Bava Batra 322

לאו דיעקב הוא

is not that of Jacob.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence no court would assume Jacob himself to be the witness. ');">¹</span> Is it not possible [that] be signed on behalf of his father?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Using the name of his father rather than his own, as a mark of respect. ');">²</span> — No one gives up his own name and uses as his signature the name of his father. Might he not have used it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The name of his father. ');">³</span> as a mere mark?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As an arbitrary combination of letters in lieu of his full name. Such a symbol or mark is as legitimate in deeds as one's proper signature. ');">⁴</span>

ודלמא בשמיה דאבוה חתם לא שביק איניש שמיה דידיה וחתים בשמיה דאבוה

For, surely, Rab drew a fish;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Instead of his and his father's full name. This symbol has this become his recognised and legally valid signature. ');">⁵</span> R. Hanina drew a palm-branch;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Instead of his and his father's full name. This symbol has this become his recognised and legally valid signature. ');">⁵</span> R. Hisda a Samek.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One letter of his name. ');">⁶</span> R. Hoshaia, an Ayin,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One letter of his name. ');">⁶</span>

ודלמא סימנא בעלמא הוא דשוויה דהא רב צייר כוורא ר' חנינא צייר חרותא רב חסדא סמ"ך רב הושעיא עי"ן רבא בר רב הונא מכותא לא חציף אינש לשוויה לשמיה דאבוה סימנא

Rabbah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Current editions, 'Raba'. ');">⁷</span> son of R. Huna, a mast!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Others, 'ship'. Now, since these scholars used symbols in lieu of their proper signatures, is it not possible that a witness might use the letters forming the name of his father as a symbol for his signature? ');">⁸</span> — No one would be so impertinent [as] to make of the name of his father a [mere] symbol. Mar Zutra said: What is the need for all this!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All this series of difficult and forced explanations. ');">⁹</span>

מר זוטרא אמר למה לך כולי האי כל מקושר שאין עדיו כלין בשיטה אחת פסול

Any folded [deed the signature of] whose witnesses<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Written vertically across the back of the deed, whether from top to bottom or from bottom to top. ');">¹⁰</span> do not terminate<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the upper and lower edge of the document. ');">¹¹</span> with the same line [on the deed],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the first letters and last letters of all the signatures must begin and end respectively with the same top and bottom lines of the deed. ');">¹²</span> is an invalid [document].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence there is nothing to apprehend. Should one add any spurious matter, it would be detected by the fact that the back of it would protrude below the signatures. Should one cut off a line, the initial or final sections of all the signatures also would thereby be lopped off. ');">¹³</span>

א"ר יצחק בר יוסף אמר ר' יוחנן כל המחקין כולן צריך שיכתוב ודין קיומיהון וצריך שיחזור מענינו של שטר בשיטה אחרונה מאי טעמא

R. Isaac b. Joseph said in the name of R. Johanan: All erasures<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In legal documents; other than the formula, 'firm and established', which must not be erased, cf. supra 161a. ');">¹⁴</span> require confirmation;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At the conclusion of the text of the deed before the formula, 'firm etc.', all erasures must be enumerated. Current edd.: He is required to write, 'and this is their confirmation'. 'And this', is to be deleted. (Cf. Rashb.). V. however Tosaf, s.v. [H] for a justification of the text. ');">¹⁵</span> and the last line<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the deed. ');">¹⁶</span> must contain a repetition of the subject matter of the deed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., no fact, condition or qualification that has not already appeared in the text of the deed may be contained in the last line. The approved formula for the last line is, 'And we took symbolic possession from X son of Y in accordance with all that is written and specified above etc.' ');">¹⁷</span> What is the reason?