משנה: וְדִבְּרוּ הַשּׁוֹטְרִים אֶל הָעָם לֵאמוֹר מִי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַיִת חָדָשׁ וְלֹא חֲנָכוֹ יֵלֵךְ וְיָשׁוֹב לְבֵיתוֹ וְגוֹמֵר. אֶחָד הַבּוֹנֶה בַּיִת חָדָשׁ וְאֶחָד הַבּוֹנֶה בֵית הַתֶּבֶן בֵּית הַבָּקָר בֵּית הָעֵצִים בֵּית הָאוֹצָרוֹת. אֶחָד הַבּוֹנֶה וְאֶחָד הַלּוֹקֵחַ וְאֶחָד הַיּוֹרֵשׁ וְאֶחָד שֶׁנִּיתַּן לוֹ בְמַתָּנָה. MISHNAH: “The policemen shall speak to the people, saying: Who is the man who built a new house and did not inaugurate it; he should go and return to his house,131Deuteronomy.20.5">Deut. 20:5. “Lest he should die in the war and another would inaugurate it.” He is recruited for auxiliary services (Sotah 8:7:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.8.7.1">Mishnah 7). The policemen speak after the Cohen whose words were treated in the preceding Mishnaiot. It is not necessary that the original builder inaugurate his house; anybody in legal possession of a not inaugurated house is included.” etc. Not only he who builds a house, but also one who builds a barn, a cow-shed, a wood-shed, a storage facility. Not only he who builds, but also one who buys, or inherits, or who received as a gift.
הלכה: אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַיִת. אֵין לִי אֶלָּא אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה. לָקַח יָרַשׁ נִיתַּן לוֹ בְמַתָּנָה מְנַיִין. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר הָאִישׁ מִי הָאִישׁ. מְנַיִין הַבּוֹנֶה בֵית הַתֶּבֶן בֵּית הַבָּקָר בֵּית הָעֵצִים בֵּית הָאוֹצָרוֹת מְנַיִין. תַּלמוּד לוֹמַר אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה. מִכָּל־מָקוֹם. יָכוֹל הַבּוֹנֶה בֵית שַׁעַר וְאֶכְסֶדְרָה וּמִרְפֶּסֶת יְהֵא חוֹזֵר. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בַּיִת. מַה בַיִת מְיוּחָד שֶׁהוּא בֵית דִּירָה. יָֽצְאוּ אֵילּוּ שֶׁאֵינָן בֵּית דִּירָה. יָצָא בַיִת שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת עַל אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת. דְּתַנֵּי. בַּיִת שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת עַל אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת פָּטוּר מִן הַמַּעֲקֶה וּמן הַמְזוּזָה וּמִן הָעֵירוּב. וְאֵינוֹ טוֹבֵל לְמַעְשְׂרוֹת. וְאֵין נוֹתְנִין לוֹ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת לִפְנֵי פִּתְחוֹ. וְאֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹתוֹ חִיבּוּר לָעִיר. וְהַנּוֹדֵר מִן הַבַּיִת מוּתָּר לֵישֵׁב בּוֹ. וְאֵינוֹ צָמִית בַּיּוֹבֵל. וְאֵינוֹ מִיטָּמֵא בִנְגָעִים. וְאֵין הַבַּעֲלִים חוֹזְרִין לוֹ בַמִּלְחָמָה. HALAKHAH: 132Partial parallels are in the Sotah.43a">Babli, 43a; Sifry Deut. 194; Tosephta 7:17.“Who built a house”, not only who built; if he bought, inherited, or it was given to him as a gift, from where? The verse says, “the man,” “who is the man”133In the interpretation of Rashi, this means that the verse would have been intelligible if the word האיש were missing: מִ אֲשֶׁה בָּנָה “Who built …”. Therefore, the additional word must imply an extension of the circle of those who have to go and start using their new property.. From where he who builds a barn, a cow-shed, a wood-shed, a storage facility, from where? The verse says, “who builds”. I could think that one who builds a portico134A formal structure at the entrance to a courtyard common to several houses. It has no walls and confers no privacy., a covered walkway135Greek ἐξέδρα, cf. Ma‘serot 3:6, Sotah 8:3:9" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.8.3.9">Note 101., and a verandah would return; the verse says “house”; the house is distinguished by the fact that it can be used as a dwelling136Even if it is used as agricultural facility, a barn etc. could be used as a dwelling, having walls on all sides.. This excludes those items which cannot be dwellings. It also excludes a house which does not enclose four by four cubits. As it was stated137Ma‘serot 3:7, Notes 114–122. Sukkah.3">Babli Sukkah 3a/b.: A house which does not enclose four by four cubits is free from the obligation of a parapet138Deuteronomy.22.8">Deut. 22:8., or a mezuzah139Deuteronomy.6.9">Deut. 6:9, Deuteronomy.11.20">11:20., or an erub140If a courtyard belongs to a single owner except that a hut enclosing an area less that four cubits square belongs to another person, that courtyard may be used on the Sabbath by the majority owner without an eruv (cf. Demay 1, Notes 192–193).. It also does not induce ṭevel for tithes141Freshly harvested produce may be eaten untithed. Once the harvest has been removed to a storage area, it is forbidden as food until heave and tithes were given; cf. Ma‘serot 3:5–8. A small shed does not qualify as a storage area. and one does not give it four cubits in front of its door142In a courtyard belonging to several owners, the four cubits in front of the entrance to each house are the private domain of this house, to be used to load and unload, and is out of bounds for the other owners. This does not apply to a small hut., and it is not counted as a connection to the town143On the Sabbath, one may not go outside one’s town more than 2000 cubits (cf. Peah 8:4:4" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Peah.8.4.4">Peah 8, Note 56). Any house which is within 70 cubits of a house or the city wall of the town is also counted as part of the town; the count of 2000 cubits starts only at the outermost house. A small building does not count as a house., and one who forswears any use of a house is permitted to sit in it144In popular language, a small shelter is not called a house. Therefore, a person vowing not to sit in a house may sit in a small shelter., and it does not remain with the buyer in the Jubilee year145It is agricultural property, not a city dwelling; Leviticus.25.30">Lev. 25:30., and it cannot become impure by disease146Leviticus.14.34">Lev. 14:34 ff. The rules of diseased structures are explicitly restricted to “a house of the Land of your inheritance”., and its owner does not become exempt from the war because of it.
מַה תַלְמוּד לוֹמַר אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה. פְּרָט לְשֶׁנָּפַל בֵּיתוֹ וּבְנָאוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. זֹאת אוֹמֶרֶת. הַמַחֲזִיר אֶת גְּרוּשָׁתוֹ לֹא הָיָה חוֹזֵר. יָכוֹל הַבּוֹנֶה בַיִת בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ יְהֵא חוֹזֵר. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְלֹא חֲנָכוֹ. אֵת שֶׁמִּצְוָה לְחַנְּכוֹ. יָצָא זֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִצְוָה לְחַנְּכוֹ. הִקְדִּים לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ. כְּמִי שֶׁחֲנָכוֹ. נָתַן לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ לְאַחַר שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חוֹדֶשׁ. כְּמִי שֶׁלֹּא חֲנָכוֹ. נְעָלוֹ. אִם הָיָה בְתוֹכוֹ חֲפָצִים. אֵת שֶׁדַּרְכּוֹ לִיבָּטֵל עָלֶיהָ. כְּמִי שֶׁחֲנָכוֹ. וְאִם לָאו. כְּמִי שֶׁלֹּא חֲנָכוֹ. Why does the verse say, “who built”147Deuteronomy.20.5">Deut. 20:5. The quote is only to indicate the verse, not the reason for that deduction. The emphasis is on “who built a new house”. Cf. also Sotah 8:7:2-3" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.8.7.2-3">Halakhah 7.? This excludes him whose house collapsed and he rebuilt it. (Rebbi Yose said, this implies that one who remarries his divorcee does not return.)148This sentence is paralleled by a tannaïtic statement in Sotah 6" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.6">Halakhah 6, Note 186. The person who had married a woman in preliminary marriage (cf. Demay 4:2, Note 19; Peah 6:2:6" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Peah.6.2.6">Peah 6:2, Note 46; Yevamot 1:1:15" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Yevamot.1.1.15">Yebamot 1:1, Note 63) but had not lived with her returns from the war if she is a new wife; i. e., not one previously married to him. One could think that somebody who builds a house outside the Land would return; the verse said, “and he did not inaugurate it,” meaning where there is an obligation of inauguration; this excludes cases where there is no obligation of inauguration149It is inferred from here that a formal inauguration of a newly built house is a religious commandment in the Land.. If he received prepaid rent, it is as if he inaugurated it150If the house was built not for the family of the builder but for rental purposes, receipt of the first rental payment is the inauguration, but only if the payment is made not later than the end of the usual rental period of 12 months.; if [the rent is payable] only after twelve months, it is as if he had not inaugurated it. If he locked it, if it contains valuables for which one usually stops working151If the value of the things stored is so high that either the owner has to be present to guard against thieves or he has to pay a watchman; that is use equivalent to living in the building., it is as if he inaugurated it; otherwise, it is as if he had not inaugurated it.