Bava Kamma 27 - November 29, 16 Kislev

Today's daf is sponsored by Ruth Leah Kahan in honor of her husband, David, who is currently in surgery donating a kidney altruistically. "I wish him and whoever receives it skilled surgeons, and speedy and complete recoveries. I am very proud of him." Today's daf is sponsored by Ron and Shira Krebs in loving memory of Shira's grandfather, Yitzchak Leib Ben David Ber haKohen v'Malkah. If someone throws something out a window and on its way down, someone smashes it with a baseball bat, who is responsible? What if it were a child that was thrown? What if an ox gored it on the way down and not a person? If someone falls off a roof onto someone, depending on whether the person fell from a typical wind or an atypical wind will affect the level of responsibility and what will be the compensation. What type of intent is required to fulfill the mitzva of yibum? Even though people are always responsible for their actions, there is a debate among the commentaries as to whether or not there is an exemption for a situation that was completely out of one's control. The Mishna discusses a case where one leaves a jug in the middle of the street and someone breaks it, the one who broke it is exempt. If the person gets hurt by it, the owner of the jug is responsible for paying damages. First, the Gemara questions the language in the Mishna - it first used the term kad, a jug, then switched to chavit, a barrel. What can be derived from this? The rabbis have trouble understanding why the person who broke it is not held responsible for breaking someone else's jug. Four answers are given and those answers have important ramifications in understanding when one would be held liable. Can one take the law into one's own hands? Under what circumstances?