Kesubos - Daf 110
- When two people owe each other the same amount of money and can only pay with land
The Gemara brings a machlokes regarding what happens when two people owe each other the same amount of money, but they lack cash to repay and only have land. Rav Nachman says they collect their payments from one another, but Rav Sheishess says:הפוכי מטרתא למה לי – Why should I switch identical bags, meaning what is the point of having the same payment go back and forth from one another? אלא זה עומד בשלו וזה עומד בשלו – Rather, this one stays with his property, and that one stays with his property. The Gemara rejects its initial interpretation of the machlokes and then explains that they disagree where one person owns both עידית and בינונית land, and the other person only owns זיבורית land. Rav Nachman holds בשלו הן שמין – we assess the quality of one’s field in relation to his own property. Rashi explains that when the Rabbanon enacted the law that a debtor pays with beinonis land, they meant land that is average in relation to his other fields. For example, if he owned two fields that would generally be considered בינונית and זיבורית, the בינונית land would be deemed “עידית” since it his best, and he would only have to pay from the זיבורית. Rav Sheishess holds, בשל כל אדם הן שמין – that we assess the בינונית land in relation to everyone, and therefore, no one will benefit from exchanging the בינונית land back and forth.
- One cannot make his wife move from a town to a city because city life is difficult
The next Mishnah states: שלש ארצות לנשואין – There are three provinces in Eretz Yisroel with respect to marriage: יהודה ועבר הירדן והגליל. אין מוציאין מעיר לעיר ומכרך לכרך אבל באותה הארץ מוציאין מעיר לעיר ומכרך לכרך – One cannot make his wife move from a town in one province to a town in another province, nor from a city in one province to a city in another province, but within the same province, one can make his wife move from town to town or city to city, אבל לא מעיר לכרך ולא מכרך לעיר – but not from a town to a city, or from a city to a town. The Gemara says that it makes sense that one cannot make a wife move from a city to a town, דבכרך שכיחי כל מילי – because in a city everything can be found, whereas in a town not everything can be found, but why does she not have to move from a town to a city? The Gemara answers that this supports the teaching of Rebbe Yose bar Chanina who said: מנין שישיבת כרכים קשה – From where do we know that living in a city is difficult? For it says in the passuk in Nechemiah regarding those that returned from Bavel: "ויברכו העם לכל האנשים המתנדבים לשבת בירושלים" – The people blessed all those who volunteered to settle in Yerushalayim. Since volunteering required a berachah, it is clear that living in a city is challenging. Rashi explains that in cities, the houses are crammed together and there is no fresh air, whereas towns have gardens and orchards next to the house, and the air is fresh.
- לעולם ידור אדם בארץ ישראל שכל הדר בארץ ישראל דומה כמי שיש לו אלוק
It was taught in a Baraisa: לעולם ידור אדם בארץ ישראל – A person should always live in Eretz Yisroel, אפילו בעיר שרובה עובדי כוכבים - even if he has to live in city with a majority of idolaters, ואל ידור בחוצה לארץ ואפילו בעיר שרובה ישראל – and a person should not dwell in chutz l’Aretz, even if he lives in a city with a majority of Jews, שכל הדר בארץ ישראל דומה כמי שיש לו אלוק – because whoever lives in Eretz Yisroel is considered to be one who has a G-d, וכל הדר בחוצה לארץ כמי שאין לו אלוק – and whoever lives in chutz l’Aretz is considered as if he has no G-d, as it says in the passuk: "לתת לכם את ארץ כנען להיות לכם לאלקים" – to give you the land of Canaan, to be a G-d for you. When the Gemara asks if it is possible that one who lives in chutz l’Aretz is G-dless, for Hashem is the G-d of the entire world, it answers, that the passuk is coming to teach, כל הדר בחוצה לארץ כאילו עובד עבודת כובכים – Whoever lives outside of Eretz Yisroel it is as if he worships idols.
