Bava Metzia 205

שכיר בזמנו נשבע ונוטל

A hired labourer [engaged for a period], on the expiration of his term swears and is paid.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Shebu. 45b; infra 111a. If there is a dispute between him and the employer on the last day, the latter alleging that he has already paid him, the former swears that he was not paid, and receives his wages. Though it is a general rule that the defendant swears to be free from payment (v. p. 572, n. 6), the Rabbis made an exception in this case, because an employer, busy with his workers, may very easily imagine that he has paid one instead of another. ');">¹</span>

שכיר הוא דרמו רבנן שבועה עליה משום דבעל הבית טרוד בפועליו אבל הכא שוכר מהימן בשבועה

Thus, it is only the employee whom the Rabbis subjected to an oath, because the employer is occupied with his labourers. But here, the tenant is believed on oath.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As is usually the case, though it is the day on which the term expires. ');">²</span>

אמר רבא אמר רב נחמן האי מאן דאוגר ליה ביתא לחבריה לעשר שנין וכתב ליה שטרא וא"ל נקיטת חמש שנין מהימן א"ל רב אחא מדפתי לרבינא אלא מעתה אוזפיה מאה זוזי בשטרא וא"ל פרעתיך פלגא ה"נ דמהימן

Raba said in R. Nahman's name: If one leased a house to his neighbour for ten years, and wrote a deed to that effect [but without dating it,] and then alleged, 'You have held it for five years,' he is believed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the same principle as R. Nahman's dictum on 102b, q.v. ');">³</span>

א"ל הכי השתא התם שטר לגוביינא קאי אם איתא דפרעיה איבעי ליה למכתבא אגביה א"נ מיכתב עליה תברא אבל הכא אמר ליה האי דכתיבי לך שטרא כי היכי דלא תחזק עליה

Said R. Aha of Difti to Rabina: If so, if A lent B one hundred <i>zuz</i> against a bond, and then B said, 'I have repaid you half,' is he also believed?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely not: yet the cases are analogous. ');">⁴</span>

אמר רב נחמן שואל אדם בטובו לעולם

— He replied: What comparison is there? In that case, the purpose of the bond is to ensure repayment. Had he really repaid him, he should have written the fact on it, or obtained a receipt. But here he can say, 'The reason I wrote you a deed was that you should not claim ownership through unbroken possession.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V, B.B. III, 1. But not to shew how long the tenancy had lasted. [According to this interpretation, which follows Rashi, it is assumed that the deed, although in the possession of the tenant, served to give the matter publicity and thus preclude the possibility of the tenant claiming ownership on the strength of undisturbed occupation over a number of years. Tosaf., however, in the name of R. Han., preserves a preferable reading to the effect that the deed was drafted by the tenant in favour of the owner and recorded that he had hired the house for ten years from a certain date at so much per year. After five years the tenant says to the landowner, 'You hold already rent for five years,' whereas the landowner maintains, 'I hold rent for three years only;' in that case the tenant is believed on oath, because the tenant can say to the landowner, 'The reason I wrote you a deed was that I should not claim ownership through unbroken possession.'] ');">⁵</span>

אמר רב מרי ברה דבת שמואל והוא דקני מיניה

R. Nahman said: One can borrow [an article] 'in its good state' for ever.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if the lender states, 'I lend it to you in its good state,' it means as long as it is fit for its purpose, and so, even if he returns it, he can take it again whenever he needs it. ');">⁶</span>

אמר רב מרי בריה דרב אשי ומהדר ליה קתיה

Said R. Mari the son of Samuel's daughter:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He was begotten by a Gentile, who turned proselyte by the time of his birth; and is therefore called by his maternal grandfather, not by his own father. ');">⁷</span>

אמר רבא האי מאן דאמר ליה לחבריה אושלן מרא למירפק ביה האי פרדיסא רפיק ביה ההוא פרדיסא פרדיסא רפיק ביה כל פרדיסא דבעי פרדיסי רפיק ואזיל כל פרדיסי דאית ליה ומהדר ליה קתיה

Providing, however, that he formally acquired it from him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., had performed an act effecting possession, or, as in this case, a right to the use of an article. ');">⁸</span>

אמר רב פפא האי מאן דאמר ליה לחבריה אושלן האי גרגותא ונפלה לא בני לה גרגותא ונפלה בני לה בי גרגותא כרי ואזיל כמה גרגותי בארעיה עד דמתרמי ליה וצריך למיקני מיניה:

R. Mari son of R. Ashi observed: He must return him the handle.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the article is broken or damaged and unfit for its purpose, he must return the remains, since it was not a gift but only a loan (Rashi). [Wilna Gaon: He may not repair it and retain it for further use.] ');">⁹</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> המשכיר בית לחבירו ונפל חייב להעמיד לו בית היה קטן לא יעשנו גדול גדול לא יעשנו קטן אחד לא יעשנו שנים שנים לא יעשנו אחד לא יפחות מן החלונות ולא יוסיף עליהם אלא מדעת שניהם:

Raba said: If one asks his neighbour, 'Lend me a hoe for hoeing <i>this</i> garden,' he may hoe [only] that garden; 'for hoeing a garden,' he may hoe any garden; 'for hoeing gardens', he may hoe all his gardens<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we do not say that he may have only two. ');">¹⁰</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> היכי דמי אי דאמר ליה בית זה נפל אזל ליה אי דאמר ליה בית סתם אחד אמאי לא יעשנו שנים קטן אמאי לא יעשנו גדול

and return him the handle.

אמר ריש לקיש דאמר ליה בית שאני משכיר לך מדת ארכו כך וכך

R. Papa said: If one says to his neighbour, 'Lend me this well [for irrigation],' and it falls in, he cannot rebuild it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The borrower cannot rebuild and claim that it is lent to him as long as he needs it, since he specified, 'This well,' and it is no longer the same when rebuilt. ');">¹¹</span>

אי הכי מאי למימרא

'[Lend me] a well,' and it falls in, he can rebuild it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And retain it until he has irrigated all his fields. ');">¹²</span>

אלא כי אתא רבין אמר ריש לקיש דאמר ליה בית כזה אני משכיר לך ואכתי מאי למימרא לא צריכא דקאי אגודא דנהרא מהו דתימא מאי כזה דקאי אגודא דנהרא קמ"ל:

[But if he Says: 'Lend me] the place for a well,' he can go on sinking shafts in his land until he chances upon [a water supply]. It is also necessary that he shall have formally acquired it from him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. note 3. ');">¹³</span>

<br><br><big><strong>הדרן עלך השואל</strong></big><br><br>

<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF ONE RENTS A HOUSE TO HIS NEIGHBOUR, AND IT FALLS IN [WITHIN THE PERIOD OF LEASE], HE MUST PROVIDE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'set up'. ');">¹⁴</span>

מתני׳ <big><strong>המקבל</strong></big> שדה מחבירו מקום שנהגו לקצור יקצור לעקור יעקור לחרוש אחריו יחרוש הכל כמנהג המדינה כשם שחולקין בתבואה כך חולקין בתבן ובקש כשם שחולקין ביין כך חולקין

HIM WITH ANOTHER. IF IT WAS A SMALL ONE, HE CANNOT FURNISH HIM WITH A LARGE ONE, OR VICE VERSA. NOR CAN HE OFFER HIM TWO INSTEAD OF ONE, OR ONE INSTEAD OF TWO. HE MAY NEITHER DIMINISH NOR INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WINDOWS, EXCEPTING BY COMMON AGREEMENT. <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. What are the circumstances? If he stipulated, 'This house', then if it falls, he is quit [of any further obligation]. Whilst if he said, 'A house,' without specifying which, why cannot he provide two instead of one, or a large house instead of a small? — Said Resh Lakish: It means that he had said to him, 'The house which I let to you is of this length.' If so, why teach it?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is obvious. ');">¹⁵</span> — But when Rabin came,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Palestine to Babylon. ');">¹⁶</span> he said in the name of Resh Lakish: It means that he said, 'I let you a house like this one.' But still [the difficulty remains,] Why state it? — It is necessary to teach it only if it [the house shewn as a model] stood on the river bank. I might think, what is meant by 'like this'? One situated on the river bank.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the locality. ');">¹⁷</span> Therefore we are taught [otherwise]. <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF ONE LEASES A FIELD FROM HIS NEIGHBOUR,<a rel="footnote" href="#103a_18">¹</a> WHERE IT IS THE USAGE TO CUT [THE CROPS], HE MUST CUT; TO UPROOT [THEM], HE MUST UPROOT [THEM]; TO PLOUGH AFTER IT,<a rel="footnote" href="#103a_19">²</a> HE MUST PLOUGH AFTER IT. IT IS ALL DETERMINED BY LOCAL CUSTOM. AND JUST AS THEY DIVIDE THE GRAIN.<a rel="footnote" href="#103a_20">³</a> SO THEY ALSO SHARE IN THE STRAW AND STUBBLE. AND JUST AS THEY DIVIDE THE WINE, SO DO THEY SHARE