Bava Metzia 84

Chapter 84

א כל המפקיד על דעת אשתו ובניו הוא מפקיד
1 'All who deposit do so with the understanding that the wife and children [of the depositary may be entrusted with the bailment].' Shall we say to his mother, 'Go and pay:' she can plead, 'He did not tell me that it [the money] was not his own, that I should bury it.' Shall we say to him, 'Why did you not tell her?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore you are responsible. ');"><sup>1</sup></span>
ב נימא לה לאימיה זילי שלימי אמרה לא אמר לי דלאו דידיה נינהו דאקברינהו
2 he can argue, 'If I told her it was mine, she was the more likely to guard it well.' But, said Raba, he must swear that he had entrusted that money to his mother, and his mother must swear that she had placed that money in her work basket, and it was stolen. Then he [the bailee] is free.
ג נימא ליה אמאי לא אמרת לה אמר כ"ש דכי אמינא לה דדידי נינהו טפי מזדהרא בהו
3 A certain steward for orphans<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Appointed by the court to administer their estate until they attained their majority. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ד אלא אמר רבא משתבע איהו דהנהו זוזי אשלמינהו לאימיה ומשתבעא אימיה דהנהו זוזי אותבינהו בקרטליתא ואיגנוב ופטור
4 bought an ox on their behalf and entrusted it to a herdsman. Having no molars or [front] teeth to eat with, it died.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This loss could have been avoided had it been slaughtered and rendered fit for food. ');"><sup>3</sup></span>
ה ההוא אפוטרופא דיתמי דזבן להו תורא ליתמי ומסריה לבקרא לא הוו ליה ככי ושיני למיכל ומית אמר רמי בר חמא היכי נדיינו דייני להאי דינא
5 Said Rami b. Hama: What verdict shall judges give in this case? Shall we say to the steward, 'Go and pay:' he can reply, 'I entrusted it to the herdsman.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And thus fulfilled my obligations. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ו נימא ליה לאפוטרופא זיל שלים אמר אנא לבקרא מסרתיה
6 Shall we say to the herdsman, 'Go and pay:' he can plead, I put it together with the other oxen and placed food before it: I could not know that it was not eating! [But, why not] consider [the fact that] the herdsman was a paid keeper of the orphans, and as such should have made careful observation? — Had the orphans suffered loss, it would be even so. But we treat here of a case where the orphans suffered no loss, because the [first] owner of the ox was found and they received their money back from him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the grounds that it was bargain under false pretences. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ז נימא ליה לבקרא זיל שלים אמר אנא בהדי תורי אוקימתיה אוכלא שדאי ליה לא הוה ידעינן דלא אכל
7 Then who is the plaintiff? — The owner of the ox, who pleads that he [the steward] should have informed him. But what was he to inform him? He knew full well that it was a sale under false pretences! — He [the owner of the ox] was a middleman, who buys here and sells there.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., who does not keep the animal in his possession for any length of time, and need not have been aware of the animal's condition. ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ח מכדי בקרא שומר שכר דיתמי הוא איבעי ליה לעיוני אי איכא פסידא דיתמי הכי נמי והכא במאי עסקינן דליכא פסידא דיתמי דאשכחוהו למריה דתורא ושקול יתמי זוזי מיניה
8 Therefore [rules Rami] he [the middleman] must swear that he did not know [of the animal's toothless condition], and the herdsman must pay at the cheap price of meat.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which is two thirds of the usual price. Rashi explains that this was a compromise, since the cowherd had a semi-valid plea, viz., 'I put it together with other oxen, etc.' Tosaf., however, holds that the verdict was strictly in accordance with the law, for since the animal could not live long, it would have had to be slaughtered before market day, when flesh does not fetch its proper price. ');"><sup>7</sup></span>
ט אלא מאן קא טעין מריה דתורא קטעין איבעי ליה לאודוען מאי מודעינן ליה מידע ידע דמקח טעות הוי בספסירא דזבן מהכא ומזבין להכא הלכך מישתבע איהו דלא הוה ידע ומשלם בקרא דמי בשר בזול
9 A certain man deposited hops with his neighbour, who himself also had a pile thereof. Now, he instructed his brewer, 'Take<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'cast (into the beer)'. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
י ההוא גברא דאפקיד כשותא גבי חבריה הוה ליה לדידיה נמי כריא דכשותא א"ל לסרסיה מהאי רמי אזל רמא מאידך אמר רב עמרם היכי נדיינו דייני להאי דינא
10 from this pile;' but he went and took from the other. Said R. Amram: What verdict shall the judges give in this case? Shall they say to him, 'Go and pay:' he can plead. 'I said to him, "Take from this [pile]."' Shall we say to the brewer, 'Go and pay'? He can argue, 'He did not say to me, "Take from this [pile] but not from that."' But if he [the brewer] tarried sufficient time to bring him [his own hops], yet did not do so,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The deposited hops being further away. ');"><sup>9</sup></span>
יא נימא ליה לדידיה זיל שלים אמר אנא אמרי ליה מהאי רמי
11 then he [the bailee] revealed his mind that he was pleased therewith!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For he must have known that the brewer was taking the deposited hops, and yet did not stop him. ');"><sup>10</sup></span>
יב נימא ליה לסרסיה זיל שלים אמר לא א"ל מהאי רמי ומהאי לא תירמי
12 — There was no tarrying. Yet after all, what loss is there: did he [the depositary] not benefit thereby?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When the hops were put in his beer. Then he must pay in any case. ');"><sup>11</sup></span>
יג ואי דשהא שיעור לאיתויי ליה ולא אייתי ליה גלי אדעתיה דניחא ליה בדלא שהא
13 — Said R. Samma, son of Raba: The beer turned into vinegar.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And so the bailee did not benefit thereby. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
יד סוף סוף מאי פסידא איכא והא קא משתרשי ליה א"ר סמא בריה דרבא דהוה שיכרא חלא רב אשי אמר בכיסי
14 R. Ashi said: The reference is to thorns,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., not hops were deposited, but the thorns on which the hops hang, and this yielded an inferior brew (so Jast.). Rashi translates: inferior hops, mixed with thorns. ');"><sup>13</sup></span>
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