Bava Basra - Daf 75

• The giant precious stones of the gates of future Yerushalayim, and the skeptical talmid

Rebbe Yochanan once sat and lectured, “Hashem will one day bring precious stones and pearls which are thirty by thirty amos, cut out an opening of ten by twenty amos, and set them at Yerushalayim’s gates. A certain talmid mocked him: השתא כביעתא דציצלא לא משכחינן – currently, we cannot find such stones even the size of a small dove’s egg; כולי האי משכחינן – can such enormous stones be found? Another time, the talmid was traveling at sea, and saw מלאכי השרת cutting precious stones and pearls of this size, and when the student asked for whom they were, they answered that Hashem would one day set them at Yerushalayim’s gates. The talmid returned and told Rebbe Yochanan: דרוש רבי לך נאה לדרוש – “Lecture, my master! It is fitting for you to lecture. כאשר אמרת כן ראיתי – Just as you said, I have seen!” Rebbe Yochanan responded: ריקא – “Empty one! אלמלא ראית לא האמנת – If you had not seen it, you would not have believed it? מלגלג על דברי חכמים אתה – You are one who mocks the Sage’s words!” Rebbe Yochanan set his eyes upon him, and he became a pile of bones.

• The future canopies for the צדיקים, and each is נכוה מחופתו של חבירו

Rebbe Yochanan said: עתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא לעשות שבע חופות לכל צדיק וצדיק – Hashem will one day make seven canopies for every righteous person, based on a passuk enumerating seven types of canopies. Each will have a canopy made לפי כבודו – according to his honor. Rebbe Chanina explains why the passuk mentions smoke in the canopy: שכל מי שעיניו צרות בתלמידי חכמים בעולם הזה – that anyone whose eyes were stingy towards תלמידי חכמים in this world, מתמלאות עיניו עשן לעולם הבא – his eyes are filled with smoke in the World to Come. Rebbe Chanina explains why fire is mentioned: מלמד שכל אחד ואחד נכוה מחופתו של חבירו – this teaches that each and every one will be burned by his fellow’s canopy which is greater than his. אוי לה לאותה בושה – Woe, for such a shame! אוי לה לאותה כלימה – Woe, for such a disgrace! [This closing expression was also applied to Moshe’s being told to give "מהודך" – “some of” your majesty to [Yehoshua], but not all. The elders of that generation said: פני משה כפני חמה – Moshe’s face was like the sun, פני יהושע כפני לבנה – and Yehoshua’s face was like the moon.]

• Machlokes about the required משיכה for ships (vs. animals)

Regarding acquiring a ship with משיכה, Rav says: כיון שמשך כל שהוא קנה – once [the buyer] pulled it even minimally, he acquired it, although the ship mostly occupies its original space. Shmuel says: לא קנה עד שימשוך את כולה – he has not acquired it until he pulls all of it out of its original place. The Gemara suggests this machlokes parallels a machlokes between Tannaim about the requisite משיכה for an animal, where the Tanna Kamma says: כיון שעקרה יד ורגל קנאה – once it lifted a foreleg and hindleg, he acquired it, and Rebbe Achi (or Rebbe Acha) said: עד שתהלך מלא קומתה – he does not acquire it until it walks its full length. However, the Gemara answers that Rav can say that Rebbe Acha’s opinion is specific to animals, that even after moving two legs, בדוכתה קיימא – it remains in its original place, since its other legs have not moved, whereas a ship, כיון דנדה בה פורתא נדה לה כולה – once a bit of it has moved, all of it has moved (since each part is in a different place from before). Shmuel can say that the Tanna Kamma’s opinion is specific to live animals, because once it lifts a hindleg and foreleg, אידך למיעקר קיימא – the others stand to be lifted as well, as opposed to a ship.