Gittin 77

Chapter 77

א הא מני ר"מ היא דאמר אין אדם מוציא דבריו לבטלה

1 — Whose opinion is this? It is the opinion of R. Meir, who holds that when a man says a thing he must mean something by it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'a man does not utter his words idly'. Even though, taken in their literal sense, his words are meaningless. So here, if he declares his slave sanctified, since the person of the slave cannot be sanctified, we take it to mean that his money value is sanctified in the first instance, v, 'Ar. 5a. ');">1

ב ה"נ מסתברא דקתני סיפא וכן הוא שהקדיש עצמו עושה ואוכל שלא הקדיש אלא דמיו אי אמרת בשלמא ר"מ היא שפיר

2 That this view is probably correct is shown by the succeeding clause: Similarly if a man sanctifies himself he maintains himself from his own labour, since he has sanctified only his money value. Now if you say that this follows R. Meir, there is no difficulty.2

ג אלא אי אמרת רבנן היא בשלמא עבדו לדמי קאי אלא איהו לדמי קאי

3 But if you say it follows the Rabbis,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who say that the words 'I sanctify So-and-so' actually mean, 'I sanctify the purchase price of his person,' I.e. the price which he may fetch when sold as a slave. ');">3

ד לימא כתנאי המקדיש עבדו אין מועלין בו רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר מועלין בשערו מאי לאו בהא קמיפלגי דמר סבר קדוש ומר סבר לא קדוש

4 we can indeed understand [the rule] in reference to the slave, because he has a purchase price, but has the man himself a purchase price?4

ה ותסברא האי מועלין בו ואין מועלין בו האי קדוש ואינו קדוש מיבעי ליה

5 May we say that the same difference5

ו אלא דכולי עלמא קדוש והכא בהא קמיפלגי דמר סבר עבדא כמקרקעי דמי ומר סבר כמטלטלי דמי

6 is found between Tannaim [in the following passage]:6

ז אי הכי אדמיפלגי בשערו ליפלגו בגופו

7 If a man sanctifies his slave, then making use of him does not constitute me'ilah [trespass].7

ח אלא דכולי עלמא עבדא כמקרקעי דמי והכא בשערו העומד ליגזז קמיפלגי מ"ס כגזוז דמי ומר סבר לאו כגזוז דמי

8 Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel says: Use of his hair constitutes trespass.8

ט לימא הני תנאי כהני תנאי דתנן ר"מ אומר יש דברים שהם כקרקע ואינן כקרקע ואין חכמים מודים לו כיצד עשר גפנים טעונות מסרתי לך והלה אומר אינן אלא חמש ר"מ מחייב וחכמים אומרים כל המחובר לקרקע הרי הוא כקרקע

9 Now is not the point at issue between the two authorities this, that one holds that the slave is sanctified and the other that he is not? — Do you really think so? Why then the expressions, 'constitutes trespass' and 'does not constitute trespass'? It should be, 'he is sanctified' and 'he is not sanctified'? No. Both hold that he is sanctified,9

י וא"ר יוסי בר' חנינא ענבים העומדות ליבצר איכא בינייהו דרבי מאיר סבר כבצורות דמיין ורבנן סברי לאו כבצורות דמיין

10 and the point at issue here is that the one puts him in the same class with fixed property and the other with movable property.10

יא אפי' תימא רבי מאיר עד כאן לא קאמר ר"מ התם אלא בענבים דכמה דקיימין מיכחש כחישי אבל הכא כמה דקאי אשבוחי משבח

11 If that is so, while they differ with regard to his hair should they not differ with regard to his whole body? — The truth is, both hold that a slave is in the same category as fixed property, and they differ here in respect of his hair which is ready for cutting, the one holding that such hair is regarded as already cut, and the other that it is not.

יב כי סליק ר' חייא בר יוסף אמר להאי שמעתא דרב קמיה דר' יוחנן א"ל אמר רב הכי והוא לא אמר הכי והאמר עולא אמר ר' יוחנן המפקיר עבדו יצא לחירות וצריך גט שחרור

12 Shall we say that the difference between these Tannaim11

יג הכי קאמר ליה אמר רב כוותי ואיכא דאמרי לא סיימוה קמיה א"ל ולא אמר רב צריך גט שחרור ור' יוחנן לטעמיה דאמר עולא א"ר יוחנן המפקיר עבדו יצא לחירות וצריך גט שחרור

13 is the same as the difference between these other Tannaim, as we have learnt: R. Meir says, There are certain things which both are and are not in the same category as fixed property,12

יד גופא אמר עולא אמר ר' יוחנן המפקיר עבדו יצא לחירות וצריך גט שיחרור

14 but the Sages do not agree with him. For instance, if a man says, I entrusted to you ten vines laden with fruit, and the other says, There were only five, R. Meir requires him to take an oath,13

טו איתיביה ר' אבא לעולא גר שמת ובזבזו ישראל נכסיו והיו בהן עבדים בין גדולים ובין קטנים קנו עצמן בני חורין אבא שאול אומר גדולים קנו עצמן בני חורין קטנים כל המחזיק בהן זכה בהן

15 but the Sages say that anything attached to the soil is in the same category as the soil.14

טז וכי מי כתב גט שחרור לאלו

16 And [commenting on this] R. Jose son of R. Haninah said that the practical difference between them arose in the case of grapes which were ripe for gathering, R. Meir holding that they were regarded as already gathered and the Rabbis that they were not so regarded? — You may even say that R. Meir [does not differ in the case of the hair]. For R. Meir would apply this principle15

יז אמר דמי האי מדרבנן כדלא גמרי אינשי שמעתא וטעמא מאי אמר רב נחמן קסבר עולא עבדו דגר כי אשתו מה אשתו משתלחה בלא גט אף עבדיו משתלחים בלא גט

17 only to the case of grapes which would spoil by being left, but not to hair which improves the longer it is left.

יח אי הכי אפי' ישראל נמי אמר קרא (ויקרא כה, מו) והתנחלתם אותם לבניכם אחריכם לרשת אחוזה

18 When R. Hiyya b. Joseph went up [to Palestine], he reported this dictum16

יט אי הכי המפקיר עבדו ומת נמי אלמה אמר אמימר המפקיר עבדו ומת אותו העבד אין לו תקנה דאמימר קשיא

19 of Rab to R. Johanan. Said the latter: Did Rab really say that? But did not R. Johanan himself say the same?17

כ אמר רבי יעקב בר אידי א"ר יהושע בן לוי הלכה כאבא שאול אמר ליה רבי זירא לרבי יעקב בר אידי

20 Has not 'Ulla said in the name of R. Johanan: If a man declares his slave common property, he becomes a free man, but he requires a deed of emancipation? — What R. Johanan meant was, Did Rab really take the same view as I [take]? Others report that [R. Hiyya] did not give him the whole of Rab's statement,18 and he said to him, And did not Rab say that he requires a deed of emancipation? In this R. Johanan would be consistent, since 'Ulla said in the name of R. Johanan, If a man declares his slave common property, he becomes a free man, but he requires a deed of emancipation. The text above [stated]: 'Ulla said in the name of R. Johanan: If a man declares his slave common property, he becomes a free man, but requires a deed of emancipation.' R. Abba raised the following objection against 'Ulla: 'If a proselyte dies [without heirs] and Israelites seize19 his property,20 if there are slaves included in it, whether grown up or not grown up, they become their own masters as free men. Abba Saul. however, says that the grown-ups become their own masters as free men21 but the minors become the property of whoever first seizes them.'22 Now who has written a deed of emancipation for these?23 — 'Ulla replied: This Rabbi seems to imagine that people do not study the law. But what after all is the reason [why the slaves require no deed of emancipation]? — R. Nahman replied: 'Ulla was of opinion that the slave of a proselyte comes under the same rule as his wife. Just as his wife is liberated24 [after his death] without a Get, so his slave is liberated without a deed of emancipation. But if that is so, the same rule25 should apply to an Israelite? — Scripture says, And ye shall make them (Canaanitish slaves) an inheritance for your children after you to hold for a possession.26 If that is the case, then if a man declares his slave common property and then dies, the slave should also [not require a deed of emancipation].27 How is it then that Amemar has said that if a man declares his slave common property and then dies, nothing can be done for the slave?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To enable him to marry either a slave woman or a Jewess; having been declared common property he is deemed partly free, yet he needs a deed of emancipation to complete his freedom, which deed however cannot be made out for him by the heirs, since they have never been his owners. V. infra 402. ');">28 — [This saying] of Amemar is indeed a difficulty. R. Jacob b. Idi said in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi: The halachah follows Abba Saul.29 R. Zera asked R. Jacob b. Idi:

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