## Bava Metzia Daf 74b

###### Bava Metzia 74b:1
[Bava Metzia 74b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:1)

יְמוֹת הַגְּשָׁמִים – אִיכָּא בֵּינַיְיהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The practical difference **between them** is with regard to **the rainy season.** According to the first *tanna* one may set a price for the future delivery of manure at any point in the year, including the rainy season, but according to the Rabbis one may not arrange for the delivery during the rainy season, because manure is not commonly available then.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:2
[Bava Metzia 74b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:2)

וּפוֹסֵק עִמּוֹ כְּשַׁעַר הַגָּבוֹהַּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: **One may set** a price **at the highest rate,** meaning he may set a price for the future delivery of produce and stipulate that if the market rate falls below the agreed-upon price, he will purchase the product according to the lowest price in effect in the market at any point during the year, which is the price that will provide the highest amount of merchandise for the amount he agreed to pay.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:3
[Bava Metzia 74b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:3)

הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דִּיהַיב זוּזֵי לִנְדוּנְיָא דְּבֵי חֲמוּהּ, לְסוֹף זַל נְדוּנְיָא. אֲתוֹ לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב פָּפָּא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִי פְּסַקְתְּ (עִמּוֹ) כְּשַׁעַר הַגָּבוֹהַּ – שְׁקֹל כִּהַשְׁתָּא. וְאִי לָא – שְׁקֹל כִּי מֵעִיקָּרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates: There was **a certain man who gave money** to sellers to buy jewelry **for** his betrothed’s **dowry [*linduneya*]** on behalf **of his father-in-law,** as his intended father-in-law made him an agent to buy the jewelry for part of the dowry. The betrothed man stipulated with the sellers that they would provide the jewelry in time for the wedding. **Ultimately, the** jewelry for the **dowry became less expensive,** as the price fell. The betrothed man wanted to retract his commitment to buy the jewelry at the higher price. The parties **came before Rav Pappa** for a ruling. Rav Pappa **said to** the betrothed man: **If you set** a price **with** the seller to buy the jewelry **at the highest rate,** i.e., the largest amount of jewelry for the price you are willing to pay, then **take** the jewelry **at the present** price. **But if not, take** it **at** the price that you set **initially.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:4
[Bava Metzia 74b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:4)

אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ רַבָּנַן לְרַב פָּפָּא: וְאִי לָא פְּסַק – שָׁקֵיל כְּמֵעִיקָּרָא? מָעוֹת נִינְהוּ, וּמָעוֹת לָא קָנוּ! אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֲנָא נָמֵי לְקַבּוֹלֵי עֲלֵיהּ ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״ קָא אָמֵינָא. אִי פְּסַק כְּשַׁעַר הַגָּבוֹהַּ, מוֹכֵר קָא הָדַר בֵּיהּ, מְקַבֵּל עֲלֵיהּ מוֹכֵר ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״. אִי לָא פְּסַק – לוֹקֵחַ קָא הָדַר בֵּיהּ, מְקַבֵּל עֲלֵיהּ לוֹקֵחַ ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages said to Rav Pappa: And if he did not set** a price at the highest rate, **must he take** the merchandise **at** the price he set **initially? This is** a case where he paid **money, and** giving **money** alone **does not effect acquisition.** Rav Pappa **said to them:** I did not mean that it was an actual acquisition; rather, **I also** agree that giving money does not effect acquisition. What **I said** was **with regard to accepting upon himself** the curse: **He Who exacted payment. If** the betrothed man **set** a price **at the highest rate** the buyer is in the right, and if so, **the seller** is the one who **retracted,** and therefore **the seller accepts upon himself** the curse: **He Who exacted payment.** But **if** the betrothed man **did not set** a price at the highest rate, then the betrothed man, i.e., the **buyer,** is the one who **retracted,** and therefore **the buyer accepts upon himself** the curse: **He Who exacted payment.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:5
[Bava Metzia 74b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:5)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבִינָא לְרַב פָּפָּא: וּמִמַּאי דְּרַבָּנַן הִיא דִּפְלִיגִי עֲלֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן דְּאָמְרִי מָעוֹת לָא קָנוּ, וַאֲפִילּוּ הָכִי: אִי פְּסַק כְּשַׁעַר הַגָּבוֹהַּ – שָׁקֵיל כִּדְהַשְׁתָּא, אִי לָא פְּסַק – שָׁקֵיל כִּדְמֵעִיקָּרָא,

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Ravina said to Rav Pappa: From where** do you know **that** the ruling of the mishna, i.e., that if he did not set a price according to the highest rate he must acquire the merchandise at the price he set initially, **is** in accordance with the opinion of **the Rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Shimon and** who **say** that giving **money does not effect acquisition? And even so,** they hold that **if he set** a price **at the highest rate, he takes** it **at the current** price, and **if he did not set** a price at the highest rate, **he takes** it **at** the price he set **initially.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:6
[Bava Metzia 74b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:6)

דִּלְמָא רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הִיא, דְּאָמַר מָעוֹת קוֹנוֹת: וְכִי פְּסַק כְּשַׁעַר הַגָּבוֹהַּ – שָׁקֵיל כִּי הַשְׁתָּא, אִי לָא פְּסַק – שָׁקֵיל כְּמֵעִיקָּרָא, מִשּׁוּם דְּקָנֵי לְהוּ זוּזֵי. אֲבָל לְרַבָּנַן, בֵּין פְּסַק בֵּין לָא פְּסַק – שָׁקֵיל כִּי הַשְׁתָּא, דְּדַעְתֵּיהּ דְּאִינִישׁ אַתַּרְעָא זִילָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Perhaps** the ruling of the mishna **is** in accordance with the opinion of **Rabbi Shimon, who says** that giving **money effects acquisition, and** therefore **if he set** a price **at the highest rate, he takes** it **at the current** price, and **if he did not set** a price at the highest rate, **he takes** it **at** the price he set **initially, since** giving **money effects acquisition. But according to** the opinion of **the Rabbis, whether he set** a price at the highest rate **or did not set** a price at the highest rate, **he takes** it **at the current** price, **because a person’s intention** is always to acquire merchandise **at the least expensive price.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:7
[Bava Metzia 74b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:7)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵימוֹר דְּאָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּחַד תַּרְעָא, בִּתְרֵי תַּרְעֵי מִי אָמַר? דְּאִי לָא תֵּימָא הָכִי, ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״ בְּלוֹקֵחַ – לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן לֵית לֵיהּ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rav Pappa **said to him: Say that Rabbi Shimon said** his ruling that giving money effects acquisition in a case **where** there was **one price,** i.e., the price did not change in the meantime. **Did he say** his ruling **where** there were **two prices?** Certainly Rabbi Shimon will concede that the buyer can withdraw from the sale if the market price changes. **As, if you do not say so,** then the curse: **He Who exacted payment, will not** apply **to the buyer** under any circumstances **according to** the opinion of **Rabbi Shimon.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:8
[Bava Metzia 74b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:8)

וְכִי תֵּימָא: הָכִי נָמֵי, וְהָתַנְיָא: מִכׇּל מָקוֹם כָּךְ הֲלָכָה, אֲבָל אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״ כּוּ׳.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if you would say: Indeed,** the curse: He Who exacted payment, never applies to a buyer according to the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, **isn’t it taught** in a *baraita*: Rabbi Shimon says: Even though the Sages said that when one party takes possession of a garment, the other party acquires a gold dinar, but when one party takes possession of a gold dinar, the other party does not acquire a garment, **in any case, that is** what the ***halakha*** would be. **But** the Sages **said** with regard to one who withdraws from a transaction where one party performed an act of acquisition by pulling the gold dinar into his possession: **He Who exacted payment** from the people of the generation of the flood, and from the people of the generation of the dispersion, and from the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and from the Egyptians in the Red Sea, will in the future exact payment from whoever does not stand by his statement.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:9
[Bava Metzia 74b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:9)

מַאי מִכׇּל מָקוֹם? לָאו דְּלָא שְׁנָא לוֹקֵחַ וְלָא שְׁנָא מוֹכֵר מְקַבֵּל עֲלֵיהּ ״מִי שֶׁפָּרַע״? אֶלָּא כִּי קָאָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן: בְּחַד תַּרְעָא, בִּתְרֵי תַּרְעֵי לָא אָמַר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rav Pappa clarifies: **What** is the meaning of: **In any case?** Does it **not** mean that **there is no difference** whether it is **the buyer and there is no difference** whether it is **the seller** who withdraws from the sale, that either way he **accepts upon himself** the curse: **He Who exacted payment? Rather,** it must be that **when Rabbi Shimon is saying** that giving money effects acquisition, he is referring to a case **where** there was **one price,** but in a case **where** there were **two prices he did not say** it.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:10
[Bava Metzia 74b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:10)

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבָא לְרַב אָשֵׁי: וְתִיפּוֹק לֵיהּ דְּשָׁלִיחַ שַׁוְּיֵיהּ מֵעִיקָּרָא! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בְּתַגָּרָא דְּזָבֵין וּמְזַבֵּין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: But let** Rav Pappa **derive** this *halakha* in the case of the dowry employing a more straightforward reasoning: The father-in-law **initially made** the betrothed man **an agent,** and since he was an agent, the father-in-law could say to him: I sent you to act for my benefit, not to my detriment. Purchasing the jewels at a more expensive price is to the detriment of the father-in-law, and therefore the agency and the sale itself are nullified. Rav Ashi **said to him:** It is speaking here about a case where the father-in-law did not actually make him an agent. Rather, the betrothed man was **a merchant who buys and sells** merchandise. The father-in-law understands that he engages in commerce and that he will not always profit from his trading.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:11
[Bava Metzia 74b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:11)

**מַתְנִי׳** מַלְוֶה אָדָם אֶת אֲרִיסָיו חִטִּין בְּחִטִּין לְזֶרַע, אֲבָל לֹא לֶאֱכוֹל. שֶׁהָיָה רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל מַלְוֶה אֶת אֲרִיסָיו חִטִּין בְּחִטִּין לְזֶרַע, בְּיוֹקֶר וְהוּזְלוּ, אוֹ בְּזוֹל וְהוּקְרוּ – נוֹטֵל מֵהֶן כְּשַׁעַר הַזּוֹל. וְלֹא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֲלָכָה כֵּן, אֶלָּא שֶׁרָצָה לְהַחְמִיר עַל עַצְמוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **A person may lend wheat to his sharecroppers** in exchange **for wheat,** for the purpose **of seeding,** meaning that he may lend them a quantity of wheat with which to seed the field, and at harvest time the sharecropper will add the amount of grain that he borrowed to the landowner’s portion of the yield. **But he may not** lend wheat for the sharecroppers **to eat** and be paid back with an equivalent quantity because this creates a concern about interest, as the price of wheat may rise. **As Rabban Gamliel would lend wheat to his sharecroppers** in exchange **for wheat,** for purposes **of seeding,** and if he lent it **at a high price and the price** then **fell, or** if he lent it **at an inexpensive price and the price** subsequently **rose,** in all cases **he would take** it back **from them at the inexpensive price. But** this was **not because this is** the ***halakha*; rather, he wanted to be stringent with himself.**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:12
[Bava Metzia 74b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:12)

**גְּמָ׳** תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַלְוֶה אָדָם אֶת אֲרִיסָיו חִטִּים בְּחִטִּים לְזֶרַע. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים – שֶׁלֹּא יָרַד, אֲבָל יָרַד אָסוּר. מַאי שְׁנָא תַּנָּא דִּידַן דְּלָא קָא מְפַלֵּיג בֵּין יָרַד וּבֵין לֹא יָרַד, וּמַאי שְׁנָא תַּנָּא בָּרָא דְּקָא מְפַלֵּיג בֵּין יָרַד וּבֵין לֹא יָרַד?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **A person may lend wheat to his sharecroppers** in exchange **for wheat,** for the purpose **of seeding. In what** case **is this statement said?** It is said **when** the sharecropper **has not** yet **gone down** into the field to begin to work, **but** if he had already **gone down** into the field to begin to work, lending him wheat under these terms is **prohibited.** The Gemara asks: **What is different** about **the *tanna* of our** mishna, **who does not differentiate between** whether the sharecropper **went down or did not go down, and what is different** about **the *tanna* of the *baraita*, who does differentiate between** whether **he went down or he did not go down?**


###### Bava Metzia 74b:13
[Bava Metzia 74b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:13)

אָמַר רָבָא, רַבִּי אִידִי אַסְבְּרַהּ נִיהֲלִי: בְּאַתְרָא דְּתַנָּא דִּידַן, אֲרִיסָא יָהֵיב בִּיזְרָא, בֵּין יָרַד וּבֵין לֹא יָרַד – כַּמָּה דְּלָא יָהֵיב בִּיזְרָא מָצֵי מְסַלֵּיק לֵיהּ, וְכִי קָא נָחֵית – לִבְצִיר מֵהָכִי קָא נָחֵית.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava said: Rabbi Idi explained** the matter **to me: In the locale of the *tanna* of our** mishna, the local custom was that **the sharecropper** would **provide the seeds,** and therefore, **whether he went down or did not go down, as long as** the sharecropper **has not put the seeds** into the field the landowner **can remove him** from the field. Consequently, in a case where the landowner gives the sharecropper the seeds, he sets the terms of the sharecropping tenancy, **and when** the sharecropper **goes down** into the field, **he goes down** into the field **for less than this,** under the agreement that he will reduce his share of the crop in order to return the seed to the landowner.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:14
[Bava Metzia 74b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:14)

בְּאַתְרָא דְּתַנָּא בָּרָא, מָרֵי אַרְעָא יָהֵיב בִּיזְרָא, אִי לֹא יָרַד דְּמָצֵי מְסַלֵּיק לֵיהּ, כִּי קָא נָחֵית – לִבְצִיר מֵהָכִי קָא נָחֵית, אִי יָרַד דְּלָא מָצֵי מְסַלֵּיק לֵיהּ – אָסוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
By contrast, **in the locale of the *tanna* of the *baraita*, the landowner** is the one who would **provide the seeds,** so **if he** has **not** yet **gone down** into the field the landowner **can remove him,** and therefore, **when he goes down** into the field, **he goes down for less than this.** But **if he went down,** and therefore the landowner **can no longer remove him,** lending him wheat under these terms is **prohibited,** because he took upon himself in advance to work the field without receiving seeds from the owner of the field. Consequently, these seeds that he then receives are like a loan and the prohibition of interest applies.


###### Bava Metzia 74b:15
[Bava Metzia 74b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bava%20Metzia/r/74b:15)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן, אוֹמֵר אָדָם לַחֲבֵירוֹ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught: A person may say to another:**