Bava Metzia 138

Chapter 138

א כה"ג ודאי צריך לאודועיה זוזי מי שקיל טבי ושביק חסרי

1 In such a case1

ב (אמר ליה לא אמר ליה) חמרא כולי עלמא ידעי דאיכא דבסים ואיכא דלא בסים

2 it is certainly necessary to inform him [of the grounds of my verdicts]: As for coins, would he take good coins and leave short-weight ones [for you]? But in the case of wine, everybody knows that some wine is sweet and some is not.2

ג גופא אמר רב נחמן זוזי כמאן דפליגי דמו הני מילי טבי וטבי תקולי ותקולי אבל טבי ותקולי לא

3 The above text states: 'R. Nahman said: Monies are held to be already divided.' But that is only if they are all good or of full weight, but not if some are good, and others of full weight.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Some coins of particular mint were preferred to any others for current use; they were considered 'good'; on the other hand, money-changers, who assessed them by weight, preferred those of full weight. Now, if all are 'good' or of full weight, one partner himself may make the division; but if some are 'good' and the others of full weight, they are not accounted as already divided, since some prefer the first and others the second. ');">3

ד רב חמא הוה מוגר זוזי בפשיטא ביומא כלו זוזי דרב חמא הוא סבר מאי שנא ממרא ולא היא מרא הדרא בעינא וידיע פחתיה זוזי לא הדרי בעינייהו ולא ידיע פחתיה

4 R. Hama used to hire out a zuz for a peshita per day.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., instead of calling it lending, he hired out money, as one hires any other commodity. [Such an arrangement was not without advantage to the borrower, as it exempted him, in the same way as any other hirer, from responsibility in case of an unpreventable accident befalling the money, v. infra 93b (cf. Tosaf.)]. ');">4

ה אמר רבא שרי ליה לאיניש למימר ליה לחבריה הילך ד' זוזי ואוזפיה לפלניא זוזי לא אסרה תורה אלא רבית הבאה מלוה למלוה ואמר רבא שרי ליה לאיניש למימר ליה לחבריה שקיל לך ארבעה זוזי וא"ל לפלוני לאוזפן זוזי מ"ט שכר אמירה קא שקיל

5 [As a result] his money evaporated.5

ו כי הא דאבא מר בריה דרב פפא הוה שקיל אוגנא דקירא מקיראי וא"ל לאבוה אוזפינהו זוזי אמרו ליה רבנן לרב פפא אכיל בריה דמר רביתא אמר להו כל כי האי רביתא ניכול לא אסרה תורה אלא רבית הבאה מלוה למלוה הכא שכר אמירה קא שקיל ושרי:

6 Now he argued, [Wherein does it differ] from a spade?6

ז <big>מתני׳</big> שמין פרה וחמור וכל דבר שהוא עושה ואוכל למחצה מקום שנהגו לחלוק את הולדות מיד חולקין מקום שנהגו לגדל יגדילו

7 But the analogy is false: the self-same spade is returned, and its depreciation is assessable; whereas the self-same coins are not returned, nor can their depreciation be estimated.7

ח רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר שמין עגל עם אמו וסיח עם אמו ומפריז על שדהו ואינו חושש משום רבית:

8 Raba said: One may say to his neighbour, 'Take these four zuz and lend money to so-and-so,'8

ט <big>גמ׳</big> תנו רבנן מפריז על שדהו ואינו חושש משום רבית כיצד השוכר את השדה מחבירו בעשרה כורים חטין לשנה ואומר לו תן לי מאתים זוז ואפרנסנה ואני אעלה לך שנים עשר כורין לשנה מותר

9 [because] the Torah forbade only usury which comes from the borrower to the lender. Raba also said: One may say to his neighbour, 'Here are four zuz, and persuade so-and-so to lend me money.' Why so? He merely receives a fee for his talking; just as Abba Mar, the son of R. Papa, used to take balls of wax from wax dealers, and then persuade his father to lend them money. But the Rabbis protested to R. papa: Your son enjoys usury. He replied: Such interest we may enjoy: the Torah forbade only interest that comes from the borrower [direct] to the lender; but here he receives a fee for his talking, which is permitted.

י אבל אין מפריז לא על חנות ולא על ספינה

10 MISHNAH. ONE MAY ASSESS COWS, ASSES, AND ALL ANIMALS WHICH TOIL FOR THEIR FOOD ON HALF [PROFIT AND LOSS].9

יא אמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה פעמים שמפריז על חנות לצור בה צורה ספינה לעשות לה איסקריא חנות לצור בה צורתא דצבו בה אינשי והוי אגרא טפי ספינה לעשות לה איסקריא כיון דשפירא איסקריא טפי אגרא טפי

11 WHERE IT IS THE USAGE TO DIVIDE THE YOUNG IMMEDIATELY [ON BIRTH], THEY MUST DIVIDE; WHERE IT IS CUSTOMARY TO BREED THEM, THEY MUST BE BRED. R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL SAID: A CALF MAY BE ASSESSED WITH ITS MOTHER, AND A FOAL WITH ITS MOTHER.10

יב ספינתא אמר רב אגרא ופגרא אמרו ליה רב כהנא ורב אסי לרב אי אגרא לא פגרא אי פגרא לא אגרא שתיק רב

12 AND ONE MAY OFFER AN INCREASED LAND RENTAL WITHOUT FEAR OF USURY.11

יג אמר רב ששת מ"ט שתיק רב לא שמיעא ליה הא דתניא אע"פ. שאמרו אין מקבלין צאן ברזל מישראל אבל מקבלין צאן ברזל מן הנכרים אבל אמרו השם פרה לחבירו ואמר לו הרי פרתך עשויה עלי בשלשים דינר ואני אעלה לך סלע בחדש מותר לפי שלא עשאה דמים

13 GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: One may offer an increased land rental without fear of usury. E.g., If one rents a field from his neighbour for ten kor annually, and proposes, 'Give me two hundred zuz to expend thereon [sc. in improving the land], and I will pay you twelve kor annually,' it is permitted. But an increased rental may not be offered for a shop or a ship.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In consideration of a loan for stock. In the first case, the money is expended on the field itself and therefore it is the equivalent of renting a better field, and hence worth more, notwithstanding that the 200 zuz must be separately repaid. But here the capital value of the shop and ship is not increased; therefore the money advanced for stock is an ordinary loan, and the higher rental constitutes interest. ');">12

יד ולא עשאה אמר רב ששת לא עשאה דמים מחיים אלא לאחר מיתה

14 R. Nahman said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuhah: Sometimes an increased rental may be offered for a shop, [e.g., in consideration of a loan] for decorations; or for a ship, to build a sail-yard therein. For a shop, in return for decorations, that it may be attractive for customers and thus earn more profit; and for a ship, to build a sail-yard therein; for the more beautiful its sail-yard, the greater is the hire.13

טו אמר רב פפא הלכתא ספינה אגרא ופגרא

15 As for a ship, Rab said: Both hire and loss [is permitted].14 Said R. Kahana and R. Assi to Rab: If hire, no loss; if loss, no hire.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the two together should be forbidden. For if the ship be assessed and the lessee accepts all responsibility, it is as though he had borrowed money to its value, and the rent is usury. ');">15 Thereupon Rab was silent [being unable to answer]. R. Shesheth observed: Why was Rab silent? Had he never heard what was taught: 'Though it was ruled that one must not accept from an Israelite "iron flock" [investment with absolute immunity for the investor],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] (V. B.B. Sonc. ed. p. 206, n. 3) I.e., one may not accept a business on a profit sharing basis, whilst guaranteeing the investor absolute safety of his money, like 'iron sheep', which cannot come to harm. For if the investor's money is secured, it is a loan, on which he receives half profit as interest. ');">16 yet such may be accepted from heathens!17 It was, nevertheless, ruled that if one assesses a cow for his neighbour, and says to him, "Your cow is charged to me at thirty denarii,18 and I will pay you a sela' per month," — it is permitted, because he did not assess it as money.' But did he not? — R. Shesheth said: He did not assess it as money whilst alive, but only in case of death.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., only if it perishes is he responsible for it; but should there be a price-drop whilst it is alive, the hirer is not responsible, and this saves it from being considered a loan. Hence in the case of the ship too, since the lessee is responsible only for shipwreck, but not for a drop in its market value, it is not an ordinary loan, and therefore a hiring fee is permissible. ');">19 R. papa said: The law is: For a ship, both hire and loss [is allowed],

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