Baba Kama II - The Steinsaltz Talmud T24 (color), Biblieurope editions

The Steinsaltz Talmud T24

Baba Kama II

Translated paragraph by paragraph
Commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Drahi Edition - Color

Biblieurope Editions

The new edition of the Steinsaltz Talmud in French aims, like the previous one, to give everyone, regardless of their level, access to the Talmudic text – originally written without punctuation or vowels, in a concise style, in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, a language little known to most readers.

In the second half of the ^20th century, Rabbi Steinsaltz, of blessed memory, pioneered the work of publishing a punctuated and vocalized edition in Hebrew, and later in other languages. This edition presents the correspondence of each word of the Talmud in bold, with explanations added in regular type, essential for understanding each sentence and following the Gemara step by step.

In this edition, the text of the Talmud is divided into paragraphs, translated as they appear. It includes numerous studies and halakha taken from the Steinsaltz edition in Hebrew, summarizing the main commentaries and the conclusions of the decisors on each topic addressed. It is enriched new illustrations.

At the end of each book, it includes the original text of the treatise according to the classical Vilna edition, with the commentary of Rashi – which, here, is punctuated and vocalized – and that of the Tosafot, also punctuated.

We hope that this publication will achieve the goal that Rav Steinsaltz zal sought throughout his life: to enable every Jew to know and appreciate his ancestral heritage in order to strengthen the love of the Torah among the people.

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Baba Kama II

Originally, Baba Kama was the first part – literally “the First Gate” – of a large treatise on Damages – also including Baba Metsi’a (“the Middle Gate”) and Baba Batra (“the Last Gate”), at the beginning of the fourth Talmudic set.

This great treatise encompasses almost all the rules of civil law – apart from those relating to the matrimonial regime, set forth in Ketoubot , of criminal law and a fortiori the expiation of faults imposed by the Heavenly Tribunal being mentioned incidentally.

The tractate Baba Kama sets forth the rules concerning compensation owed by the party responsible for bodily injury or property damage, whether direct or indirect, even if caused through the use of their own property. The general rules in this area are based on explicit passages from the Book of Exodus (21:18–37 and 22:1–14). However, instead of presenting concrete legal principles, the Torah refers to common examples from daily life, which must be carefully examined for the purpose of extrapolation. Through the contributions of the Oral Tradition and the exegetical deductions of the Midrash Halakha , a comprehensive picture of the laws relating to damages emerges.

This treatise is divided into two distinct parts (sometimes interwoven, as is often the case in the Talmud). The first six chapters deal primarily with damage caused by a person's property or by a source of damage they have instigated. The last four focus on direct damage caused by the person themselves (through theft or assault and battery), including damage caused unintentionally, through carelessness, or negligence.

Regarding damage caused by property, it is necessary to define precisely the extent of the owner's liability and whether they are liable even if they have taken appropriate preventative measures. Thus, logically, the Torah is more severe regarding injuries caused by an ox already recognized as dangerous [ mu'ad ] than for one presumed to be peaceful [ tam ].

From the second part of the treaty, it appears that an aggressor found guilty of assault and battery must pay, in addition to the damage itself, four other categories of compensation, for the suffering, medical care, forced unemployment and humiliation of the victim.

Biblieurope Editions