Bava Batra 333

ומשוי להו זוזי מאי אמרת שית מאה איסתירי וזוזא (שית מאה זוזי וחד זוזא) יד בעל השטר על התחתונה

and converted into <i>zuzim</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Any sum of a hundred and ninety-two perutoth, or any multiple of it, is entered respectively as a zuz or zuzim. Had the loan amounted to six hundred perutoth and a zuz, this would have been entered as 'four zuzim and twenty-four perutoth.' ');">¹</span> What, [then could the entry] mean?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'thou saidst'. ');">²</span> [Either] "six hundred <i>istira</i> and a <i>zuz</i>" [or] "six hundred <i>zuz</i> and a <i>zuz</i>";<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Han. deletes, 'six&nbsp;… zuz'. ');">³</span> [but] the holder of the bond [must always be] at a disadvantage.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. supra p. 723. n. 10. Hence, he may claim the smaller sum only. ');">⁴</span> Abaye said: One who is required to present his signature at a court of law<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In certain circumstances it is necessary for one of the witnesses of a deed that he does not attest his signature in person but enables the court to see a signature of his on a separate scroll for the purpose of comparison with, and confirmation of his signature on the deed. Cf., Keth. 21a. ');">⁵</span> shall not present it at the foot of the scroll [because] a stranger might find it and write [above the signature] that he [has a] claim [of] money upon him; and we learnt [that a person], who produced against another<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'him'. ');">⁶</span>

אמר אביי האי מאן דבעי למחוי חתימות ידיה בבי דינא לא לחוי בסוף מגילתא דלמא משכח לה אחר וכתיב דמסיק ביה זוזי ותנן הוציא עליו כתב ידו שהוא חייב לו גובה מנכסים בני חורין

[a bond in] the latter's<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'his'. ');">⁷</span> handwriting [showing] that he owes him [a debt], may collect [it] from his free<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Real estate which the borrower has neither sold nor mortgaged. ');">⁸</span> property.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra, 175b. ');">⁹</span> A collector of bridge tolls<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. Bazbina or Bazbana, Pers. bazwan, bazban. ');">¹⁰</span> once came before Abaye [and] said to him, 'Will the Master give<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'show'. ');">¹¹</span> me his signature so that when the Rabbis come [and] present to me [an authorisation]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Abaye. ');">¹²</span>

ההוא בזבינא דאתא לקמיה דאביי אמר ליה ניחזי לי מר חתימות ידיה דכי אתו רבנן מחוו לי מעברנא להו בלא מכסא אחוי ליה בריש מגילתא הוה קא נגיד ביה א"ל כבר קדמוך רבנן

I will allow them to pass without [payment of] the toll'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' His possession of Abaye's signature, he contended, would enable him to check the signature on any authorisation that might be presented to him. ');">¹³</span> He was writing it down<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he showed'. ');">¹⁴</span> for him at the top of a scroll. As [the other] was pulling it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The scroll; so that the signature might appear lower and a margin be left above it. ');">¹⁵</span> he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Abaye. ');">¹⁶</span> said to him,'The Rabbis have long ago anticipated you'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. previous paragraph. ');">¹⁷</span> Abaye said: [Numbers] from three to ten [should] not be written at the end of a line, [because] forgery might be committed by adding letters to them;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'and write'. The Hebrew units from three to ten can easily be increased by the addition of [H], in, [H], three would thus become [H], thirty; [H], four, [H], forty; and so on. ');">¹⁸</span>

אמר אביי מתלת ועד עשר לא לכתוב בסוף שיטה דלמא מזייף וכתב ואי איתרמי ליה ניהדריה לדבוריה תרין תלתא זימני אי אפשר דלא מיתרמי ליה באמצע שיטה

and if this occurred, the sentence should be repeated two [or] three times, [since] it [would then] be impossible that [the numbers] should not [once] occur in the middle of a line.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Should forgery be committed on the number at the end of the line, this would be detected by the number that appeared in the middle of the lowest of these lines, which is always taken as the determining factor. V, our Mishnah, 165b. ');">¹⁹</span> In a certain [deed]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of a sale. ');">²⁰</span> it was entered,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'written'. ');">²¹</span> 'a third of an orchard'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The deed read: 'I sold to N.N. in my garden a third of (lit., 'in') my orchard,' [H]. ');">²²</span> [The buyer] subsequently<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he went'. ');">²³</span> erased the top, and the base of the Beth<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the word [H], thus changing the [H] into a [H]. ');">²⁴</span>

ההוא דהוה כתיב ביה תילתא בפרדיסא אזל מחקיה לגגיה דבי"ת וכרעיה ושויה ופרדיסא אתא לקמיה דאביי אמר ליה מאי טעמא רויח ליה עלמא להאי וי"ו כפתיה ואודי

and converted<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'made'. ');">²⁵</span> [the second word] into, 'and an orchard'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb., ufardisa, [H] 'and an orchard'. The text was thus made to read, 'in my garden a third and an (viz.. all the) orchard'; and on the strength of this altered text the buyer claimed not only a portion of the field but also the entire orchard. ');">²⁶</span> [When] he appeared before Abaye [the latter] said to him, 'Why has the <i>Waw</i> so much space round about it?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'What is the reason (why) the world was widened for this waw'. ');">²⁷</span> Having been placed under arrest<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit. 'he bound him'. ');">²⁸</span> he confessed. In a certain [deed] there was entered, 'the portion of Reuben and Simeon, brothers'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H], brothers'. The deed stated that the buyer had acquired the portion of the two brothers only. that belonging to any other brother not being included in the sale. ');">²⁹</span>

ההוא דהוה כתב ביה מנת ראובן ושמעון אחי הוה להו אחא דשמיה אחי אזל כתב ביה וי'ו ושויה ואחי אתא לקמיה דאביי אמר ליה מאי טעמא דחיק ליה עלמא להאי וי"ו כולי האי כפתיה ואודי

They had a brother whose name was 'Brothers';<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ahi, [H]. ');">³⁰</span> and [the buyer] added to<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he went (and) wrote'. ');">³¹</span> it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The word, 'brothers', [H] in the deed. ');">³²</span> a <i>Waw</i> and converted [the word into], 'and Brothers'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H], signifying, 'and Ahi'. On the basis of this text the buyer claimed to have acquired the portion of the third brother Ahi also. ');">³³</span> [When] he came before Abaye<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To claim Ahi's share. ');">³⁴</span> [the latter] said to him. 'Why is there so little space round the Waw'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'what is the reason (why) the world is so much compressed for this Waw'. ');">³⁵</span>

ההוא שטרא דהוה חתים עליה רבא ורב אחא בר אדא אתא לקמיה דרבא אמר ליה דין חתימות ידא דידי היא מיהו קמיה דרב אחא בר אדא לא חתימי לי מעולם כפתיה ואודי א"ל בשלמא דידי זייפת אלא דרב אחא בר אדא דרתית ידיה היכי עבדת אמר אנחי ידאי אמצרא ואמרי לה קם אזרנוקא וכתב:

He was placed under arrest<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 727. n. 25. ');">³⁶</span> and he confessed. A certain deed bore the signatures of Raba and R. Aha b. Adda. He<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The holder of the deed. ');">³⁷</span> came before Raba [who] said to him, '[This] signature is mine; never, however, have I signed before R. Aha b. Adda!' He was placed under arrest<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 727. n. 25. ');">³⁶</span> and he confessed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the signatures were forged. ');">³⁸</span> Said [Raba] to him, 'I can well understand how you forged my [signature], but how [could] you manage [that] of R. Aba b. Adda whose hand trembles?' 'I put my hand',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When forging his signature. ');">³⁹</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> כותבין גט לאיש אע"פ שאין אשתו עמו והשובר לאשה אע"פ שאין בעלה עמה ובלבד שיהא מכירן והבעל נותן שכר

the other replied, 'on a rope-bridge'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which vibrates at the least touch and causes the hand to shake. ');">⁴⁰</span> Others say [that] he stood on a hose and wrote.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Standing on a hose causes all one's limbs to shake. ');">⁴¹</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. A LETTER OF DIVORCE [MAY] BE WRITTEN FOR A HUSBAND THOUGH HIS WIFE IS NOT PRESENT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., with him'. Since the grant or refusal of a divorce is entirely dependent on the desire of the husband, he may be entrusted with the keeping of the document until such time as he may decide to hand it over to his wife. ');">⁴²</span> AND A RECEIPT<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the amount of a woman's kethubah. ');">⁴³</span> [MAY BE WRITTEN] FOR A WIFE THOUGH HER HUSBAND IS NOT PRESENT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The receipt is of advantage to the husband and, since a privilege may be obtained on behalf of a person in his absence, may be written, at the request of the wife, though the husband is absent. The wife takes charge of the receipt and delivers it to him when she had received the payments due to her. ');">⁴⁴</span> PROVIDED THEY ARE KNOWN.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Gemara explains this, infra. ');">⁴⁵</span> THE FEE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the writing of the letter of divorce and the receipt. ');">⁴⁶</span> IS PAID BY THE HUSBAND.