Kiddushin, Daf Samekh Aleph, Part 2

Introduction

Today s section cites another mishnah relevant to how land is measured.

גבי מכר תנן האומר לחבירו בית כור עפר אני מוכר לך והיו שם נקעים עמוקים עשרה טפחים או סלעים גבוהים עשרה טפחים אין נמדדים עמה פחות מכאן נמדדים עמה

With respect to purchase we learned: If one says to his neighbor, I am selling you a bet kor of land, and it contains ravines ten handbreadths deep or rocks ten handbreadths high, they are not measured with it.

As with the previous mishnah, ravines and rocks ten handbreadths deep or high are not counted as part of the field.

ואמר מר עוקבא בר חמא אע"פ שאין מלאים מים

מ"ט אמר רב פפא לפי שאין אדם רוצה שיתן את מעותיו בשדה אחת ויראה לו כשנים וכשלשה מקומות

And Mar Ukba b. Hama said: Even if they are not filled with water.

What is the reason? R. Papa said: Because one does not wish to pay his money for one field and it should appear as two or three plots.

In this case, the ravines do not count as part of the field even if they are not full of water. This is different from dedicating the value of a field to the Temple where the ravines were considered part of the field if they were not full of water.

הכא מאי להקדש מדמינן לה או למכר מדמינן לה מסתברא להקדש מדמינן לה דאמר לה אנא טרחנא וזרענא ומייתינא

How is it here: do we compare it with hekdesh or purchase?

It makes sense that we compare it to hekdesh because he can say to her, I will trouble myself to sow it, and bring [you the crop].

The question is when it comes to kiddushin, and he said on condition that I have a field the size of a bet kor, do we count the ravines not filled with water as we would with hekdesh (consecrated property) or do we not count them, as we do not for sales?

The answer is that we do count them. The husband could say that although it is more trouble, he will plant crops in these fields and so she will benefit from the profit.