Bava Batra 69 - September 2, 29 Av

Today's daf is dedicated in memory of the six hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat, who were murdered just a few days ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we continue to pray for the release of all the other hostages.  When one sells a field, the stones are included. What are the stones used for in the field and in what circumstances are they included in the sale? There are different interpretations offered. There is an opinion of Rabbi Meir brought in a braita on Bava Batra 78b that all items used for a vineyard are included in the sale of that vineyard. The rabbis disagree. Many of the cases brought in the Mishna that are included/not included in the sale of a field are explained according to Rabbi Meir's understanding and the rabbis' position. Several questions are asked about items attached with pegs, such as a door frame or a window frame. Would they be included in the sale of a house? Would a stand for a leg of a bed be included in the sale of a bed (or maybe a house)? These questions are left unanswered. A carob tree or sycamore tree is only included in the sale of a field if the carob tree is grafted and if the sycamore is large enough to cut wood from it. This is derived from a verse in the context of Avraham's purchase of maarat hamachpela from Efron haChiti (Breishit 23:17). What trees are included in a sale can depend on the combination of the language used in the sale agreement and what actual trees are in the seller's possession. Several examples are brought to explain what would included in different scenarios.