Bava Metzia 227

איברא עליה קרמי משום שנאמר (דברים כד, יג) ולך תהיה צדקה

Precisely so: He is indeed thrown upon him, because it is written, and thine shall be the righteousness.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXIV, 13; i.e., the creditor bears a peculiar responsibility towards the debtor, more so than other persons. ');">¹</span> The scholars propounded: Is an assessment made for a debtor? Do we adduce [the law of] 'poverty' [written here] from that of 'valuations'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Debt: And if thy brother be waxen poor ([H])&nbsp;… then thou shalt relieve him; Lev. XXV, 35. Valuations: But if he be poorer ([H]) than thy estimation&nbsp;… according to the means of him that vowed shall the priest value him; Ibid, XXVII, 8. Hence, just as the means test is applied in the latter case, exempting the vower from his full obligations, so in the former too, ');">²</span>

איבעיא להו מהו שיסדרו בבעל חוב מי גמר מיכה מיכה מערכין או לא

or not? — Come and hear: For Rabin sent word in his letter:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Palestine. ');">³</span> I asked this thing of all my teachers, and they gave me no answer thereon. But in truth, the following problem was raised:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At a session, and its answer is also an answer to the one under discussion. ');">⁴</span>

ת"ש דשלח רבין באגרתי' דבר זה שאלתי לכל רבותי ולא אמרו לי דבר ברם כך היתה שאלה האומר הרי עלי מנה לבדק הבית מהו שיסדרו

If one Says. 'I vow a <i>maneh</i> for Temple purposes.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'Temple repair.' It is the technical term for anything needed in the Temple, except sacrifices. ');">⁵</span> is he assessed?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he could not pay it, and the Temple officers came to distrain for it, must his means be assessed, to exempt from sale such things as he needs? ');">⁶</span>

ר' יעקב משמיה דבר פדא ור' ירמיה משמיה דאילפא אמרי ק"ו מבעל חוב ומה ב"ח שמחזירין אין מסדרין הקדש שאין מחזירין אינו דין שאין מסדרין ור' יוחנן אמר נדר בערכך כתיב מה ערכין מסדרין אף הקדש מסדרין

R. Jacob, on the authority of Bar Pada, and R. Jeremiah, on the authority of Ilfa, said: [It follows] a <i>minori</i> from an ordinary debtor: if no assessment is made even for a debtor, to whom [the p]edge] is returned;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A day article by day, and a night article by night, until the pledge is sold. ');">⁷</span> then in regard to <i>hekdesh</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., when we distrain for the payment of a vow to hekdesh (v. Glos.). ');">⁸</span>

ואידך ההוא לנידון בכבודו הוא דאתא מה ערכין נידון בכבודו אף הקדש נידון בכבודו

where it [the pledge] is not returned, Surely, there is no assessment! But R. Johanan ruled: It is written, <i>[When a person shall make] a vow by thy valuation [shall the persons be for the Lord]</i>:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 2. Now, 'vow' ([H]) applies to any vow, whilst 'valuation' ([H]) to the dedication of one's own value (to sacred purposes). Since the two are written in conjunction, it follows that the same law applies to both. ');">⁹</span> just as a means test is applied for 'valuations', so also for a vow to <i>hekdesh</i>. And the other?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Jacob, etc., who holds that there is no assessment for hekdesh. How do they interpret the juxtaposition of these two words? ');">¹⁰</span>

ויסדרו בב"ח ק"ו מערכין ומה ערכין שאין מחזירין מסדרין בעל חוב שמחזירין אינו דין שמסדרין אמר קרא (ויקרא כז, ח) ואם מך הוא מערכך הוא ולא ב"ח

— That is to teach the judgment [of a limb] according to its importance: just as in 'valuations' [a limb] is judged according to its importance, so in a vow to <i>hekdesh</i> too.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If one said, 'I vow the " valuation"="" of="" my="" head,="" heart,="" liver="" or="" any="" vital="" organ,'="" he="" must="" give="" his="" entire="" value,="" since="" whole="" life="" depends="" upon="" it.="" hence,="" similarly.="" if="" one="" said,="" 'i="" vow="" the="" price="" heart="" etc.,="" to="" hekdesh'="" (not="" using="" word="" [h]),="" value.="" —="" in="" a="" 'valuations'="" [h],="" amount="" is="" fixed="" according="" age="" and="" sex,="" irrespective="" man's="" actual="" worth;="" whereas="" an="" ordinary="" assessed="" at="" value="" sold="" as="" slave.="" case,="" from="" this="" discussion="" it="" clearly="" emerges="" that="" no="" assessment="" made="" for="" debtor.="" ');"="">¹¹</span> But let there be an assessment for a debtor, a <i>minori</i> from 'valuations': If an assessment is made in the case of 'valuations', where [the pledge] is not returned: then surely there should be an assessment for a debtor, where [the pledge] is returned: — Scripture writes, <i>But if he be poorer than thy estimation: 'he'</i>, but not a debtor. And the other?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The first Tanna of our Mishnah, who states: BUT IF HE (THE DEBTOR) DIED, HE NEED NOT RETURN THE PLEDGE TO HIS HEIRS, which implies that it is always returned to the debtor himself, shewing that certain objects are assessed as vital and exempted from seizure. ');">¹²</span>

ואידך האי עד שיהא במכותו מתחילתו ועד סופו

— This teaches that he must remain in his poverty from beginning to end.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he vowed his 'valuation' whilst a poor man, but became wealthy before being assessed, he must pay in full. That is deduced from the emphatic 'he', i.e., at assessment too he must be too poor for the fixed valuation. ');">¹³</span> Now, in the case of [a vow to] <i>hekdesh</i>, let it [the pledge] be returned,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Day attire by day, and night attire by night. (Cf. p. 320. n. 5.) ');">¹⁴</span>

ויחזירו בהקדש קל וחומר מב"ח ומה בעל חוב שאין מסדרין מחזירין הקדש שמסדרין אינו דין שמחזירין אמר קרא (דברים כד, יג) ושכב בשלמתו וברכך יצא הקדש שאין צריך ברכה

a <i>minori</i> from a debtor: If it [the pledge] is returned to a debtor, for whom there is no means test, surely it is returned in the case of [a vow to] <i>hekdesh</i>, seeing that an assessment is made there! — The Writ saith, <i>That he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXIV, 13. ');">¹⁵</span> thus excluding <i>hekdesh</i>, which needs no blessing. Does it not? But it is written, <i>When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God</i>!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. VIII, 10, Thus, even God demands of man a blessing! ');">¹⁶</span>

ולא והכתי' (דברים ח, י) ואכלת ושבעת וברכת וגו' אלא אמר קרא ולך תהיה צדקה מי שצריך צדקה יצא הקדש שאין צריך צדקה

But Scripture saith, <i>And it shall be accounted as righteousness</i> [i.e., a charitable act] <i>unto thee</i>:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XXIV, 13. ');">¹⁷</span> hence it [the law of returning] holds good only for him [the creditor] for whom the act of righteousness is necessary.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To be worthy of being deemed righteous before God. ');">¹⁸</span>

אשכחיה רבה בר אבוה לאליהו דקאי בבית הקברות של עובדי כוכבים א"ל מהו שיסדרו בב"ח א"ל גמר מיכה מיכה מערכין גבי ערכין כתיב ואם מך הוא מערכך גבי ב"ח כתיב (ויקרא כה, לה) וכי ימוך אחיך

thus excluding <i>hekdesh</i> [as a creditor], which does not require [the merit of] righteousness. Rabbah b. Abbuha met Elijah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was believed that Elijah often appeared to saintly men. ');">¹⁹</span> standing in a non-Jewish cemetery. Said he to him: Is a means test to be applied in favour of a debtor? — He replied: We deduce [the law of] poverty [written here] from that of 'valuations'. In respect of 'valuations' it is written, <i>But if he be poorer than thy valuation</i> […<i>according to the means of him that vowed shall the priest value him</i>]. Whilst of a debtor it is written, And if thy brother be waxen poor [… <i>then thou shalt relieve him</i>].