Bava Batra 298

שייר קרקע כל שהוא מתנתו קיימת וכמה כל שהוא אמר רב יהודה אמר רב קרקע כדי פרנסתו ורב ירמיה בר אבא אמר מטלטלין כדי פרנסתו

AND LEFT FOR HIMSELF SOME [PIECE OF] LAND, HIS GIFT IS VALID. And how much is SOME? — Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Land sufficient for his maintenance, while R. Jeremiah b. Abba said [even if only] movables [that are] sufficient for his maintenance. R. Zera exclaimed: 'How accurate are the reported traditions of the elders!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rab Judah and R. Jeremiah b. Abba. ');">¹</span>

אמר רבי זירא כמה מכוונן שמעתתא דסבי קרקע טעמא מאי דאי קאי סמיך עליה מטלטלי נמי אי קאי סמיך עילויהו

What is the reason [in the case of the reservation of] land?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., why is the gift of a dying man valid in such a case, even if he recovered? ');">²</span> [Because] he depended on it [for his maintenance] if he should recover; [in the case of] movables also [it may be assumed that] he depended on them if he were to recover'. R. Joseph demurred: Where is the accuracy? [Against him] who said, 'movables',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That even the reservation of some movables renders the gift valid. ');">³</span>

מתקיף לה רב יוסף ומאי כוונתא מאן דאמר מטלטלין קרקע תנן מאן דאמר כדי פרנסתו כל שהוא תנן

[it may be objected that] we learned, land; [while against him] who said, 'sufficient for his maintenance', [it may be objected that] we learnt, 'whatsoever'!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] kol shehu, lit., 'any so ever'. ');">⁴</span> — Abaye replied to him: [Do you suggest that] wherever 'land' is stated, land only [is meant]? Surely we learnt: If one gave all his property to his slave, in writing, [the latter] goes forth [as] a free man.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the slave himself is part of the property the master gave him. ');">⁵</span>

אמר ליה אביי וכל היכא דתני קרקע קרקע דוקא והא תנן הכותב כל נכסיו לעבדו יצא בן חורין שייר קרקע כל שהוא לא יצא בן חורין ר' שמעון אומר לעולם הוא בן חורין עד שיאמר כל נכסי נתונין לפלוני עבדי חוץ מאחד מרבוא שבהן

[If] he left [for himself] any land whatsoever,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not specifying which. ');">⁶</span> [the slave] does not go forth [as] a free man.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A slave is regarded as 'land', (real estate), and it is possible that by the reservation of 'some land' his master may have meant to exclude him. Hence, (since the property or a slave belongs to his master), the slave acquires nothing. ');">⁷</span> R. Simeon said: [The slave] is always<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if the master had reserved some land. ');">⁸</span> free<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since people do not describe a slave as 'land'. ');">⁹</span> unless [the master] said, 'All my possessions are given to my slave X, except a ten thousandth part of them'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By which expression he may rightly have meant the exclusion of the slave. Git. 8b; Pe'ah III, 8. ');">¹⁰</span>