Bava Basra 3:5 - 3:6

שיש להם חזקה – if he had taken possession of his fellow land for this purpose for three years, it is considered possession.

היה מעמיד במהתו בחצר – this Tanna/teacher is speaking of a jointly owned courtyard, where they are not strict with each other concerning keeping cattle [in the courtyard] and other similar things. And because of this, it is not considered a presumption of possession even though he had possessed that thing for three years.

אבל אם עשה מחיצה וכו' – for in such a manner, he is definitely strict. If he had been silent about this for three years and didn’t protest, it is considered possession. But Rabbi Moshe ben Maimonuni commented that a joint owner who is strict about making a partition and no one protested immediately is considered possession. But even though he made a partition, as a mere individual and no one protested, it is not considered possession until after three years.

מרזב – a small spout, that they place it at the end of the large spout that goes all around the perimeter of the roof.

אין לו חזקה ויש למקומו חזקה – if there was a there a spout and the owner of the courtyard came to uproot it completely, so that the water of he roof would not spill into his courtyard, he is not able to do so, for he already has possession for this that the root waters spill via that spout, but if he comes to reverse it, that it was placed in the southern direction and he comes to place it in the northern direction, the owner of the movable tube attached to the roof gutters cannot delay it, for it is not something that causes him loss, and he lacks possession, for it will always stand in that direction.

מרזב – the place where the drop of rain water flows from it. [The word] מר /bitter is a טפה/droop, like (Isaiah 40:15): “The nations are but a drop in a bucket.”

מזחילה – a large spout that supports all the length of the roof. This is a something fixed, therefore it has presumed possession.

סולם [המצרי] – small and is not fixed, and no one is strict about it if one puts it into the courtyard of his fellow in order to ascend on it to his roof or to the dovecote. Therefore, it does not have presumption of possession.

חלון המצרי – a small window where the head of person cannot enter it,

he has no presumption of possession, but if the owner of the courtyard wanted to build opposite the widow and to close it up, the owner of the window cannot say: “I have already taken possession of it and you cannot close it up.” And he said to him this: “You were not appeased other than that I didn’t have any damages in it, and even so, if he had wanted from the outset, when he opened it up, he could have delayed it that he would not open it. And even if it was higher than four cubits, for he could have said to him, lest you place a small bench near the window so that you can look at me, and after he placed it [also] he opened it, he has no presumption of possession.

ולצורית יש לו חזקה – a window where the head of a person can enter into it, and even where it is higher than four cubits, or a window that is made of for its light, and even if it is very small, or a window which is lower than four cubits, each one of these three windows, if he left it and opened it, he has possession, but furthermore, he is not able to build opposite it and close it up, for there is possession for damages except for fumigating and dust and the bathroom, meaning to say, bad smell, for these three [things] do not have presumption of possession, even if he held them several years. But damage is a proof that he has possession, and he doesn’t need possession for damages for three years but when damage occurs, in order that he can say to the one who suffered damage: “you already knew of this damage and didn’t protest, this is possession.

מלבן – a building from outside like a kind of lintel from above or a lower door-sill from below.

זיז – wood or stone that projects out from its wall to the airspace of his fellow’s courtyard. If it has a handbreadth or more, he has possession and the owner of the courtyard opposite to him cannot build to close the projection [serving as a shed over the entrance], after he has taken possession of it.

ויכול למחות בו – when the owner of the wall comes to remove the projection which has a handbreadth or more, the owner of the courtyard can protest it that he should not remove it.

פחות מטפח – this is not a matter of being fixed. Therefore, he does not have possession, and he can build opposite him and close it up, and when the owner of the wall comes to remove it ab initio, the owner of the courtyard cannot prevent it.