Bava Metzia - Daf 87
- צדיקים אומרים מעט ועושים הרבה
Avraham told his guests he would bring them a piece of bread, yet we find that he ran to fetch calves for his them. Rebbe Elazar said: מכאן שצדיקים אומרים מעט ועושים הרבה – from here we can derive that the righteous pledge a little and do a lot. רשעים אומרים הרבה ואפילו מעט אינם עושים – However, the wicked say a lot, and do not even do a little. This second statement can be demonstrated from Ephron, who initially said to Avraham (regarding his request to purchase מערת המכפילה), “Land worth four hundred silver shekels, between me and you, what is it? Bury your dead.” Yet Ephron not only accepted this full amount from Avraham, but demanded shekels which were "עובר לסוחר" – negotiable currency, which the Gemara identifies as "קנטרי" (Rashi explains these are extremely heavy coins, each equal to 2,500 standard shekels), because there is a place which uses the word shekel for a קנטירא.
- Why the angels asked about Sarah’s whereabouts
The passuk says that the guests asked where Sarah was, and Avraham told them she was in the tent, להודיע ששרה אמנו צנועה היתה – to inform us that Sarah Imeinu was modest. The Gemara continues: יודעים היו מלאכי השרת ששרה אמנו באהל היתה – the angels knew that Sarah Imeinu was in the tent. Why, then, did they ask Avraham for her whereabouts, prompting him to say she was in the tent? כדי לחבבה על בעלה – To endear her to her husband, by indicating that she was more modest than other women. Rebbe Yose the son of Rebbe Chanina said: כדי לשגר לה כוס של ברכה – in order to send her the cup of berachah. The Maharsha explains this refers to the cup of wine over which ברכת המזון is said, which would be recited by the greatest of the three guests, and sent to the woman of the house to drink, because she is blessed by drinking it.
- The Biblical food entitlements of certain workers
The next Mishnah states: ואלו אוכלין מן התורה – And these workers may eat from their employer’s food by Biblical decree: העושה במחובר לקרקע בשעת גמר מלאכה – either one who works with produce attached to the ground at the time of the completion of its work (i.e., harvesting), ובתלוש מן הקרקע עד שלא נגמרה מלאכתו – or with produce detached from the ground before the completion of its work (i.e., before it is fully processed vis-à-vis maaser or challah obligations). Also, he may only eat if he is working with produce which grows in the ground (as opposed to milking cows, etc.). The Gemara seeks the source for the worker’s right to eat attached produce, and ultimately explains that since the Torah mentioned "חרמש" – a sickle in the passuk describing a worker’s right to eat the employer’s produce, this teaches לרבות כל בעלי חרמש – to include all produce harvested with a sickle. This would not include crops harvested without a sickle, such as olives and dates, but the word "קמה" – standing grain (which is otherwise superfluous, and included in חרמש), expands to include כל בעלי קמה – anything which is categorized as standing, i.e., attached produce.
