Take Ten for Talmud
1642BabaBasra8- The Power of Pidyon Shivuyim, redeeming captives
At the end of a line added two dots. We know in the topic of tzedaka that there are different ways to describe the hierarchy of how valuable the mitzvah is, although all tzedaka is very valuable, but there are different ways to do the mitzvah. For example, one of the topics that's discussed is whether you know who the money is going to or whether the recipient knows who the money is coming from. We have a concept of finding a person a job, assisting them, perhaps with counseling or encouragement, so that they could provide for themselves. There are a lot of different factors taking into consideration a person's feelings and how well we're truly providing for the entire person. Another aspect of consideration is what the tzedaka cause is. In other words, not just how we do the giving, but what is it going to? And we have a lot of different categories, including supporting Torah study, supporting poor people, all kinds of other endeavors that are mitzvah endeavors. Among them, and we'll see at a very high level of priority, is called pidyon shivuyim, the redemption of captives, how shim should protect us, but certainly historically there was such a concept that a person was captured and getting them out of captivity was a major priority. Let's begin this kamora and we'll see how it develops into the topic of pidyon shivuyim. Now Amaravasih, Amaravasih, said in the name of Rabasihana, "Hakolufasihohir vafillumiyasmi." The posts of the city that are necessary for protection, we collect even from orphans. Normally, orphans' assets are protected, that we do not touch them, we don't tamper with them until they get older and they can fend for themselves and be responsible parties. We don't take from them, we're not looking to take advantage or risk such behavior. However, when it comes to the protection of the city, we indeed take from them. At the end of the line, Amaravpapa, lushura ulufarsah ulufarzina ulufillumiyasmi. Other collections that are taxations on the town's residence, fixing the wall, providing the transportation for the person who goes around and checks if everything is in order, and to the guard of the city's weapons. Those are things that even the esomim, the orphans, are taxed. Klaolo de milsa, the general rule is, call milsa de isluhuha na amine, afillumiyasmi. If they are getting personal benefit, then you can tax them, and that would be an unusual application that indeed we take money from the orphans. The Gamura continues, and this will transition us into our topic. Raba Ramat Sadaka ayasmi devar barmaryon, Raba imposed Sadaka obligations on the orphans of a certain prominent family. Omole abaye abaye, abaye said, the hotani rabshmo abayyuhuda, we have a rule, which was so far alluded to, but now we really see the rule. Ain postkim sadaka al hai esomim. You don't place sadaka obligations on the orphans, afillumiyasmi. Even for the redemption of captives, if they have to come up with a million dollars quick, the orphans are exempt from this taxation. Omole, so there's a question on the table here. How could you place sadaka obligations on the orphans of this prominent family? What was Raba doing? And he responded anola akshu vinukho avidna. I did it for their own prestige and we would have to consider when exactly this would apply, but there's a concept here that it's to their benefit, if let's say their father always gave a certain donation to a certain institution and it was well recognized. So perhaps they should continue the family tradition, even though we normally don't touch the orphans' assets, but sometimes based on the amount that they have and the amount of the outlay and the level of prestige to keep them in the loop, it makes sense to do that and that would have to go through due process of judgment to know if it's appropriate, but what we do see from here, and that's what we're going to continue with, is the idea of a filulipigen shivuyam, even for the redemption of captives. Apparently, the redemption of captives is way on the top of the list of sadaka causes, and therefore it was considered a very impactful statement to go ahead and say, don't take from the orphans even for pigeon shivuyam. The Gomorrah describes one line up that a certain woman, Shodra Arnukad de Dinrilek Hamidaravyosef, she sent a purseful of the Nurem to Ravyosef, a significant amount of money. Omra and her directive with this purse was, "Le hava le mitzvaraba, I want it to be for a big mitzvah." Yassaf Ravyosef, vikama ayinba, Ravyosef sat himself down and he started thinking he's analyzing my mitzvaraba, what's considered a big mitzvah. Omra le ya baaye, ya baaye, ya baaye, told him what we just learned. Me de tani Ravshma about you, huda, since the statement was, in post Gomorraha, yassaf wa filulipigen shivuyam, don't take money from the orphans even for pigeon shivuyam, shivuyam shivuyam, nah. From there you can learn, onto the second side of the daf, pigeon shivuyam, mitzvaraba he, that pigeon shivuyam, redemption of captives, is considered a big mitzvah. Omra lea Ravyosef said to Ravyosef, how do you know this thing to Omra Bonon, that the rabbi's taught, the pigeon shivuyam, mitzvaraba he, that indeed mitzvaraba, and pigeon shivuyam is a mitzvaraba, what's the origin of that rule, of that concept? Omra lea he answered him, dXiv, does a poshuk, that describes great tragedy, and says the people who are going to die are dying, fasha lakharev, lakharev, and the people by the sword, are being killed by the sword, vasha lurov, lurov, people of famine, by famine, vasha lushivi, and those in captivity, by captivity. For Omra bjechen, and Nra bjechen, and tawat, kalamu ukhba poshik za kasha mihave rho, whatever's later in the poshuk is worse, so that, rarif kasha mihmovis, being killed by the sword, decapitated, is worse than regular death. Ibayosef makrav, Ibayosef masvara, Ibayosef masvara, if you want, I can tell you, it's a concept, a common novel, it's disgraceful to the person. As opposed to regular death, it's not disgraceful. Ibayosef makrav, and if you want, it's a poshuk, yor karbe, eni aashem, amab sallakhasidav, if a person dies in the hands of Hashem, a direct, only Hashem is involved, so that's considered dear, and to be killed by another person is considered worse. So that's the first level here, there's death, and there's death by the sword, the next one is rah of, rah of kasha mihave, famine is worse than by the sword, Ibayosef masvara, if you want, I can say it's logic, because comets dire, the person is going through tremendous pain of starvation, as opposed to a person who's killed, they're killed, they're killed right away, and considering the options here, which one is worse, so famine is worse. Ibayosef makrav, it's actually a poshuk, tovim hai ukhalil kerev mikhalilirav, the corpses of sword were considered better than the corpses of people who died of starvation. We have this as an important consideration in end-of-life care, that we're very careful that as long as intervention of nourishment, food and hydration, or whatever nutrition and hydration is possible, then we're very careful to continue doing that, because our tradition is that a person who deteriorates from lack of nutrition is extremely negative, is painful and negative. At a certain point, the body closes down, and it's true that it's perhaps counterproductive, it's not serving its purpose, and that's something that medical halacha addresses, but in general, for people to think that by starving the patient, it's a legitimate method of exit from this world, this comora contradicts that and said that's not true. Shavi, which was our point, to discuss captivity, kasha mikulam, is worse than the mole. The kulu is snoo hubei, because all of the other types of death are included in captivity, and presumably what the comora means is that, the same as the expression, a coward dies a thousand deaths, so it sounds very macho, a coward. A person in captivity is constantly living through in their mind the eventualities of tragedy that could occur, and a person who lives that in his mind, that's his reality, and he's suffering through all of those experiences. It's a very profound concept that the comora maintains that the captivity is worse than the previous ones, because he's living those deaths, all of them, all of those different types. So again, the concept that pigeon shivuyam, redeeming captives, is considered such an enormous mitzvah, we would liquidate many assets to try to accomplish that. We did encounter, though, the comora on gimulamid base that, once a base akinesis is built, and likewise, a house itself that was not included in what we would liquidate in order to achieve pigeon shivuyam in a typical rahwanalatslan application. Yeshikou Aach, thank you for joining.