property belonging to someone else has **passed.** The tax collector has already paid the entire amount he must pay the king for the previous year, and everything else he collects is his own profit. Although he has the right to collect this extra amount, he may not take property for one person as security for the taxes of someone else.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:19
[Bava Kamma 113b:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:19)

וְאָמַר רָבָא: הָנֵי דְּדָיְירִי דָּרֵי בְּתוֹךְ הַתְּחוּם – אָסוּר לִיקַּח מֵהֶן. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דִּמְעָרְבָא חֵיוְתָא דְמָתָא בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And Rava says:** With regard to **those** gentiles **who construct pens** for their animals **inside the** city **limits** and charge a fee to bring their animals through the fields around the city to fertilize the fields, it is **prohibited to purchase** animals **from them. What is the reason?** It is **because the livestock of the** Jewish residents of the **town become intermingled with their** livestock, and it is possible that the animal one would buy is actually stolen property.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:20
[Bava Kamma 113b:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:20)

חוּץ לַתְּחוּם – מוּתָּר לִיקַּח מֵהֶם. אָמַר רָבִינָא: אִם הָיוּ בְּעָלִים מְרַדְּפִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם, אֲפִילּוּ חוּץ לַתְּחוּם אָסוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rava adds: If the pens were **outside the** city **limits,** it is **permitted to purchase** livestock **from them,** as it is unlikely that a Jew’s livestock became intermingled with the seller’s livestock. **Ravina said: If the owners** of the livestock **were pursuing** the animals, then **even** if the pens were **outside the** city **limits, it is prohibited** to purchase livestock from the owners of the pens.


###### Bava Kamma 113b:21
[Bava Kamma 113b:21](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/113b:21)

מַכְרֵיז רָבָא, וְאִיתֵּימָא רַב הוּנָא: דְּסָלְקִין לְעֵילָּא וּדְנָחֲתִין לְתַתָּא – הַאי בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּיָדַע סָהֲדוּתָא דְגוֹי (וְלֹא תְּבָעוֹ מִינֵּיהּ), וְאָזֵיל וּמַסְהֵיד לֵיהּ בְּדִינָא דְגוֹיִם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל חַבְרֵיהּ – מְשַׁמְּתִינַן לֵיהּ. מַאי טַעְמָא? דְּאִינְהוּ מַפְּקִי מָמוֹנָא

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ Apropos the discussion of legal dealings between Jews and gentiles, the Gemara relates: **Rava declared, and some say** that it was **Rav Huna** who declared: All **who ascend upward** to Eretz Yisrael **and** all who **descend downward** to Babylonia agree that in the case of **a Jew who knows** of **evidence concerning** the legal claim of **a gentile, and** the gentile **did not demand from him** that he testify, **and** the Jew nevertheless **went and testified for him in a gentile court, against his fellow Jew, we excommunicate him. What is the reason** that we excommunicate him? It is **because they,** the gentile courts, **expropriate money**