Bava Kamma 51B

לימא הא רבי, והא רבנן?

should we say that this baraita, which teaches that they are all liable, is in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda HaNasi, who holds both liable for digging, and this baraita, which holds the latter liable, is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, who hold only the last one liable?

אמר רב זביד: הא והא רבנן; עד כאן לא קאמרי רבנן אחרון חייב, אלא היכא דלא עבד קמא שיעור מיתה; אבל היכא דעבד קמא שיעור מיתה ⁠– אפילו רבנן מודו דכולן חייבין.

Rav Zevid said: Both this baraita and that baraita are in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis. The way the first baraita accords with their opinion is that the Rabbis say that the last one is liable only where the first one did not make the pit of sufficient measurement to cause death, but dug less than 10 handbreadths. But where the first one made a pit of sufficient measurement to cause death, such as in this case, where the first one dug 10 handbreadths himself and it was subsequently deepened further by others, even the Rabbis concede that they are all liable.

והא סייד וכייד, דקא עבד קמא שיעור מיתה, וקתני: אחרון חייב! אמרי: התם ⁠– שלא היה בו הבל למיתה, ובא אחר והוסיף בה הבל למיתה.

The Talmud asks: But in the second baraita, where he plastered and cemented it, the first made a pit of sufficient measurement to cause death, and nevertheless, the baraita teaches that the last person is liable. They said in response: There it is referring to a case where the pit did not have fumes capable of leading to death, since it was very wide. And then the other came, and by narrowing it with plaster and cementing it, he added to it the characteristic of having fumes capable of leading to death.

איכא דאמרי, אמר רב זביד: הא והא רבי; הך דקתני: כולן חייבין ⁠– שפיר; הא דקתני: אחרון חייב ⁠– כגון שלא היה בו הבל לא למיתה ולא לנזקין, ובא אחר והוסיף בו הבל בין למיתה בין לנזקין.

There are those who say that this is what Rav Zevid said: Both this baraita and that baraita are in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda HaNasi. This first baraita, which teaches: They are all liable, fits well with his opinion. That second baraita, which teaches: The last one alone is liable, is referring to a case where the pit did not have sufficient fumes in it that were capable of leading to either death or damage, and then another person came and by narrowing it with plaster and cementing it, he added to it the characteristic of having fumes capable of leading to both death and damage.