Bava Batra 332

ועמדו קינין בו ביום ברבעתים:

On that day [the price of a pair of] birds fell<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'stood'. ');">¹</span> to a quarter [of a denar'].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ker. I, 7. ');">²</span>

כתוב מלמעלה וכו': תנו רבנן ילמד התחתון מן העליון באות אחת אבל לא בשתי אותיות

IF ABOVE IS WRITTEN etc. Our Rabbis taught: The lower [section] may be corrected<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'be learned', 'inferred'. ');">³</span> from the upper [one] where one letter [is missing], but not in [the case of] two letters; for example, HaNaN from HaNaNI<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where only the letter Yod is wanting. Should two letters, however, be missing. e.g.. N and I, leaving in the lower section Han or AN, only, they must not be replaced from the upper section. ');">⁴</span>

כגון חנן מחנני וענן מענני

or 'ANaN from 'ANaNI.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where only the letter Yod is wanting. Should two letters, however, be missing. e.g.. N and I, leaving in the lower section Han or AN, only, they must not be replaced from the upper section. ');">⁴</span> What is the reason<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'why different'. ');">⁵</span>

מאי שנא שתי אותיות דלא דלמא מיתרמי שם בן ארבע אותיות והוה ליה פלגיה דשמא אי הכי אות אחת נמי דלמא מיתרמי שם בן שתי אותיות והוה ליה פלגיה דשמא

why two letters [must] not [be replaced]? [Because] a name of four letters might occur and these<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The two letters. ');">⁶</span> would represent half of the name! If so, [in the case of] one letter also, might [not] a name of two letters occur and this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The single letter. ');">⁷</span>

אלא שתי אותיות היינו טעמא דלמא מיתרמי שם בן שלש אותיות והוה ליה רובא דשמא

would represent half of the name? — But this is the reason [for] two letters: A name of three letters might occur, and these would represent the greater part of the name.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A scribe might omit half a name if that consisted of a single letter. He is not likely, however, to omit two letters which in some names represent the greater part of the name. If two letters or more are missing, the person whose name is represented by the remaining letters, not the bearer of the name in the upper section, is entitled to the repayment of the loan. [V. however Tosaf. s.v. [H]] ');">⁸</span> R. Papa said: It is obvious to me [that if] SeFeL<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb., [H], 'bowl' or 'cup'. Some read [H] i.e. [H] 'sixty halves'. ');">⁹</span>

אמר רב פפא פשיטא לי ספל מלמעלה וקפל מלמטה הכל הולך אחר התחתון

[appears] in the upper [section].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of a deed. ');">¹⁰</span> and KeFeL<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb., [H] (root. 'to fold'), an article of dress, which can be folded. Others, [H] 'hundred halves'. Both sefel and kefel, however, may be arbitrary word combinations taken by R. Papa as an illustration of a slight variation by which one word may differ from another. ');">¹¹</span>

בעי רב פפא קפל מלמעלה וספל מלמטה מאי מי חיישינן לזבוב או לא תיקו

in the lower [section], the latter is always to be taken as a guide.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'all goes after the lowest. ');">¹²</span> R. Papa, [however], inquired what [is the ruling if] KeFeL [appears] above and SeFeL below? May this be attributed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'do we fear'. ');">¹³</span>

ההוא דהוה כתב ביה שית מאה וזוזא שלחה רב שרביא קמיה דאביי שית מאה איסתירי וזוזא או דלמא שית מאה פריטי וזוזא אמר ליה דל פריטי דלא כתבי בשטרא דאסוכי מסכן להו

to a fly,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which might have blotted out the lower stroke of the kof, and thus changed it into a samek. [In the third and fourth centuries the stem of the kof hung from the roof of the letter and the curve was drawn to it, thus: P.] ');">¹⁴</span> or not? — This remains undecided.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence, if such a case should be brought before a court, the decision must be in favour of the person who is in possession of the money or article; in accordance with the rule, 'he who claims must produce the proof'. ');">¹⁵</span> In a certain [deed] there was written, 'six hundred and a <i>zuz</i>'. R. Sherabya sent this [enquiry] to<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'before'. ');">¹⁶</span> Abaye: [Is the entry to be interpreted as], 'six hundred <i>istira</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The istira was a silver coin equal to a provincial sela or half a zuz. ');">¹⁷</span> and a <i>zuz</i>', or perhaps, [as] 'six hundred perutoth<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A perutah was a very small coin of the value of a hundred and ninety-second part of a zuz. Cf. Zuckermann, op. cit., 22f. ');">¹⁸</span> and a <i>zuz</i>?' — He replied to him: 'Dismiss [the question of] perutoth which [could] not [have been] written in the deed, since they are counted up