[Avodah] Paying those who broke your barrels

Micha Berger micha at aishdas.org
Wed Sep 11 12:42:24 PDT 2013


The famous story as told by the Y-mi (BM 6:6 27a-b) has differences from
the more famous version in the Bavli (BM 83a).

Bavli:
    Rabah bR Hunah hired people to carry a barrel (chavis) of wine. The
    barrel broke, and RBRH lost his wine. He grabbed their shirts as
    collateral to get reimbersed for the wine. The case came before Rav.

    Rav insisted RBRH return the shirts without getting reimbersed.
    When RBRH asks if that's the halakhah, Rav invokes
    "lema'an teileikh bederekh tovim" (Mishlei 2:20) Then the workmen
    complain that they are poor and need the day's wages. Rav
    orders them to be paid. RBRH again asks if that's truly the
    halakhah, and Rav quotes the end of the pasuq, "ve'orchos
    tzadiqim tishmor.

In the Yerushalmi, the employer is R' Nechemiah, who hires a single
person to carry a pot (qadar). R' Nechemiah seizes his shirt, and the
question comes before R Yosi bar Chanina.


The Chida says that the citation of the same story in both shasin is
an indication that the amoraim in Bavel had access to the Y-mi when
they had the conversations recorded in the gemara.

But I'm wondering.... if so, why do they insist on different details?

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             One doesn't learn mussar to be a tzaddik,
micha at aishdas.org        but to become a tzaddik.
http://www.aishdas.org                         - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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