Din & Daf: The Logic Behind Ridiculous Transactions - with Dr. Elana Stein Hain

Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain

How should we interpret ridiculous transactions? The case of massive overpayment. Bava Batra 78a בכדי שאין הדעת טועה Sources The Gemara suggests that the overpayment which is obvious to the buyer is not considered ona’ah, and the transaction is valid. This is because we assume that the buyer was aware of the overpayment for the item and was willing to give the extra money that they paid as a gift. This raises the question, which comes up in different places in Shas, of how we should interpret the intentions of people who are party to a transaction that is exaggerated, ridiculous, nonsensical, etc. In this shiur, we will look at a few such examples in Shas that are not only about ona’ah. Dr. Elana Stein Hain – dinanddaf@hadran.org.il Learn more on Hadran.org.il