Gittin 99

קבלן דבעל חוב דברי הכל משתעבד ערב דבעל חוב וקבלן דכתובה פליגי איכא למ"ד אע"ג דלית ליה נכסי ללוה משתעבד ואיכא למאן דאמר אי אית ליה משתעבד אי לית ליה לא משתעבד

With regard to a kabbelan for a debt, all are agreed that he does become responsible.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In all circumstances. ');">¹</span>

והילכתא בכולהו אע"ג דלית ליה משתעבד בר מערב דכתובה דאע"ג דאית ליה לא משתעבד

With regard to a surety for a debt and a kabbelan for a <i>Kethubah</i> there is a difference of opinion, some holding that even though [the debtor] had no property they become responsible, and others holding that if he had effects they become responsible, but if he had no effects they do not. The law in all these cases is that even if [the debtor] had no property [the surety or go-between] becomes responsible, save in the case of the surety for a <i>Kethubah</i>, who does not become responsible even if [the husband] has effects. The reason is that he performs a pious action,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By enabling a marriage to be consummated. ');">²</span>

מאי טעמא מצוה הוא דעבד ולא מידי חסרה

and he does not cause the woman any loss.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In so far as she does not actually part with anything. For fuller notes on this section v. B.B. (Sonc. ed., p. 770. ');">³</span>

אמר רבינא ת"ש מעיקרא דתקנתין יותר ממה שהאיש רוצה לישא אשה רוצה לינשא ואי ס"ד מיתמי האי משום דיתמי הוא תיובתא דמר זוטרא תיובתא:

Rabina said:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Referring to the original statement of Mar Zutra, that save in the case of orphans, a Kethubah is collected from medium land. ');">⁴</span>

אמר מר זוטרא בריה דרב נחמן משמיה דרב נחמן שט"ח היוצא על היתומין אע"פ שכתוב בו שבח אינו גובה אלא מן הזיבורית

Let us look at the basis of our regulation. It is that more than the man desires to marry the woman desires to be married. Now if you suppose [that the Mishnah refers] to orphans [when it says that the woman collects from the poorest land], then the reason would be that they are orphans. Is this not a refutation of Mar Zutra? — It is.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we therefore interpret the Mishnah to mean that a Kethubah is in all cases collected only from the worst land. ');">⁵</span>

אמר אביי תדע דבע"ח דיניה בבינונית ומיתמי בזיבורית

Mar Zutra the son of R. Nahman said in the name of R. Nahman: If a claim is made from orphans on the strength of a bond [given by their father], even though the best land is mentioned in it, payment can be recovered only from the worst. Abaye said: The proof of this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That such a stipulation is of no avail where orphans are concerned. ');">⁶</span>

א"ל רבא הכי השתא בעל חוב דיניה מדאורייתא בזיבורית כדעולא דאמר עולא דבר תורה בעל חוב בזיבורית שנאמר (דברים כד, יא) בחוץ תעמוד והאיש וגו' מה דרכו של איש להוציא פחות שבכלים ומה טעם אמרו בע"ח בבינונית כדי שלא תנעול דלת בפני לוין וגבי יתמי אוקמוה רבנן אדאורייתא

is that although a creditor has ordinarily the right to collect from medium land, from orphans he can recover only from the worst land. Said Raba to him: Is this really so?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That such a stipulation is of no avail. ');">⁷</span>

אלא הכא כיון דדיניה מדאורייתא בעידית אפילו מיתמי נמי בעידית

According to Scriptural law, a creditor can claim only from the worst land, as laid down by 'Ulla; for 'Ulla said, 'The Torah has enacted that a creditor should collect from the worst land. For it says Thou shalt stand without, and the man<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXIV, 11. ');">⁸</span>

ולרבא והתני אברם חוזאה אין נפרעין מנכסי יתומין אלא מן הזיבורית ואפילו הן ניזקין והא ניזקין דינן מדאורייתא בעידית

etc. What would a man naturally bring out in such a case? His least valuable articles. Why then did they [the Rabbis] say that a creditor should collect from medium property? So as not to place obstacles in the way of borrowers. Where orphans are concerned, however, they left the law as it was laid down in the Torah.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.K. 8a. ');">⁹</span>

הכא במאי עסקינן כגון שהיתה עידית דניזק כזיבורית דמזיק

But here, since according to the Torah he can claim from the best land,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In virtue of the stipulation. ');">¹⁰</span>

ורבי ישמעאל היא דאמר מדאורייתא בדניזק שיימינן ומפני תיקון העולם תקינו רבנן בדמזיק וגבי יתמי אוקמוה רבנן אדאורייתא

[I should say that] from orphans also he can claim from the best land? How can Raba [maintain this], seeing that Abram [of] Hozae<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra p. 413, n. 1. ');">¹¹</span>

איני והתני רבי אליעזר ניותאה אין נפרעין מנכסי יתומים אלא מן הזיבורית ואפילו הן עידית מאי אפילו הן עידית לאו אע"ג דכתיב עידית בשטרא

learnt, 'Claims on orphans can be recovered only from their poorest land, even if these are in [compensation] for damage,' and the law that compensation for damage can be claimed from the best is of the Torah? — We are presuming here<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the teaching of R. Abram of Hozae. ');">¹²</span>

לא מאי עידית שפאי עידית כדרבא

that the best of the claimant was only equal to the worst of the defendant, and are following R. Ishmael who said that the law of the Torah is that we should assess on the property of the claimant, but to prevent abuses the Rabbis ordained that the assessment should be made on the property of the defendant, and where orphans were concerned [the Rabbis] left the law as laid down in the Torah. Still did not R. Eliezer the Nabatean state that 'payment recoverable from the property of orphans can be claimed only from their worst land, even if it is the best'? Now what is meant by the words, 'even if it is the best'? Does it not mean, 'even if the best is stipulated in the bond'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This refutes Mar Zutra's ruling. ');">¹³</span>

דאמר רבא הזיק זיבורית גובה מן העידית שפאי עידית גובה מן הבינונית וגבי יתמי אוקמוה רבנן אדאורייתא:

— No; what is meant by 'the best' here is the strips of the best,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Strips of good land adjoining a river reserved for pasturage and therefore liable to be overflowed, and so of less real value than even the worst land. V. Tosaf. ');">¹⁴</span>

אין נפרעין מנכסי יתומין אלא מן הזיבורית: בעי רב אחדבוי בר אמי יתומים שאמרו קטנים או אפילו גדולים תקנתא היא דעבוד רבנן גבי יתמי לקטנים עבוד רבנן לגדולים לא עבוד רבנן

even as [mentioned also by] Raba. For Raba said: 'If the damage was done to the worst land, the claimant recovers from the best; if to the strips of the best, he recovers from the medium.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This land being so very inferior. ');">¹⁵</span>

או דלמא משום דלא מסיק אדעתא דמלוה דמית לוה ונפלי נכסי קמי יתמי דהוה ליה נועל דלת הלכך אפילו גדולים נמי

Where orphans however were concerned the Rabbis left the law as laid down in the Torah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This last statement is not part of Raba's statement but explains the reason of R. Eleazar the Nabatean. ');">¹⁶</span>

ת"ש דתני אביי קשישא יתומין שאמרו גדולים וא"צ לומר קטנים

PAYMENT FROM ORPHANS CAN BE RECOVERED ONLY FROM THE POOREST LAND. R. Ahadboi b. Ammi asked: Are the orphans spoken of here minors, or are grown-ups also included? [That is to say,] were the Rabbis here taking a measure for [the protection of] orphans,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that their guardians should exert themselves to dispose of their worst land. ');">¹⁷</span>

ודלמא הני מילי לענין שבועה דגדול במילי דאבוה כקטן דמי אבל לענין זבורית לא

in which case they meant it to apply only to minor orphans but not to grown-ups, or was their reason that a lender does not ordinarily take into account the risk of the debtor dying and leaving his property to his orphans, so that there is no question of placing obstacles<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'so that this should bar the door'. ');">¹⁸</span>

והלכתא

in the way of borrowers,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if the lender knows that in case of the borrower dying he will only be able to recover from the worst land, whether the orphans are minors or grown up. ');">¹⁹</span> and [consequently the regulation applies] to grown-ups also? — Come and hear what Abaye the elder stated, viz., that the orphans spoken of here mean grown-ups, and <i>a fortiori</i> the rule applies to minors. But perhaps this statement [was made] in connection with the administering of an oath,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., with the rule that anyone claiming from orphans a debt contracted by their father, even if he produced a bond, had to take an oath. V. Shebu. 41b. ');">²⁰</span> because a grown-up is also like a child in relation to his father's affairs,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he cannot be expected to know whether his father had paid the debt or not. ');">²¹</span> and this is not [the rule for payment out of] lowest-grade land? The law however is