Sanhedrin 58

לא היו דברים מעולם הוחזק כפרן

A man once hid witnesses against his neighbour behind the curtains of hisbed, and said to him: 'You owe me a maneh'. 'Yes', he replied. 'May all present,whether awake or asleep be witnesses against you? heasked<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Probably the plaintiff knew that the defendant would refuse to admit the debt in the presence of witnesses, but he thought that he might assent if he believed that all were asleep. (Rashi.) ');">⁴</span>

(אמר) רב פפא בריה דרב אחא בר אדא הכי אמרינן משמיה דרבא כל מילי דכדי לא דכירי אינשי

'No', was the reply. R. Kahanah[before whom the trial was brought] observed; Surely he answered,No!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And so refused to admit his debt in the presence of witnesses. Hence he is not liable. ');">⁵</span>

ההוא דאכמין ליה עדים לחבריה בכילתיה אמר ליה מנה לי בידך אמר ליה הן אמר עירי ושכבי ליהוו עלך סהדי א"ל לא אמר רב כהנא הא אמר ליה לא

A man hid witnesses against his neighbour in a grave, and then said to him:'you owe me a <i>maneh</i>. 'Yes' he answered. 'Shall the living and the dead bewitnesses against you?' 'No', he retorted. Said R. Simeon [b. Lakish]: Surelyhe answered, No!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Therefore he acquitted him. ');">⁶</span>

ההוא דאכמין עדים בקיברא לחבריה א"ל מנה לי בידך אמר ליה הן חיי ומיתי ליהוו עלך סהדי אמר ליה לא א"ר שמעון הא א"ל לא

Rabina, or some say R. Papa, said: We may infer from the above, that thedictum of Rab Judah in Rab's name, viz., One must definitely instruct them:'You are my witnesses,' holds good no matter whether the debtor says it,or the creditor says it while the debtor remains silent. Forit<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The ruling in the above-mentioned cases, where the debtor is acquitted. ');">⁷</span>

אמר רבינא ואיתימא רב פפא שמע מינה מהא הא דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב צריך שיאמר אתם עדיי לא שנא כי אמר לוה ולא שנא כי אמר מלוה ושתיק לוה טעמא דאמר לוה לא אבל אי שתיק הכי נמי

is only because the debtor said,'no'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When requested to authorise those present to be witnesses. ');">⁸</span>

ההוא דהוה קרו ליה קב רשו אמר מאן מסיק בי אלא פלוני ופלוני אתו תבעוהו לדינא קמיה דרב נחמן

but had he kept silent, it wouldindeed have been so.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., his admission in liability in the first place would be valid ');">⁹</span>

א"ר נחמן אדם עשוי שלא להשביע את עצמו

A certain man was nicknamed, 'A <i>kab</i>-ful of indebtedness.' [On hearing thename,] he exclaimed: 'To whom do I owe anything but to so and so and so andso?' Thereupon they summoned him before R. Nahman. Said he: A man is wontto disclaim abundance [ofwealth].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Therefore he probably spoke of non-existent debts so as to disclaim wealth. Consequently he is not liable. ');">¹⁰</span>

ההוא דהוו קרו ליה עכברא דשכיב אדינרי כי קא שכיב אמר פלניא ופלניא מסקו בי זוזי בתר דשכיב אתו תבעינהו ליורשין

A certain man was nicknamed, 'The mouse lying on the <i>denarii</i>.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., a miser. [Mice often drag away into their holes glittering object such as coins, rings, etc. V. Lewysohn, Zoologie, p. 106.] ');">¹¹</span>

אתו לקמיה דר' ישמעאל ברבי יוסי אמר להו כי אמרי' אדם עשוי שלא להשביע את עצמו הני מילי מחיים אבל לאחר מיתה לא

Before hedied, he declared: 'I owe money to so and so and to so and so.' After hisdeath they summoned his heirs before R. Ishmael son of R. Jose. Said he tothem:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The heirs. ');">¹²</span>

פרעו פלגא תבעינהו לדינא לאידך פלגא אתו לקמיה דרבי חייא אמר להו כשם שאדם עשוי שלא להשביע את עצמו כך אדם עשוי שלא להשביע את בניו אמרו ליה ניזיל וניהדר אמר להו כבר הורה זקן

The dictum, 'A man is wontto disclaim abundance [of wealth],' holds good only in life, but not indeath.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence the claim against the heirs is established. ');">¹³</span>

הודה בפני שנים וקנו מידו כותבין ואם לאו אין כותבין

They paid half, and weresummoned for the other half, before R. Hiyya. Said he to them: Just as oneis wont to disclaim his own abundance [of wealth], so he is likely to disclaimit for his children.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that his declaration before death might have been fictitious. ');">¹⁴</span>

בפני שלשה ולא קנו מידו רב (אמי) אמר כותבין ורב אסי אמר אין כותבין הוה עובדא וחש לה רב להא דרב אסי

Thereupon they[the plaintiffs] asked: 'Shall we return [the half we have already received]?'R. Hiyya replied: The Zaken<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The elder R. Ishmael, son of R. Jose. v. supra p. 137, n. 1. ');">¹⁵</span>

אמר רב אדא בר אהבה הא אודיתא זימנין כתבינן וזימנין לא כתבינן כניפי ויתבי לא כתבינן כנפינהו איהו כתבינן

hasalready given his ruling.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that I cannot reverse the decision with regard to the amount already paid. ');">¹⁶</span>

רבא אמר אפילו כנפינהו איהו לא כתבינן עד דאמר להו הוו עלי דייני

If a man admitted [a claim] in the presence of two witnesses, and they confirmedthis by <i>Kinyan</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 142, n. 2. ');">¹⁷</span>

מר בר רב אשי אמר אפילו אמר הוו עלי דייני לא כתבינן עד דקבעי דוכתא ושלחי ומזמני ליה לבי דינא

they may indite[a note],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the debt, even if not explicitly instructed by the debtor. ');">¹⁸</span>

הודה במטלטלי וקנו מידו כותבין ואם לאו אין כותבין במקרקעי ולא קנו מידו מאי אמימר אמר אין כותבין מר זוטרא אמר כותבין והלכתא כותבין

if not, they may not doso.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Unless directly requested, for though the debtor expressly appointed them as witnesses, he may prefer an oral debt to a written bond, since the former can be collected only out of property in his possession, but not out of real estate sold subsequent to the incurring of the debt, whereas the latter can be so collected. ');">¹⁹</span>

רבינא איקלע לדמהריא א"ל רב דימי בר רב הונא מדמהריא לרבינא מטלטלי ואיתנהו בעינייהו מאי אמר ליה כמקרקעי דמו רב אשי אמר כיון דמחסרי גוביינא לא

[If he admitted] it in the presenceof three, and they made no <i>Kinyan</i>: Rab [Ammi]<a rel="footnote" href="#56a_20">²⁰</a>

ההיא אודיתא דלא הוה כתוב בה אמר לנא כתבו וחתמו והבו ליה אביי ורבא דאמרי תרוייהו היינו דריש לקיש

said, They may write anote;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since in this case they are given the authority of a Beth din to convert an oral debt into a written one. ');">²¹</span>

דאמר ריש לקיש חזקה אין העדים חותמין על השטר אא"כ נעשה גדול

R. Assi ruled, They may not.There was a case once where Rab took into consideration R. Assi's ruling.

מתקיף לה רב פפי ואיתימא רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע מי איכא מידי דאנן לא ידעינן וספרי דבי דינא ידעי

R. Adda b. Ahabah said: Sometimes a deed ofacknowledgment<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H], Of debt, made before three witnesses and without Kinyan. ');">²²</span>

שאילינהו לספרי דאביי וידעי לספרי דרבא וידעי

may be drawn up;sometimes it may not. If they [the witnesses] merely happened to be assembled[when he made the admission,] it may not be drawn up; but if he [the debtor]called them together, it is to be drawn up. Raba said: Even then it may notbe indited, unless he definitely told them, 'Be you my judges.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he conferred upon them the powers of a court. ');">²³</span>

ההיא אודיתא דהוה כתב ביה דוכרן פיתגמי

Mar sonof R. Ashi said: Even then, it may not be drawn up, unless the [necessary]meeting place is fixed and he [the debtor] is summoned to appear before thecourt.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., this improvised court must observe the usual formalities of a court, sitting in a place previously determined, and summoning the debtor. ');">²⁴</span> If a man admitted a claim of movable property, and they [the witnesses] secureda formal title from him, they may record it; but not otherwise. But whatif it concerned real estate, and they secured no formal title? — Amemarsaid: They may not record it. Mar Zutra said: They may. The law is that adeed is to be drawn up.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of immovable property, as soon as the admission is made, the debt is considered as collected; consequently there is no reason why the debtor should prefer an oral debt to a written one; which latter, however, might well be preferred in the case of movable property. ');">²⁵</span> Rabina once happened to be atDamharia,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [A town in the neighbourhood of Sura, v. Obermeyer, op. cit. p. 298.] ');">²⁶</span> and R. Dimi son of R.Huna of that town asked him: What of movable property which is still intact[i.e., in the possession of the debtor]? — He answered: It ranks as realestate.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The law of which is stated above. ');">²⁷</span> R. Ashi, however, ruled:Since it still needs collection, it is not so. A certain deed of [debt] acknowledgment did not contain the phrase: 'He saidunto us, Write it, attest it and give it to him [the creditor].'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The question is whether the omission is proof that the contract was written without the debtor's request or not. ');">²⁸</span> Abayeand Raba both said: This case comes under the ruling of Resh Lakish, whosaid: We may take it for granted that witnesses will not sign a documentunless he [the vendor] has attained hismajority.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the age of twenty, v. B.B. 156a; the sale of a legacy before that is invalid, and it is taken for granted that witnesses are aware of this law. So also in this case, where the admission was made before two witnesses, and without Kinyan, the latter would know that they could not write a deed without the debtor's instructions; hence they must have been so instructed. ');">²⁹</span> R. Papi — others say,R. Huna the son of R. Joshua — objected: Can there be anything which we[the judges] do not know, and yet the clerks of the courtknow?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This law, that two witnesses must not record the admission without explicit instructions, is not even known to all judges. How then can it be assumed that they must have known it? ');">³⁰</span> But in fact when the clerksof Abaye's court were questioned, they were found to know this law, and similarlythe clerks of Raba's court.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was therefore shewn that this rule was known to clerks of the court, charged with the drafting of legal documents, and before whom they were generally attested. ');">³¹</span> A certain deed of acknowledgment contained the phrase; 'A memorial of judicialproceedings,'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'A memorial of the words of so and so,' instead of, 'A memorial of testimony by witnesses.' ');">³²</span>