Bava Batra 68

ההוא ארבא דהוו מינצו עלה בי תרי האי אמר דידי היא והאי אמר דידי היא אתא חד מינייהו לבי דינא ואמר תיפסוה אדמייתינא סהדי דדידי היא תפסינן או לא תפסינן רב הונא אמר תפסינן רב יהודה אמר לא תפסינן

There was a certain river boat about which two men were disputing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But apparently without having actually seized the boat, since in that case the law would be that they should divide it, according to B.M. ad init. ');">¹</span> One said, 'It is mine', and the other said, 'It is mine. One of them went to the <i>Beth din</i> and appealed to them: 'Attach the boat<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that the other should not sell it in the meanwhile. ');">²</span> until I bring witnesses to prove that it belongs to me.' [In such a case] should we attach the boat or not?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., which course is more likely to assist the rightful owner to obtain possession? ');">³</span> R. Huna says we should attach it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because we presume that he will succeed in finding witnesses, and therefore we prevent the boat from being disposed of in the interval. ');">⁴</span>

אזל ולא אשכח סהדי אמר להו אפקוה וכל דאלים גבר מפקינן או לא מפקינן רב יהודה אמר לא מפקינן רב פפא אמר מפקינן והלכתא לא תפסינן והיכא דתפס לא מפקינן:

and Rab Judah says we should not.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because we are afraid he will not find witnesses and we shall not know to whom to restore the boat, and therefore it is best to leave it alone. ');">⁵</span> [The <i>Beth din</i> having attached the boat],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is not clear from the text whether this is a hypothetical case, or whether the Beth din really did attach the boat, perhaps on the request of both parties. ');">⁶</span> the man went to look for his witnesses but did not find them, whereupon he requested the <i>Beth din</i> to release the boat, leaving it to the stronger to obtain possession.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to prevail' — whether by argument or by force. ');">⁷</span> In such a case should we release or not? Rab Judah says we should not release,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because once property has come into the hands of the Beth din, it is not right that they should release it except to restore it to the proper owner. ');">⁸</span>

זה אומר של אבותי וזה אומר של אבותי אמר רב נחמן כל דאלים גבר ומאי שנא משני שטרות היוצאין ביום אחד

R. Papa says we should release.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because they only attached it from the first on this condition. ');">⁹</span> The accepted ruling is that we should not attach in the first instance, but if we have attached we should not release.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the halachah follows R. Judah. ');">¹⁰</span> [If there are two claimants to a property<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whether landed property or other. ');">¹¹</span> and] one says,' It belonged to my father,' while the other says, 'To my father' [without either of them bringing any evidence], R. Nahman says that whichever is stronger can take possession.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' v. supra n. 7. ');">¹²</span> Why, [it may be asked,] should the ruling be different here from the case in which two deeds [of sale or gift relating to the same property and] bearing the same date