Bava Batra 152

עד שימשכנה או עד שישכור את מקומה

until [the buyer] has pulled it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' into his own grounds or domain. ');">¹</span> or until he has hired the place it occupies!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The place thus becomes his own territory and, thereby, acquires for him title to the ship. ');">²</span> — This is no difficulty. [Rabbi] here [where <i>mesirah</i> is sufficient] refers to the case of a ship in public territory;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] reshuth harabbim, where it is impossible to perform meshikah which is effective only when the object is drawn into the buyer's own domain. Possession, therefore, is acquired by mesirah. ');">³</span>

לא קשיא כאן ברשות הרבים כאן בסימטא

[the Tanna] there [where <i>meshikah</i> is required] deals with the case of a ship in an alley [adjoining a public place].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the alley is not a reshuth harabbim, in the full sense, the public using it only occasionally. It may be regarded as the private domain of anyone who happens to be there, and, therefore, meshikah only can there be effected (v. p. 3. n. 3). ');">⁴</span> How have you explained the last [mentioned Baraitha? That it speaks of a ship] in <i>reshuth harabbim</i>! Read [then] the last clause: 'And the sages say: It<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The ship. ');">⁵</span> is not acquired until [the buyer] has pulled it or until he has hired the place it occupies'. Now, if [the ship is] in <i>reshuth harabbim</i>, from whom could he hire [the place]? Furthermore, can legal ownership be acquired in <i>reshuth harabbim</i> by <i>meshikah</i>? Surely both Abaye and Raba stated:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 84b. ');">⁶</span>

במאי אוקימתא להא בתרייתא ברשות הרבים אימא סיפא וחכמים אומרים לא קנה עד שימשכנה ואי ברשות הרבים ממאן אוגיר ותו משיכה ברשות הרבים מי קניא והא אביי ורבא דאמרי תרוייהו מסירה קונה ברשות הרבים ובחצר שאינה של שניהם משיכה קונה בסימטא ובחצר שהיא של שניהם והגבהה קונה בכל מקום

<i>Mesirah</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. It is applicable in the case of a ship or large cattle. ');">⁷</span> confers legal ownership in <i>reshuth harabbim</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Reshuth harabbim where meshikah cannot be performed. ');">⁸</span> or in a court-yard which belongs to neither of them;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Neither to the buyer nor to the seller. ');">⁹</span>

מאי עד שימשכנה נמי דקאמר ומאי עד שישכור את מקומה דקאמר הכי קאמר עד שימשכנה מרה"ר לסימטא ואם רשות בעלים היא לא קנה עד שישכור את מקומה

<i>meshikah</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">¹⁰</span> confers ownership in an alley<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An alley is regarded as the territory of anyone who happens to be in it. The buyer and the seller are, accordingly, its common owners. Mesirah is effective only in reshuth harabbim, but not in an alley which is the common territory of both parties. and where meshikah, the better legal mode of acquisition can be resorted to (v. H.M. 297-8). ');">¹¹</span> or in a court-yard owned by both of them; and lifting<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] hagbahah. Lifting up the object, like meshikah and mesirah, is one of the forms of acquiring legal possession. ');">¹²</span>

לימא אביי ורבא דאמרי כרבי

confers ownership everywhere!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Kid. 23b. How then could the latter Baraitha speak of reshuth harabbim, and yet provide for the acquisition by meshikah. ');">¹³</span> What is really the meaning of the expressions,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the last mentioned Baraitha. ');">¹⁴</span> until [the buyer] has pulled it' and 'until he has hired the place it occupies'? — [They mean] 'Until [the buyer] has pulled it]' out from the <i>reshuth harabbim</i> into an alley; and, if the place is the property of the owner,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the vendor. ');">¹⁵</span>

אמר רב אשי אי דאמר ליה לך חזק וקני הכי נמי הכא במאי עסקינן דאמר ליה לך משוך וקני

he does not acquire ownership<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Either by meshikah or by mesirah. ');">¹⁶</span> 'until he has hired the place it occupies'. Must it [then] be said that Abaye and Raba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who hold that ownership may be acquired in reshuth harabbim by mesirah. ');">¹⁷</span>

מר סבר קפידא ומר סבר מראה מקום הוא לו

follow Rabbi<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the last mentioned Baraitha. ');">¹⁸</span> [and not the Rabbis<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who hold that mesirah is not effective in reshuth harabbim since they require that the boat be pulled out from the public domain into an alley. ');">¹⁹</span> who are the majority]? — R. Ashi said: If the [seller] told him,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The buyer. ');">²⁰</span>

אמר רב פפא האי מאן דמזבין ליה שטרא לחבריה צריך למיכתב ליה קני הוא וכל שעבודא דביה אמר רב אשי אמריתה לשמעתא קמיה דרב כהנא ואמרית ליה טעמא דכתב ליה הכי הא לא כתב ליה הכי לא קני

'Go, take possession and acquire', even [the Rabbis would say] so.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., even the Rabbis would agree that possession is acquired in reshuth harabbim by mesirah. ');">²¹</span> Here, however, we deal with a case when [the seller] said to him, 'Go, pull and acquire' — The Rabbis hold the opinion that [by this expression he] intimated his objection<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he indicated his desire to be able to withdraw from the sale so long as the buyer had not pulled and removed the object away from the reshuth harabbim into his own territory. Mesirah is, therefore, not effective. ');">²²</span> [to any other mode of taking possession] and the other<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbi. ');">²³</span>

וכי לצור על פי צלוחיתו הוא צריך אמר לי אין לצור ולצור

holds the opinion that [by this]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., by saying. 'Pull'. ');">²⁴</span> he was merely indicating to him a [suitable] place.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The buyer, having acquired the ship by mesirah, is told by the other: 'You may remove (pull) it at once into your own grounds'. ');">²⁵</span> R. Papa said: He who sells a bond to his friend must also give him in writing [the following statement]: 'Acquire it and all rights<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] lit., 'obligation', 'pledge'. ');">²⁶</span> contained therein'. R. Ashi said: When I quoted this law<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] lit., 'something heard'; usually a traditional law or decision. ');">²⁷</span> in the presence of R. Kahana I said unto him: '[possession of the debt is acquired accordingly] only because he has written for him in this manner, but had he not so written, no possession would be acquired, — does one then require [a bond] to use as a stopple for his bottle?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to tie, or to wrap, round the mouth of his bottle or flask.' Surely a bond is bought for the sake of the rights it contains; not for the purpose of being used as a mere scrap of paper. ');">²⁸</span> He said unto me: 'Yes, just<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to wrap and to wrap'. ');">²⁹</span> to use it as a stopple.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Consequently, if the price given is higher (by a sixth or more) then the actual value of the piece of paper, the buyer may recover his money by returning the bond to the seller. ');">³⁰</span>