Bavot

Bavot is the traditional name for the collective group of three Mishnah tractates known as Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra. In many rabbinic texts the trio is referred to as Bavot (or Bavoth in some transliterations), collectively forming the civil law portion of the Mishnah and the accompanying Gemara in the Talmud.

Bava Kamma, the first tractate, deals with civil damages arising from direct injury to a person or property, including rules about liability, compensation, and restitution. Bava Metzia continues with property law, covering issues such as possession, lost and found items, deposits, loans, interest, contracts, and commercial practices. Bava Batra concludes the series by addressing ownership, property boundaries, transactions related to land and houses, inheritance, and questions of civil procedure.

Historically, these tractates were compiled during the early centuries of the Common Era, with the Mishnah redaction traditionally placed in the 2nd century CE and the Babylonian Talmud commentary appended in the following centuries. They form part of the broader Jewish legal tradition known as Halakha and have influenced later rabbinic jurisprudence, both within traditional study and in modern legal discussions among Jewish communities.

In scholarly and religious contexts, Bavot remains a foundational reference for understanding classical Jewish civil law. Variants of the term exist in transliteration, and Bavot should not be confused with Pirkei Avot, which is a separate tractate focusing on ethics. See also Mishnah, Talmud, Nezikin, and Halakha.