Bava Batra

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Bava Batra resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Bava Batra 88: Watch your Weight

Rabbi Jay Kelman

All too often, we equate being a religious Jew with the observance of Shabbat, kashrut and taharat hamishpacha. Without at all minimizing these crucial identifying markers of religious observance, unless they are coupled with basic morality…
Article
May 2, 2017

Bava Batra 75: Reason to Believe

Rabbi Jay Kelman

We live in an age of great skepticism—often for good reason. In a time where science-with its demand for rigorous proofs, detailed experimentation and peer review-has contributed so much to the advancement of life in so many areas, asking…
Article
Apr 24, 2017

Bava Batra 60: Please Don't Marry Me

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The third chapter of Bava Batra is some 30 pages long, making it one of the longest in the Talmud. It is focused on the rules of acquisition of property: land, fields, courtyard, parapets, roofs, balconies, pits, cisterns, rights-of-way and the like…
Article
Apr 8, 2017

Bava Batra 64: 20/20 Vision

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It was at the well that Abraham’s servant met Rivka, Yaakov met Rachel and Moshe met Tzippora. It is hard for us--who, when thirsty, simply turn on a nearby tap--to appreciate the necessity of having a well nearby. Its vital importance,…
Article
Apr 5, 2017

Bava Batra 30: Don't Start With Me

Rabbi Jay Kelman

If you are going to pick a fight with someone, it’s best to know who your adversary is. There are certain people with whom it just doesn’t pay to start up. “A man [Reuven] said to his friend [Shimon]: What are you doing in my field…
Article
Mar 19, 2017

Bava Batra 29: My Friend's Friend

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Canadian law requires one to keep tax records for six years, after which time they can be destroyed and government audits are no longer possible. Talmudic law was not quite as onerous, requiring one to keep supporting documentation for up to three…
Article
Mar 16, 2017

Bava Batra 22: Talmudic Competition

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, posits that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for people to become expert in any field, be they NHL hockey players, pilots, guitarists for the Beatles, or computer programmers. It is quantity that produces…
Article
Mar 5, 2017

Bava Batra 21: The Talmudic Tuition Plan

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It is unlikely that Yehoshua ben Gamla would make very many listings of the five or even ten most important Sages of Talmudic times – let alone in all of Jewish history. Yet according to the Talmud itself, it would seem that with the…
Article
Feb 28, 2017

Bava Batra 29: Ode to Rashi

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It is hard to imagine what the Jewish world would be like without Rashi. Well, maybe not so hard. Without Rashi our understanding of Chumash would be greatly diminished, and for 99.9% of us  - at least – the Talmud would be a closed book…
Article
Feb 23, 2017

Bava Batra 14: Make it Beautiful

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Every once in a while one comes across a Talmudic story that makes one shake one’s head in disbelief. As we discussed in our last post, the Talmudic discussion regarding the division of property segues into one of how to divide the scrolls of…
Article
Feb 20, 2017