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| Tractate of the Talmud | |
|---|---|
| Seder: | Nezikin |
| Number of mishnahs: | 79 |
| Chapters: | 10 |
| Babylonian Talmud pages: | 119 |
| Jerusalem Talmud pages: | 44 |
| Tosefta chapters: | 11 |
Bava Kamma (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בָּבָא קַמָּא, romanized: Bāḇā Qammā, lit. 'The First Gate') is the first of a series of three Talmudic tractates in the order Nezikin ("Damages") that deal with civil matters such as damages and torts. The other two of these tractates are Bava Metzia ('The Middle Gate') and Bava Batra ('The Last Gate'): originally all three formed a single tractate called Nezikin, each "Bava" meaning "part" or "subdivision." Bava Kamma discusses various forms of damage and the compensation owed for them.
Biblical laws dealing with the cases discussed in Bava Kamma are contained in the following passages: Exodus 21:18–19, and Exodus 21:24–22:5. The principle that underlies the legislation in this respect is expressed by the sentence, "He that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution". Exodus 22:5
Bava Kamma consists of ten chapters which may be grouped as follows: damage caused without criminality (chaps. 1-6); damage caused by a criminal act (chaps. 7-10).