Bava Batra 88 - Shabbat September 21, 18 Elul

Today's daf is sponsored by Judi Felber in honor of the 7th yahrzeit of her father, Hershel Tzvi Shlomo Chaim ben Pesach and Dina Sara. The Gemara brings two more possibilities of how to understand the Mishna and concludes that the last one is correct - the case is where the store owner used the father's flask for measuring for others and he became a borrower who borrows without asking permission from the owner. The debate in the Mishna is - do we view this kind of borrower as a borrower (who does not assume responsibility once the item is returned to the place it was borrowed from) or like a thief who is responsible until the item is returned to the original owner (or to a safe place).   The Gemara explains more in detail Shmuel's ruling that one who picks up an item to purchase is responsible for accidental damages. How often does a seller need to clean out the measuring cups? It depends if the seller is the wholesaler, a homeowner, or a storekeeper. There is a law based on a verse from the Torah that when a seller weighs an item to sell, the seller needs to weigh it down a bit to favor the buyer. How much does one need to add? How much does it depend on the prevalent custom in that area? There is a discussion on the seriousness of the laws of weights and measurements and it is compared to illicit relations.