## Bava Kamma Daf 39a

###### Bava Kamma 39a:1
[Bava Kamma 39a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:1)

שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא חוֹטֵא נִשְׂכָּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**that** the **sinner,** i.e., the rapist, **should not be rewarded.**


###### Bava Kamma 39a:2
[Bava Kamma 39a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:2)

וְנִתְּבֵיהּ לַעֲנִיִּים! אָמַר רַב מָרִי: מִשּׁוּם דְּהָוֵי מָמוֹן שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תּוֹבְעִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **But** if that is the reason, **let him give** the fine **to the poor** instead of to the Samaritan who he raped, to prevent assimilation. **Rav Mari said:** This is not done, **because it is money that has no claimants.** Since one would not be liable to give it to a specific poor person, the rapist could evade payment by responding to any claimant that he wants to give it to a different poor person. The Sages upheld the Torah law as it stands, and the fine is given to the Samaritan so that the sinner will not benefit.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:3
[Bava Kamma 39a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:3)

**מַתְנִי׳** שׁוֹר שֶׁל פִּקֵּחַ שֶׁנָּגַח שׁוֹר שֶׁל חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן – חַיָּיב. וְשֶׁל חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן שֶׁנָּגַח שׁוֹר שֶׁל פִּקֵּחַ – פָּטוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **If an ox of** a halakhically **competent person gored an ox of a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor,** all of whom are not considered halakhically competent, the owner is **liable** for damages. **But if** an ox **of a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor gored an ox of** a halakhically **competent person,** the owner of the ox is **exempt** from liability.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:4
[Bava Kamma 39a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:4)

שׁוֹר שֶׁל חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן שֶׁנָּגַח – בֵּית דִּין מַעֲמִידִין לָהֶן אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, וּמְעִידִין לָהֶן בִּפְנֵי אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**If an ox belonging to a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor gored** another ox and caused damage, **the court appoints a steward for them and warns them** with regard to the ox that gored **in the presence of the steward.** The ox is thereby rendered a forewarned ox, since the steward is considered its owner with regard to the requirement of the verse: “And warning has been given to its owner” (Exodus 21:29).


###### Bava Kamma 39a:5
[Bava Kamma 39a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:5)

נִתְפַּקֵּחַ הַחֵרֵשׁ, נִשְׁתַּפָּה הַשּׁוֹטֶה וְהִגְדִּיל הַקָּטָן – חָזַר לְתַמּוּתוֹ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי הוּא בְּחֶזְקָתוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
If, after the ox was rendered forewarned in this manner, **the deaf-mute regained his hearing, the imbecile became** halakhically **competent, or the minor reached** the age of **majority,** the ox has thereby **reverted to its** status of **innocuousness.** This is **the statement of Rabbi Meir,** who maintains that the ox had the status of a forewarned ox only while it was under the custody of the steward. **Rabbi Yosei says: It retains its** previous **status** of being forewarned.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:6
[Bava Kamma 39a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:6)

שׁוֹר הָאִצְטָדִין – אֵינוֹ חַיָּיב מִיתָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי יִגַּח״ – וְלֹא שֶׁיַּגִּיחוּהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
If **a stadium [*ha’itztadin*] ox,** i.e., one that is trained to fight in a stadium, gores and kills a person, it **is not liable** to be put to **death, as it is stated:** “And **if an ox gores** a man or a woman” (Exodus 21:28). This is referring only to an ox that gores on its own initiative, **but not to** the case of an ox where others **induced it to gore.** Therefore, the owner of a stadium ox, which is trained to gore, is exempt from liability if it does.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:7
[Bava Kamma 39a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:7)

**גְּמָ׳** הָא גוּפָא קַשְׁיָא – אָמְרַתְּ: שׁוֹר שֶׁל חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן, שֶׁנָּגַח שׁוֹר שֶׁל פִּקֵּחַ – פָּטוּר; אַלְמָא אֵין מַעֲמִידִין אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס לְתָם – לִגְבּוֹת מִגּוּפוֹ. אֵימָא סֵיפָא: שׁוֹר שֶׁל חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן שֶׁנָּגַח – בֵּית דִּין מַעֲמִידִין לָהֶם אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, וּמְעִידִין לָהֶם בִּפְנֵי אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס. אַלְמָא מַעֲמִידִין לָהֶם אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס לְתָם, לִגְבּוֹת מִגּוּפוֹ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The Gemara comments: **This matter itself is difficult.** First the mishna **said: If** an ox **of a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor gored an ox of** a halakhically **competent person,** the owner of the ox is **exempt** from liability. **Apparently,** the court **does not appoint a steward for** the owner of **an innocuous** ox **for** the purpose of **collecting** damages **from** the proceeds of the sale of **its body.** But **say the latter clause** of the mishna: **If an ox belonging to a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor gored** another ox and caused damage, **the court appoints a steward for them and warns them** with regard to the ox that gored **in the presence of the steward. Apparently,** the court **appoints a steward for** the owner of **an innocuous** ox **for** the purpose of **collecting** damages **from its body.**


###### Bava Kamma 39a:8
[Bava Kamma 39a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:8)

אָמַר רָבָא, הָכִי קָתָנֵי: וְאִם הוּחְזְקוּ נַגְחָנִין – מַעֲמִידִין לָהֶם אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, וּמְעִידִין לָהֶן בִּפְנֵי אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, וּמְשַׁוֵּינַן לְהוּ מוּעָד; דְּכִי הָדַר וְנָגַח – לְשַׁלֵּם מֵעֲלִיָּיה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava said** that **this is what** the mishna **is teaching:** A steward is not appointed to enable collection of compensation from the bodies of innocuous oxen, **but if they have acquired the reputation of being habitually goring** oxen, as this was not an isolated incident, the court **appoints a steward** for the owners, **and warns them in the presence of the steward, and** thereby **renders** the oxen **forewarned.** This is so **that when** one of the oxen **gores again,** the owner will be liable **to pay** compensation **from** his **superior-quality** property, and not only from the proceeds of the sale of the goring ox.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:9
[Bava Kamma 39a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:9)

מֵעֲלִיַּית מַאן? רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: מֵעֲלִיַּית יְתוֹמִין, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא אָמַר: מֵעֲלִיַּית אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **From whose superior-quality** property is compensation collected for damage caused by a forewarned ox belonging to minor orphans? **Rabbi Yoḥanan says: From the superior-quality** property **of the orphans. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: From the superior-quality** property **of the steward.**


###### Bava Kamma 39a:10
[Bava Kamma 39a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:10)

וּמִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הָכִי? וְהָאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב אַסִּי: אֵין נִזְקָקִין לְנִכְסֵי יְתוֹמִין, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן רִבִּית אוֹכֶלֶת בָּהֶן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But did Rabbi Yoḥanan** actually **say this? But doesn’t Rav Yehuda say** that **Rav Asi says:** The court **does not attend to the property of orphans** to have them pay a debt **unless interest is eroding** their estate. In other words, in a case where the orphans’ father borrowed money from a gentile with interest, the court ensures that the debt is paid from the orphans’ property, since if they wait to pay the debt, it will grow dramatically. Apparently, in other cases the court does not collect from their property.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:11
[Bava Kamma 39a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:11)

וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: אוֹ לִשְׁטָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ רִבִּית, אוֹ לִכְתוּבַּת אִשָּׁה מִשּׁוּם מְזוֹנֵי!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And Rabbi Yoḥanan says:** The court collects from them **either to** pay a debt recorded in **a document that has** the payment of **interest** stipulated in it, in order to ensure that the interest does not diminish the value their estate, **or for** the payment of **a woman’s marriage contract, due to** their interest in not paying for her **sustenance.** A widow can claim her marriage contract from her deceased husband’s property, and as long as she does not receive it, her husband’s heirs are responsible for providing her sustenance. In a case where the heirs are minor orphans, the court collects payment of the marriage contract from the orphans’ property, so that they will not have to pay for her sustenance in the interim. Evidently, Rabbi Yoḥanan holds that with the exception of these two cases, the court does not collect debts from the property of orphans.


###### Bava Kamma 39a:12
[Bava Kamma 39a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:12)

אֵיפוֹךְ – רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: מֵעֲלִיַּית אַפּוֹטְרוֹפְּסִין, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא אָמַר: מֵעֲלִיַּית יְתוֹמִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **Reverse** the opinions. **Rabbi Yoḥanan** is the one who **says** that payment for damage caused by forewarned oxen is collected **from the superior-quality** property **of the steward,** and **Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina** is the one who **says** that it is collected **from the superior-quality** property **of the orphans.**


###### Bava Kamma 39a:13
[Bava Kamma 39a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:13)

אָמַר רָבָא: מִשּׁוּם דְּקַשְׁיָא דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אַדְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן – מְשַׁוֵּית לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא טוֹעֶה? וְהָא רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא דַּיָּינָא הוּא, וְנָחֵית לְעוּמְקֵיהּ דְּדִינָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava said** in response: **Due to the difficulty** created by the contradiction between the statement **of Rabbi Yoḥanan** here **and** the statement **of Rabbi Yoḥanan** there, **you render Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina mistaken,** by attributing an opinion to him that is not the *halakha*? **Wasn’t Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina a judge who delved into the complexities of the *halakha*?**


###### Bava Kamma 39a:14
[Bava Kamma 39a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Kamma/r/39a:14)

אֶלָּא לְעוֹלָם לָא תֵּיפוֹךְ, וּמַזִּיק שָׁאנֵי. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר מֵעֲלִיַּית יְתוֹמִים – דְּאִי אָמְרַתְּ מֵעֲלִיַּית אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס,

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** one can resolve the contradiction in another manner: **Actually, do not reverse** the opinions. **And** the resolution to the contradiction is that although Rabbi Yoḥanan holds that debts are not collected from the property of minor orphans, the *halakha* with regard to **one who causes damage** to another by not safeguarding his animal **is different. Rabbi Yoḥanan says** that compensation is collected **from the superior-quality** property **of the orphans, because if you say** that it should be collected **from the superior-quality** property **of the steward,**