כי יבער איש וגו'. ואמרו רבותינו (בב"ק ד"ב ע"א) ארבעה אבות נזיקין השור והבור המבעה וההבער, השור מלשון אשורנו (בפ' בלק) לשון הבטה והסתכלות, וזה הראייה מזיק לבני אדם, והבור, לשון שדה בור שאינה חרושה וזרועה והוא מי שאינו לומד אלא הולך בטל, המבעה לשון שן שאוכל כל דבר, וההבער זה הכעס שהוא הרתחת האש: (צוואת הריב"ש דט"ו ע"א).
If a person grazes a field or a vineyard, and lets his livestock loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he must make restitution with the best of his field and the best of his vineyard. (Exodus 22:4) Our Rabbis have taught: “There are four major categories of damages: the bull (shor), the pit (bor), the teeth (maveh), and the flame (heveir).”1Mishnayos, Bava Kama 1:1. the Baal Shem Tov now explains how these four categories of damages apply to human beings and their bad personality traits. The word shor is from ashorenu – “I behold him.”2As in Numbers 24:17: “I see him but not now, I behold him (ashorenu) but not soon.” It implies the type of looking and gazing that causes damage to people.3The Baal Shem Tov likely means looking at others with a bad and critical eye. Bor is related to the words sadeh bor – an unplowed and unsowed field. This alludes to a person who does not study Torah, but wastes his time doing nothing. Maveh refers to “teeth” – that is, a person who eats everything. Heveir is anger, which is a burning fire. Tzava’as HaRivash, p. 15a
כי יבער איש וגו'. ואמרו רבותינו (בב"ק ד"ב ע"א) ארבעה אבות נזיקין השור והבור המבעה וההבער, השור מלשון אשורנו (בפ' בלק) לשון הבטה והסתכלות, וזה הראייה מזיק לבני אדם, והבור, לשון שדה בור שאינה חרושה וזרועה והוא מי שאינו לומד אלא הולך בטל, המבעה לשון שן שאוכל כל דבר, וההבער זה הכעס שהוא הרתחת האש:
(צוואת הריב"ש דט"ו ע"א).
If a person grazes a field or a vineyard, and lets his livestock loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he must make restitution with the best of his field and the best of his vineyard. (Exodus 22:4)
Our Rabbis have taught: “There are four major categories of damages: the bull (shor), the pit (bor), the teeth (maveh), and the flame (heveir).”1Mishnayos, Bava Kama 1:1. the Baal Shem Tov now explains how these four categories of damages apply to human beings and their bad personality traits.
The word shor is from ashorenu – “I behold him.”2As in Numbers 24:17: “I see him but not now, I behold him (ashorenu) but not soon.” It implies the type of looking and gazing that causes damage to people.3The Baal Shem Tov likely means looking at others with a bad and critical eye.
Bor is related to the words sadeh bor – an unplowed and unsowed field. This alludes to a person who does not study Torah, but wastes his time doing nothing.
Maveh refers to “teeth” – that is, a person who eats everything. Heveir is anger, which is a burning fire.
Tzava’as HaRivash, p. 15a