Study Bava Metzia folio 117B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
גמ׳ אמר רבי יוחנן: בשלשה מקומות שנה לנו רבי יהודה אסור לאדם שיהנה מממון חבירו. חדא – הא דתנן.
Talmud: R' Yoḥanan says: In 3 places R' Yehuda taught us the principle that it is forbidden for a person to derive benefit from the property of another without his full awareness and consent, even if the other does not suffer a loss. One of the places where we are taught this principle is that which we learn in the Mishnah, that R' Yehuda does not allow one to reside in another’s property without paying him rent.
אידך מה היא, דתנן: הנותן צמר לצבע לצבוע לו אדום וצבעו שחור, שחור וצבעו אדום, רבי מאיר אומר: נותן לו דמי צמרו. רבי יהודה אומר: אם השבח יותר על ההוצאה – נותן לו היציאה, ואם ההוצאה יתירה על השבח – נותן לו את השבח.
What is another place where we are taught this principle from R' Yehuda’s statements? As we learned in a Mishnah (Bava Kamma 100b): If one gives wool to a dyer to dye it red for him and instead he dyed it black, or to dye it black and he dyed it red, R' Meir says: The dyer gives the owner of the wool the value of his wool. R' Yehuda says: If the value of the enhancement exceeds the dyer’s expenses, the owner of the wool gives the dyer the expenses. And if the expenses exceed the enhancement, he gives him the value of the enhancement. But the dyer may not keep the dyed wool for himself, as it is forbidden for one to benefit from another’s property.
ואידך מאי היא, דתנן: מי שפרע מקצת חובו והשליש את שטרו ואמר לו: ״אם אין אני נותן לך מכאן ועד זמן פלוני – תן לו שטרו״. הגיע זמן ולא נתן, רבי יוסי אומר: יתן, רבי יהודה אומר: לא יתן.
And what is the other, third place where we are taught this principle from R' Yehuda’s statements? As we learned in a Mishnah (Bava Batra 168a): In a case of a debtor who repaid part of his debt, and he deposited the promissory note with a third party serving as a trustee, to ensure that the creditor not collect the full amount, and the debtor said to the trustee: If I do not give you the balance from now until such and such a time, give the creditor his promissory note, thereby enabling him to collect the full amount stated in the note; if the stipulated time arrived and the debtor has not given the balance to the trustee, R' Yosei says: The trustee should give the promissory note to the creditor, in accordance with the debtor’s stipulation. R' Yehuda says: The trustee should not give it, as the stipulation is void. Here too, the reason is that the creditor is forbidden to benefit from the property of another.