Bava Batra 66

כיון דאודי אודי:

they held that the man's admission covered the produce as well as the tree.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Since he admitted, he admitted.' The above is the interpretation of this passage given by Rashb., and though satisfactory in itself it does a certain amount of violence to the original. Tosaf. therefore reads, instead of 'he admitted that R. Idi was a nearer relative', simply 'he admitted', i.e., he gave way, allowing R. Idi to keep the tree, though he did not formally admit that he was the nearer relative. We then translate lower down: 'Through whose word (do you become owner of the tree)? Through this man's etc:' and in the last sentence, 'Since he gave way (in regard to the tree), he must give way (in regard to the produce).' R. Han. reads, instead of 'he admitted etc.', 'R. Idi brought witnesses to prove that he was the relative' (or, alternatively, 'the nearer relative'). In that case we translate the last sentence, 'Abaye and Raba held&nbsp;… that since he admitted (that he consumed the produce), he must abide by the admission (and pay for it).' ');">¹</span>

זה אומר של אבותי וזה אומר של אבותי האי אייתי סהדי דאבהתיה הוא והאי אייתי סהדי דאכל שני חזקה

[A case arose] in which one said, ['The land belonged] to my father,' and another said 'To my father,' but while the one brought witnesses to prove that it had belonged to his father [up to the time of his death], the other brought witnesses to prove that he had had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., not less than three years. ');">²</span>

אמר רב חסדא מה לו לשקר אי בעי א"ל מינך זבינתה ואכלתיה שני חזקה אביי ורבא לא סבירא להו הא דרב חסדא מה לי לשקר במקום עדים לא אמרינן

[When the case came before] R. Hisda, he said: What motive has he [who occupies it] to tell a falsehood? If he likes he can say, 'I bought it from you and have had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore we believe him when he says that it belonged to his father. ');">³</span>

ההוא דאמר ליה לחבריה מאי בעית בהאי ארעא אמר ליה מינך זבני ואכלתיה שני חזקה אזל אייתי סהדי דאכלה תרתי שני אמר רב נחמן הדרא ארעא והדרי פירי

Abaye and Raba, however, did not concur in this judgment of R. Hisda, on the ground that we do not advance the plea 'What motive had he to tell a falsehood' when it conflicts with direct evidence.

אמר רב זביד אם טען ואמר לפירות ירדתי נאמן לאו מי אמר רב יהודה האי מאן דנקיט מגלא ותובליא ואמר איזיל איגדריה לדיקלא דפלניא דזבניה ניהלי מהימן (אלמא) לא חציף איניש דגזר דיקלא דלאו דיליה הכא נמי לא חציף איניש למיכל פירי דלאו דיליה

A certain man said to another, 'What are you doing on this land?' He replied, 'I bought it from you and have had the use of It for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.' He then went and brought witnesses to prove that he had had the use of it for two years [but could not find witnesses for the third]. R. Nahman thereupon decided that he should restore both the land and the produce. R. Zebid said: If he had pleaded, 'I was working<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'l went down to.' ');">⁴</span>

אי הכי ארעא נמי ארעא אמרינן ליה אחוי שטרך אי הכי פירי נמי שטרא לפירי לא עבדי אינשי

the land for the produce only [as a metayer],' his plea would have been accepted.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And he would not have had to restore the produce as well as the land. ');">⁵</span>

ההוא דאמר לחבריה מאי בעית בהאי ארעא א"ל מינך זבנית ואכלתיה שני חזקה אייתי חד סהדא דאכלה תלת שני סבור רבנן קמיה דאביי למימר היינו נסכא דרבי אבא

For has not Rab Judah laid down that if a man takes a pruning knife and rope In his hand and says, 'I am going to gather the dates from the tree of so-and-so who has sold them to me,' his word is accepted, because a man would not take the liberty of gathering the dates from a tree which did not belong to him? So here, a man would not take the liberty to consume produce that did not belong to him. But might not the same be said of the land also?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., that if the occupier pleads, 'I bought it from the claimant', his word should be accepted, because he would not take the liberty of occupying it otherwise. ');">⁶</span>

דההוא גברא דחטף נסכא מחבריה אתא לקמיה דרבי אמי הוה יתיב ר' אבא קמיה אייתי חד סהדא דמיחטף חטפא מיניה אמר ליה אין חטפי ודידי חטפי אמר רבי אמי

— If he [the occupier] claims the land, we say to him: Show us your deed of sale. Cannot we then say the same in the case of the produce also? — Written agreements are not usually made in regard to produce. A certain man said to another, 'What right have you on this land?' He replied, 'I bought it from you and I have had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>;' and he brought one witness to prove that he had had the use of it for three years. The Rabbis of the court of Abaye<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the Rabbis sitting before Abaye.' ');">⁷</span> propounded the opinion that this case was parallel to that of the bar of metal<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Presumably silver or gold. ');">⁸</span> [which was decided] by R. Abbah. [What happened was] that a certain man seized a bar of metal from another, and the latter brought the case before R. Ammi, before whom R. Abbah was sitting at the time. He brought one witness to prove that the man had snatched the article from him. 'Yes,' said the other, 'I did snatch, but it was my own property that I snatched.' R. Ammi thereupon said: