Study Bava Batra folio 23B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מתני׳ ניפול הנמצא בתוך חמשים אמה – הרי הוא של בעל השובך. חוץ מחמשים אמה – הרי הוא של מוצאו. נמצא בין שני שובכות; קרוב לזה – שלו. קרוב לזה – שלו. מחצה על מחצה – שניהם יחלוקו.
Mishnah: With regard to a dove chick [nippul] that was found within 50 cubits of a dovecote, it belongs to the owner of the dovecote. If it was found beyond 50 cubits from a dovecote, it belongs to its finder. In a case where it was found between two dovecotes, if it was close to this one, it belongs to the owner of this dovecote; if it was close to that one, it belongs to the owner of that dovecote. If it was half and half, i.e., equidistant from the two dovecotes, the two owners divide the value of the chick.
גמ׳ אמר רבי חנינא: רוב וקרוב – הולכין אחר הרוב; ואף על גב דרובא דאורייתא וקורבא דאורייתא – אפילו הכי, רובא עדיף.
Talmud: R' Ḥanina says: When resolving an uncertainty with regard to the halakhic status of an item, e.g., a found item, if the status of the majority of like items indicates that it has one status but the item in question is proximate to a source that indicates otherwise, one follows the majority. And even though the halakha of majority applies by Torah law and the halakha of proximity also applies by Torah law, even so the majority is preferable.
מתיב רבי זירא: ״והיה העיר הקרבה אל החלל״ – ואף על גב דאיכא אחריתי דנפישא מינה!
R' Zeira raises an objection from the Torah’s statement with regard to a murder victim where the identity of the murderer is unknown. In a case of this kind, the court measures the distances between the corpse and the nearby towns, in order to determine which town is closest and must consequently perform the rite of the heifer whose neck is broken. The verse states: “And it should be, that the city that is nearest to the slain man, the Elders of that city should take a heifer of the herd…and should break the heifer’s neck” (Deuteronomy 21:3–4). And this town is chosen even though there might be another town that is larger in population than it. According to R' Ḥanina, in a case of this kind one should follow the majority.