Study Bava Metzia folio 10B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Rav Pappa said a different answer: When the rabbis instituted an ordinance that one’s 4 square cubits effect acquisition of property for him, that was in the world, i.e., on public land. But the rabbis did not institute this mode of acquisition for him in a field belonging to an owner. And even th
As mentioned previously, Rava said that R' Ya’akov bar Idi raises an objection to this from a Mishnah in Nezikin. The Talmud elaborates: The Mishnah here states that if one saw a found item and fell upon it, and another came and seized it, the one who seized it acquired it. And if you say that a pe
The Talmud answers: Here we are dealing with a case where he did not say: I will acquire it. The Talmud asks: But if the rabbis instituted an ordinance that one’s 4 square cubits effect acquisition of property for him, then even in a case when he did not say: I will acquire the item, what of it? T
Rav Sheshet said a different answer: When the rabbis instituted that one’s 4 square cubits effect acquisition of property for him, that was in a place like an alleyway, where the multitudes do not crowd, so the 4 square cubits surrounding a person can temporarily be considered his property and enab
The Talmud asks: But doesn’t the wording of Reish Lakish’s statement indicate that there is no such limitation, as he says that the area of 4 square cubits surrounding a person effects acquisition of property for him everywhere? The indication is that this is true even in the public domain.