For the source text click/tap here: Bava Batra 88
To download, click/tap here: PDF
The Torah requires honest weights and measures (see Vayikra 19:36). The Mishna on today’s daf teaches that business people who sell items like wine or oil are required to clean their scales on a regular basis in order to ensure that their customers are not being cheated. There are three different types of sellers, and each has a different schedule for washing his weights and scales:
The ba’al ha-bayit – the homeowner (in this context refers to the manufacturer) – the farmer who harvests his grain or produces wine from his grapes or oil from his olives, keeping enough for his own private needs and selling the rest to sitona’im.
The siton – the wholesaler who purchases in bulk from the ba’al ha-bayit and sells to the ḥenvani
The ḥenvani – the storekeeper, who purchases from the wholesaler and sells in small amounts out of his ḥanut, or store.
We explore the Injunction in Deut 25:15.