‫הלכות נזקי ממון‬

‫פרק שלישי‬
Siman: ‫אינו שן‬

Context:

In the third Perek, the Rambam continues with his explanations of irregular cases. In the first
Perk the Rambam explained the general principles of ‫שן‬. In this Perek, the Rambam
discusses irregular cases of ‫שן‬.

‫פסוקים‬:

(‫ד( "ובער בשדה אחר מיטב שדהו‬:‫שמות כב‬..."

‫ שן‬only applies for eating in the ‫רשות הניזק‬.

Concepts:

1. ‫ב‬-‫א‬:‫(שן (ג‬

The animal’s destructive behavior is only considered ‫ שן‬if the animal’s action fulfills the
following 3 criteria.

a. The food was eaten ‫ברשות הניזק‬, as the Possuk, Exodus 22:4, teaches us ‫ושילח את‬
‫בעירה ובער בשדה אחר‬.
b. The animal must have purposely entered the ‫’ניזק‬s property. This too is derived
from the Possuk, Exodus 22:4, specifically from the word "‫"ושילח‬.
c. The food that the animal ate must be food that the animal regularly eats. Food that
the animal will eat under duress is considered within the category of regular food.

2. Paying for ‫ הנאה‬when ‫ שן‬does not apply (‫ב‬:‫(ג‬

a. If the animal’s action does not fulfill the 3 criteria of ‫שן‬, then the ‫ ניזק‬can still seek
an alternative form of compensation called ‫הנאה‬. By eating the ‫’ניזק‬s food, the ‫מזיק‬
saved himself the expenses of having to provide his animal a meal. The ‫ ניזק‬can
charge the ‫ מזיק‬for the meal that he provided the animal.
b. The ‫ הנאה‬payment is not for the food that the animal ate, but rather, it is the
volume of food he ate in animal food. Since the ‫ ניזק‬is charging the ‫ מזיק‬for the
meal he saved him from feeding his animal, the determination of ‫ הנאה‬is on animal
food and not the actual food the animal ate.
c. The ‫ ניזק‬can only charge for the ‫ הנאה‬that he provided the ‫’מזיק‬s animal, if the food
that the animal ate was not damaging. However, if it was unhealthy, e.g. a cow
that ate ‫חיטין‬, then the ‫ ניזק‬cannot charge for ‫הנאה‬, since by definition damaging
food cannot provide ‫הנאה‬.

3. ‫ה‬:‫(אכילה ולקיחה (ג‬

In order for the animal’s action to be defined as ‫שן‬, the ‫ אכילה‬must take place in the
‫רשות הניזק‬. However, there is a question regarding an animal that took food from the
‫ רשות הרבים‬while standing in the ‫ רשות הניזק‬and ate it in the ‫רשות הניזק‬. Since we are
‫ מסופק‬as to whether this deficiency in the ‫ לקיחה‬constitutes ‫שן‬, the ‫ מזיק‬only pays ‫הנאה‬
and not ‫שן‬.