פֿאַרבונדענע פּסוקים אויף דברי הימים א 22:14

Rebbi Abun said, what means “in my poverty?” That there is no wealth before Him Who commanded and the world came into existence³⁸The expression “in my poverty” is homiletic and carries no legal meaning; the verse is inapplicable to our situation and the statement about the four cubits is a rabbinical institution without Biblical foundation.! Another explanation: בְּעוֹנְיִי “in my deprivation³⁹The other uses of עוני in the Bible show that this is the usual meaning of the word. This also excludes the verse from being used as proof in our context.,” because he fasted and donated the price of his meal to Heaven.

Rebbi Jacob bar Idi objected before Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish. Did we not state: (Mishnah Baba Meẓi‘a 1:4) “If somebody saw a find and fell on it, when another person came and grabbed it, he who grabbed it had the rights to it?” He answered him: Explain it if the first one did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But did we not state: “If he fell on it or spread his talith on it, one removes him from it?” He said to him, that is the same, if he did not say that his four cubits should acquire it for him. But did not Rebbi Ḥiyya state: (Tosephta Peah 2:2) “If two were pushing one another because of a sheaf and another person came and grabbed it from before them, the one who grabbed is entitled to it. He said to him, it is the same, they did not say that our four cubits should acquire it for us.