Bava Batra 60

דהאי ארעא דידי היא ואת לא זבינתה מינאי זיל לאו בעל דברים דידי את אמר רבא דינא קאמר ליה:

that this land was once mine and that you did not buy it from me. Clear out; you have no case against me.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'you are not my litigant.' ');">¹</span>

ההוא דאמר ליה לחבריה מאי בעית בהאי ארעא אמר ליה מפלניא זבינא ואכלתיה שני חזקה אמר ליה פלניא גזלנא הוא

[On hearing of this] Raba said: He was quite within his rights in what he said to him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because the occupier had no proof that the man from whom he bought the land bought it from the original owner. Hence his occupation is not supported by any genuine plea. ');">²</span>

אמר ליה והא אית לי סהדי דאתאי אימלכי בך ואמרת לי זיל זבין אמר ליה השני נוח לי הראשון קשה הימנו אמר רבא דינא קאמר ליה

A certain man said to another, 'What right have you on this land?' He replied, 'I bought it from so-and-so and have had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.' Said the other, 'So-and-so is a robber.''But,' said the first, 'l have witnesses to prove that I came and consulted you and you advised me to buy the property.' 'The reason is,' said the other, 'that I preferred to go to law with you rather than with him.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'The second suits me, the first is a harder customer.' ');">³</span>

כמאן כאדמון דתנן העורר על השדה וחתום עליה בעד אדמון אומר השני נוח לי הראשון קשה הימנו וחכמים אומרים איבד את זכותו

[On hearing of this] Raba said: He was quite within his rights in what he said to him. What authority does Raba follow? — The authority of Admon; for we have learnt: 'If a man claims a field after having witnessed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., signed his name as witness to the contract of sale. ');">⁴</span>

אפילו תימא רבנן התם עבד ליה מעשה אבל הכא דבורא עביד איניש דמיקרי ואמר

to the sale of it to another, Admon says that [his claim is still admissible] because he can say, I prefer to go to law with the second rather than the first; the Sages, however, say that [by so doing] he forfeits his right [to put forward a claim]. — You may even say that Raba is in agreement with the Rabbis<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Sages. ');">⁵</span>

ההוא דאמר ליה לחבריה מאי בעית בהאי ארעא אמר ליה מפלניא זבינתה ואכלתיה שני חזקה אמר ליה פלניא גזלנא הוא אמר ליה והא אית לי סהדי דאתית באורתא ואמרת לי זבנה ניהלי א"ל אמינא איזבון דינאי אמר רבא עביד איניש דזבין דיניה

also. For in that case [they quash his right to make a claim] because he has actually done something [which conflicts with it],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., signed a document. ');">⁶</span>

ההוא דאמר ליה לחבריה מאי בעית בהאי ארעא אמר ליה מפלניא זבינא ואכלתיה שני חזקה אמר ליה והא נקיטנא שטרא דזבני ליה מיניה הא ארבעי שני

but in this case [he has merely said something], and a man may easily let a word slip out of his mouth.

א"ל מי סברת שני חזקה תלת שני קא אמינא שני חזקה טובא קא אמינא אמר רבא עבידי אינשי דקרו לשני טובא שני חזקה

A certain man said to another, 'What right have you on this land?' He replied, 'I bought it from so-and-so and I have had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.' Said the first, 'So-and-so is a robber.' 'But,' said the other, 'I have witnesses to prove that you came the evening [before] and said to me, "Sell it to me".' 'My idea was,' said the first, 'to buy what I was already legally entitled to. [On hearing of it] Raba said: It is not unusual for a man to buy what he is already legally entitled to.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In order to avoid the trouble of going to law. ');">⁷</span>

וה"מ דאכלה שבע דקדים חזקה דהאי לשטרא דהך

A certain man said to his neighbour, 'What right have you on this land?' He replied, 'I bought it from so-and-so and have had the use of it for the period of <i>hazakah</i>.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Meaning thereby presumably 'three years'. ');">⁸</span> Said the other, 'But I have a title deed to prove that I bought it from him four years ago.' Said the other; 'Do you think that when I say the period of <i>hazakah</i> I mean only three years? I mean a lot of years.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And the reason why I said merely 'period of hazakah' was because I did not know you had a deed going back further than three years. ');">⁹</span> Said Raba: It is not unusual to refer to a long period of years as 'the period of hazakah'. This [maxim] would apply [to the present case] only if the occupier has had the use of the land for seven years, so that his presumptive right came before the deed;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since he had already had the use of the land for three years after his alleged purchase of it, and his title was therefore unassailable. ');">¹⁰</span>