לעולם הוא בן חורין‎—He is always a free-man O VERVIEW The גמרא quotes the משנה of הכותב כל נכסיו וכו' to prove that ר"ש maintains פלגינן דיבורא; we may divide a statement. A statement is valid (if we maintain פלגינן דיבורא) even if the statement cannot be fulfilled in its entirety. We will validate the part of the statement that is applicable, regardless that we reject the full meaning of the statement. The quote from ר"ש concerns the case where the master confers all his possessions to his עבד, but he retains something for himself. The עבד, according to ר"ש, will go free. There is a dispute between רש"י and תוספות how we derive from this statement of ר"ש that he maintains פלגינן דיבורא‎. Superficially there is no need for פלגינן דיבורא to explain the sעבד' freedom. The עבד acquires all the possessions of the master, besides the exclusion, and acquires himself as well, as one of the possessions. We are seemingly not dividing the master’s statement at all. ---------------- תוספות quotes sרש"י' interpretation: פירש הקונטרס מדקאמר רבי שמעון לעולם משמע דלא שנא היכא דקנה שאר נכסים- רש"י explained since ר"ש said: the עבד goes free ‘always’, it means that there is no difference whether the עבד acquired the rest of the possessions (this would be in a case where) – כגון שפירש השיור‎ – For instance the owner specified the exclusion; then the עבד would receive all the possessions, except what was excluded, and goes free – ולא שנא היכא דלא קנה כגון שלא הזכיר קרקע ששייר‎ – And there is no difference whether he does not acquire the rest of the master’s possessions, for instance where the master did not mention specifically the land he excluded – דכתב ליה חוץ מבית כור קרקע דהשתא לא קנה שום קרקע‎ – That the master wrote in the שטר to the עבד, all my possessions belong to you besides one בית כור of land, that now, in this case, the עבד does not acquire any land at all – דכבל חד וחד איכא למימר דהיינו הוא ששיר‎ – For on each בית כור that the master possesses we can say that this is the בית כור that he retained for himself – ואפילו הכי הוא בן חורין אלמא פלגינן דיבורא‎ – And nevertheless the עבד is a free man; regardless of the fact that he receives no possessions, this proves that we ‘divide the statement’ דהא כל נכסיו קאמר ליה ולא קנה אלא את עצמו‎ – For the owner said to the עבד ‘ all my possessions are granted to you, except for a בית כור’ and he only acquires himself to be free; but does not acquire any possessions; even those in excess of the בית כור that the master retained for himself. If we were to maintain לא פלגינן דיבורא then only if the עבד would acquire the נכסים (in excess of a בית כור) can he go free. If he does not acquire the נכסי האדון, then the statement כל נכסי קנויין לך cannot free the עבד, since the statement is not being adhered to completely. The עבד is not receiving כל נכסי חוץ מבית כור‎. However if we do maintain פלגינן דיבורא then at least part of כל נכסי is acquired by the עבד; namely himself. This concludes sרש"י' interpretation. תוספות takes issue with sרש"י' assumption that if the master is משייר a בית כור without specifying which בית כור, then the עבד will receive no קרקע at all, since on every בית כור we can say that the אדון meant to retain this בית כור for himself. תוספות will argue that this is not so. וקשיא אף על גב דלא הזכיר שם קרקע מכל מקום קנה כל קרקע דאית ליה‎ – And it is difficult to accept what רש"י is saying, for even though the owner did not mention the name of the land that he is retaining for himself, the rule is that nevertheless the עבד acquires all the land that the owner possesses besides a בית כור‎ – אלא שיד העבד על התחתונה ויקח האדון לעצמו בית כור מעידית שבנכסים‎ – However the עבד is in the weaker position relative to the owner, and the master may take for himself a בית כור from the best fields of his properties. The עבד cannot claim, prove that you meant to retain this best field for yourself, perhaps you only meant to retain for yourself an inferior field. The עבד cannot claim this. The אדון is the original owner of all the fields; we cannot remove him from any field unless we have adequate proof. On the other hand the אדון is entitled to only one בית כור; any בית כור he chooses. The rest of his נכסים go to the עבד‎. תוספות proves his point that the אדון may retain only one בית כור; whichever he desires: כדתנן בפרק בית כור (בבא בתרא דף קז, ב) חצי שדה אני מוכר לך יניח לו חצי שדהו‎ – as we learnt in a משנה in פרק בית כור; if an owner of a field says to a prospective buyer, ‘ I will sell to you half of the field’; the owner must leave to the buyer half his field – ומפרש התם דלוקח נוטל כחוש דיד בעל השטר על התחתונה‎ – And the גמרא there explains the משנה to mean that the buyer is only entitled to take the inferior half of the field; while the owner retains the better half. The reason is because the bearer of a שטר is in a weaker position. We see from that גמרא that even though the בעל השטר is ידו על התחתונה, nevertheless he does receive half the field, albeit the inferior half. The owner cannot claim that since I did not specify which half, therefore I can renege on the whole deal. On each half that you will want to take I will claim that for myself. The seller cannot do this. Here too, even though the אדון did not specify which בית כור he is retaining, that entitles him only to retain whichever בית כור he desires. The rest of his properties, however, belong to the עבד‎. According to this refutation of רש"י we seemingly do not have a case where ר' שמעון maintains פלגינן דיבורא‎. In the case which רש"י mentioned, that the אדון said חוץ מבית כור, the עבד does receive all the נכסים minus that בית כור; which is what the אדון said. פלגינן דיבורא is not relevant to this situation. תוספות will now present to us a different case in which the עבד receives no נכסים in spite of the fact that the אדון said כל נכסי קנויין לך‎. This will be the case of פלגינן דיבורא‎. ואומר רבינו יצחק דלעולם דרבי שמעון בא להוסיף אפילו‎ – And the ר"י says that when ר"ש said 'לעולם' – ‘Always’, he comes to include even such a situation where – אין לו אלא אותה העיר או אותה שדה‎ – He does not own anything besides this city, that he is retaining for himself or that field that he is retaining for himself – כדקתני סיפא בתוספתא דבבא בתרא ובפרק קמא דפיאה – As it says in the סיפא in the תוספתא of ב"ב and in the first פרק of the תוספתא of פיאה‎ – רבי שמעון אומר לעולם הוא בן חורין‎ – ר"ש says he is always a free-man – עד שיאמר כל נכסי נתונים לפלוני עבדי חוץ מאחד מריבוא שבהן‎ – Unless the אדון says ‘all my possessions are given to so and so, my slave besides one ten thousandth of them’. In this latter case he does not go free for we assume that this phrase 'אחד מריבוא שבהן' refers to the עבד‎. The תוספתא continues, if the אדון אמר חוץ מעיר פלוני חוץ משדה פלוני אפילו אין שם אלא אותה העיר או אותה שדה – said ‘ all my possessions are given to so and so, my slave, besides that city or besides that field’; which the owner is retaining for himself even if all that the אדון possesses is that city or that field, the דין is – זכה עבד בנכסים וקנה עצמו בן חורין ואין מתקיים דבור כל נכסי אלא בעבד לבדו‎ – The עבד acquires the possessions of the אדון, namely that he acquires himself as a free-man, and the statement of 'כל נכסי' (all my possessions are given to my servant) is not fulfilled only concerning the עבד himself, since he does not acquire anything else at all besides himself; he receives no possessions since the owner retained all the possessions (the city or the field) for himself. והוה אמינא כשאמר חוץ מבטל דבורו מה שאמר כל נכסי‎ – And I might have said, that when the אדון said ‘besides this city, field, etc.’ he is nullifying he statement that he previously said ‘all my possessions are given to you’. The initial statement 'כל נכסי' implies that he is giving the עבד something, besides himself. When he subsequently says ‘besides all my possessions’, he is seemingly nullifying his previous statement, and he is not granting the עבד anything, not even his freedom – קא משמע לן דאפילו הכי יצא לחירות דפלגינן דיבורא: ר"ש comes to teach us that nevertheless the עבד goes out free for we divide the statement of the אדון‎. He may not be giving him any property, but he is granting the עבד his own freedom. He will receive part of the כל נכסי‎. S UMMARY There is a dispute between רש"י and תוספות in the case where the אדון wrote כל נכסי קנויין לך חוץ מבית כור‎. According to רש"י the עבד cannot acquire any קרקע at all. תספות maintains that the עבד acquires all the קרקע except for the בית כור the owner chooses to retain. רש"י can prove that ר"ש maintains פלגינן דיבורא from this case, that even though the עבד receives no נכסים, nevertheless יוצא לחירות‎. According to תוספות we prove that ר"ש maintains פלגינן דיבורא from the case where the property that the אדון retained was all the property he owned. This will leave the עבד without any property at all and nevertheless he is יוצא לחירות‎. T HINKING IT OVER 1. Can we find an advantage in the manner רש"י formulates the need for פלגינן דיבורא; the case of כל נכסי קנויין לך חוץ מבית כור, as opposed to how תוספות presents it (כל נכסי קנויין לך חוץ מאותו עיר ואין לו אלא אותו עיר)? 2. When תוספות says והו"א כו' מבטל דיבורו is this הו"א related to פלגינן דיבורא or is it a general הו"א that he is reneging on his offer, irrelevant to the issue of פלגינן דיבורא‎?
הלכה כרבי מאיר‎—The ruling is according רבי מאיר O VERVIEW רבא is of the opinion that if an אדון writes a שטר to his עבד stating כל נכסי קנויין לך the דין is עצמו קנה ונכסים לא קנה; for we say פלגינן דיבורא‎. Then רב אדא בר מתנא asked רבא, we know the הלכה is like ר"מ who argues against ר"ש and maintains לא פלגינן דיבורא‎. The dispute between ר"מ and ר"ש is concerning an אדון who wrote a שטר to the עבד which stated כל נכסי קנויין לך, however the אדון retained (some of) the נכסים for himself. ר"מ maintains that לא יצא לחירות and ר"ש maintains that יצא לחירות‎. There may be two types of explanations what the dispute between ר"מ and ר"ש consists of; either whether we assume מדשייר בנכסים שייר נמי בעבד (or not); or whether we say פלגינן דיבורא (or not); depending on the type of שיור‎. If the owner does not retain all the נכסים then the dispute is whether we say מדשייר בנכסים וכו', if however the owner retains all the property then the dispute may be whether we say פלגינן דיבורא‎. --------------- תוספות explains what is the relevance of הלכה כר"מ to our discussion of פלגינן דיבורא‎. ולרבי מאיר סלקא דעתין דסבר דלא פלגינן דיבורא‎ – For we initially thought that ר"מ maintained that ‘we do not divide a statement’ – תוספות will now explain where do we find ר"מ addressing the issue of פלגינן דיבורא: דמדקאמר רבי שמעון לעולם משמע אפילו באותו ענין דלדידך לא יצא לחירות‎ – For since ר"ש said in his dispute with ר"מ that the slave goes free ‘ always’, this means that even in such a situation that according to you ר"מ, the slave does not go free – דלא פלגינן דיבורא כשאין לו אלא אותה העיר אפילו הכי יצא לחירות‎ – For you, ר"מ, maintain that we do not ‘divide a statement’; in a case where the אדון only owns that city which the אדון is retaining for himself, nevertheless, ר"ש maintains that the עבד goes out free. The 'לעולם' of ר"ש refers back to ר"מ with whom ר"ש is arguing. If ר"ש teaches us that even in the aforementioned case he is יוצא לחירות it is inferable that according to ר"מ he is not יוצא לחירות‎. We are now assuming that the reason why according to ר"מ he is not יוצא לחירות is because ר"מ maintains לא פלגינן דיבורא‎. This in turn would pose a difficulty for רבא who maintains פלגינן דיבורא, which would seem to be in opposition to the opinion of ר"מ. ומסיק דטעמא דרבי מאיר לאו משום דלא פלגינן דיבורא אלא משום דלאו כרות גיטא הוא- And the גמרא concludes in defense of רבא that the reason ר"מ maintains that the עבד does not go free in the abovementioned case is not because ר"מ maintains לא פלגינן דיבורא, which in turn would present a difficulty for רבא, rather the reason why the עבד is not יוצא לחירות is because it is not considered a document of severance פירוש דאין זה כריתות כיון שיש שיור בדיבור שהוא משתחרר בו‎ – The meaning of the term לאו כרות גיטא הוא is that this type of a שטר שחרור is not a severance between the אדון and the עבד, since there is a withholding in the statement by which he is to receive his freedom – דאמר כל נכסי ואינו מתקיים כולו‎ – For the master said ‘all my properties are to be yours’, and those words are not entirely fulfilled ; it is with these words of 'כל נכסי' that the עבד obtains his freedom. There is no other mention of freeing the עבד, except the words of 'כל נכסי'. The עבד is not receiving (any) נכסים‎. The words of שחרור must be without any reservations. Here however the words by which the עבד is being משוחרר, namely: 'כל נכסי' are not being fulfilled; the owner is not divesting himself of כל נכסי‎. אבל בעבד שהביא גטו וכתוב בו כל נכסי קנויין לך פלגינן דיבורא שפיר דכרות גיטא הוא‎ – However in the case where the עבד brought his גט and therein is written ‘all my properties are given to you’; the case that רבא is discussing, then we rightfully ‘divide his statement’, for that is a severance document; the עבד goes free and the נכסים require קיום חותמיו for the עבד to acquire them. The אדון in his statement of שחרור does not withhold anything. He is not retaining anything for himself. The fact that the עבד is not קונה the נכסים without עדי קיום, is no reflection on the gift of the master; it is merely a דין in קיום שטרות‎. So רבא, who maintains פלגינן דיבורא can therefore agree with ר"מ that in a case where the אדון said כל נכסי קנויין לך חוץ מעיר פלוני ואין לו אלא אותה העיר, he is not יוצא לחירות, since it is not a כרות גיטא‎. Similarly ר"מ who maintains לא יוצא לחירות in the previous case may agree with רבא that פלגינן דיבורא, and in the case of רבא, even ר"מ will concur that עצמו קנה נכסים לא קנה‎. תוספות will now present sרש"י' interpretation and refute it: ורש"י פירש דלאו כרות גיטא הוא משום דאיכא למימר מדשייר בנכסים שייר נמי בעבד‎ – And רש"י explains that the reason it is not a 'כרות גיטא' is because we can say that since he withheld some of the נכסים he also withheld the עבד‎. ולפי זה באין לו אלא אותה העיר דלא שייך למימר מדנחית לשיורא שייר נמי עבד‎ – And according to sרש"י' reasoning that what prevents the עבד from attaining freedom is the concept of מדשייר בנכסים שייר נמי בעבד; then in a case where the אדון only possesses that city which he retained; thereby not leaving for the עבד any נכסים; in such a case where it is not applicable to say since the אדון is involved in retaining נכסים he is also retaining the עבד (The logic of מדשייר נכסים שייר נמי עבד only applies when the אדון is offering his properties to the עבד and simultaneously retaining some of the properties for himself. In such a case we say he is also retaining (part of) the עבד and does not intend to free him. If however the owner initially offers the עבד his properties and then reneges on his entire offering, in such a case the logic of מדשייר בנכסים שייר נמי גבי עבד does not apply. The אדון is giving the עבד nothing; neither his freedom nor his properties. There is no reason for the אדון to give such a שטר if he is also being משייר the עבד‎. We must therefore conclude that he is not משייר the עבד‎.); Then in that case – מודה רבי מאיר דיצא לחירות דפלגינן דיבורא‎ – ר"מ would agree that the עבד goes free, for ר"מ agrees with סברת רבא that פלגינן דיבורא; there is no חסרון of כרות גיטא (according to רש"י), since we cannot say מדשייר בנכסים וכו'. Therefore he is יוצא לחירות‎. תוספות has a difficulty with sרש"י' interpretation and subsequent consequences that in a case where אין לו אלא אותה העיר, then ר"מ would agree that יצא לחירות: ואין משמע כן בתוספתא כדפירשתי‎ – However it does not seem so in the תוספתא, as I explained. In the previous תוספות (ד"ה לעולם), תוספות quoted the תוספתא in which ר"ש maintained that even in the case of אין לו אלא אותו שדה, nevertheless he is יוצא לחירות‎. The simple reading of the תוספתא would indicate that ר"מ certainly argues with ר"ש in this situation and would maintain that לא יצא לחירות‎. This contradicts תוספות understanding of רש"י that in the case of אין לא אלא אותו שדה, where the concept of מדשייר וכו' is not applicable then ר"מ would agree with ר"ש that יצא לחירות‎. תוספות presents another difficulty with his understanding of רש"י ולשון אפילו אינו מיושב‎ – And the expression ‘even’ is not appropriate. The תוספתא quotes ר"ש as saying – דאפילו אין לא אלא אותה העיר משמע דכל שכן יש לו שאר נכסים דיצא לחירות‎ – ‘ Even if he only owns this field, nevertheless he goes free’. This expression indicates that certainly when the אדון has other properties besides the one he is retaining, then for sure that the עבד goes free. That is the basic meaning of אפילו; even in this case and certainly in other cases. However according to our understanding of רש"י – אדרבה רבי מאיר לא פליג אלא ביש לו שאר נכסים: The contrary is true, that ר"מ does not argue with ר"ש unless when the אדון owns other properties. This is the exact opposite of the logic inferred from the תוספתא‎. According to the תוספתא there is more reason to say יוצא לחירות when there are other נכסים‎. According to תוספות understanding of רש"י there is more reason to say יוצא לחירות when there is no other property. S UMMARY Initially the גמרא maintained that the reason ר"מ argues with ר"ש concerning the case where אין לו אלא אותה שדה, is because ר"מ is of the opinion that לא פלגינן דיבורא‎. That is why he is לא יצא לחירות‎. The conclusion of the גמרא is that ר"מ may maintain that פלגינן דיבורא and nevertheless argue with ר"ש in the abovementioned case; for he maintains that it is not a כרות גיטא‎. There is a dispute between רש"י and תוספות as to the meaning of לאו כרות גיטא‎. תוספות maintains that since the אדון is reneging on his original offer of כל נכסי, by retaining the נכסים for himself, there is a retention in the statement that purportedly would free the עבד; namely כל נכסי‎. That retention invalidates the שטר שחרור‎. רש"י maintains that the reason it is not a כרות גיטא is because since he is משייר בנכסים he is also משייר בעבד‎. תוספות understands רש"י to mean that if the סברא of מדשייר would not be applicable – as in the case of אין לו אלא אותה העיר‎ – then ר"מ would agree that יצא לחירות‎. תוספות finds this difficult to reconcile with the תוספותא, where the opposite seems to be true; that when it is אין לו אלא אותה העיר, there is less reason to say יצא לחירות‎. T HINKING IT OVER 1. תוספות maintains that according to רש"י when אין לו אלא אותו שדה, there is no סברא of מדשייר וכו', since the אדון retains all the נכסים for himself. However רש"י states clearly that when the אדון said חוץ מבית כור סתם then ר"מ and ר"ש would still argue; ר"מ maintaining that לא יצא לחירות‎. In this instance the אדון also retains all the נכסים for himself and yet ר"מ maintains that לא יצא לחירות, seemingly because מדנחית לשיורא וכו'. 2. What is the difference between the two questions תוספות asks on רש"י from the תוספתא‎?
שפתים ישק משיב דברים נכוחים —It is appropriate that all lips kiss one who responds with convincing words O VERVIEW The גמרא states that (even though) ר' יוסי praised ר"ש (the הלכה nevertheless is like ר"מ). The גמרא goes on to quote the praise that ר"י offered for ר"ש. It is not clear however, how did ר' יוסי indicate that he was referring specifically to ר"ש as opposed to ר"מ. -------------- כשאדם אומר דברים נכוחים אותם שסביבותיו‎ – When a person speaks convincing words those who surround him ; that are in his presence – משיקין שפתותיהם זו לזו ואין יודעין מה להשיב‎ – They clamp (kiss) their lips closed one to another and they do not know what to respond. S UMMARY The praise that ר"י offered for ר"ש was that whomever heard him was not able to respond (or refute) [to] him. T HINKING IT OVER Why do neither רש"י nor תוספות translate the פסוק in the more literal manner?
ואינו חוזר בעבד‎—And he cannot retract concerning the slave O VERVIEW The גמרא quotes רב נחמן that if a שכיב מרע granted all his נכסים to his עבד, and then recuperated, he may retract his gift of נכסים‎. He may not however retract the gift of freedom granted to his עבד, since יצא עליו שם בן חורין‎. People already assume that the עבד is a free-man. תוספות will be discussing the efficacy of a שטר שחרור written by a שכיב מרע, in connection with the assumption that יצא עליו שם בן חורין‎. ---------------- תוספות asks: ואם תאמר ואמאי יצא בן חורין[ומותר בבת חורין] הא מתנת שכיב מרע הוא‎ – You may ask; why does he go out as a free-man [and is permitted to marry a free-woman] this is a gift of a death-bed ridden person – ולא קנה אלא לאחר מיתה ואין גט לאחר מיתה‎ – And one does not acquire possession of the gift of a שכיב מרע until after his death, and there can be no גט after death. תוספות answers: ויש לומר בדכתב לו מהיום‎ – One may answer that the שכיב מרע wrote in the שטר שחרור that it is effective retroactively ‘from today’ onward. [After the שכיב מרע dies the עבד will retroactively be free from the present date on the שטר‎.] In such a case it is a good שטר‎. The עבד is being freed today. [There is an assumed provision that his freedom today depends on the death of the שכיב מרע‎. Only when the שכיב מרע dies will the עבד retroactively be freed.] Therefore, since the עבד will be ultimately freed by this שטר (if the שכ"מ dies), we consider that it was יצא עליו שם בן חורין; especially since the שכ"מ wrote that the גט is effective מהיום‎. תוספות offers another possibility; that it is not necessary that the שכ"מ write 'מהיום' explicitly: אי נמי אפילו סתמא דכיון דדעת שכיב מרע לשחררו‎ – Or you may also say; that the עבד is freed even if the שכיב מרע wrote the שטר in the standard manner; he did not write מהיום‎. Nevertheless, since it is the intent of the שכ"מ to free the עבד‎ – דעתו שיקנה בשעה שראויה לשחרר דהיינו מחיים‎ – His intent is that the עבד should acquire his freedom at the appropriate time when he can be freed; this means during the life of the שכיב מרע‎. Therefore even though 'מהיום' was not explicitly written in the שטר it is assumed that the intent of the שכ"מ is that the עבד should be freed while the שכ"מ is living. The שטר therefore is a good שטר, by which the עבד will be freed (upon the death of the שכ"מ). Consequently, since it is a good שטר, therefore יצא עליו שם בן חורין, and אינו חוזר בעבד‎. תוספות has a difficulty with the second answer, where we follow the intent of the שכ"מ, rather than what was specifically written in the שטר: ואם תאמר כיון דסתמא דדעת של שכיב מרע לחזור בו אם יעמוד אמאי אינו חוזר בעבד- And if you will say; since presumably the intent of the שכיב מרע is to retract his gift of freedom to the עבד if he (the אדון) recuperates, why indeed cannot the אדון retract and keep the עבד‎. Why do we not follow the intent of the שכ"מ regarding חזרה, just as we follow his intent concerning freeing the עבד‎? Were we to follow his intent, then again לא יצא עליו שם בן חורין, unless and until the שכ"מ dies. תוספות answers: ויש לומר דהכל תקנת חכמים היא גם מה שחזר בנכסים גם מה שאינו חוזר בעבד‎ – And one may say; that all the laws concerning the gift of a שכיב מרע is a תקנת חכמים including the ruling that he may retract the gift of his belongings if he recuperates, and also including that he may not retract concerning the עבד – דמסתמא דעתו כמו שיאמרו לו חכמים‎ – For presumably his intent is to follow whatever the חכמים will tell him. Therefore there is no implicit intent on the part of the שכ"מ to retract the שחרור if he recuperates. Rather his intent is to follow the wishes of the חכמים‎. The חכמים want the עבד to be free, since the שכ"מ wrote a שטר שחרור, it is יצא עליו שם בן חורין‎. תוספות makes a distinction: מיהו אם כתב בהדיא מהיום אם ימות ]מהיום אם לא ימות] – However if the שכיב מרע wrote explicitly in the שטר that this gift is valid from today onwards; if the שכיב מרע will die it should be a גט שחרור [ and if he does not die then as of today it is not a גט שחרור] – אין נראה שיועיל לענין זה יצא עליו שם בן חורין לומר שאינו חוזר בעבד‎ – It does not appear reasonable to assume that in this case the fact that the עבד is being called a free-man should be effective to the extent that we should say that he cannot retract the freeing of the עבד‎ – מאחר שהתנה בפירוש: Since he made an explicit provision that the עבד will be freed provided that the שכיב מרע dies. The שכיב מרע recuperated; therefore the עבד is not freed. S UMMARY There are two ways to explain the דין that if a שכ"מ gives a שטר שחרור to his עבד he will be freed, even though, generally the gift of a שכ"מ becomes effective לאחר מיתה and the rule is אין גט לאחר מיתה‎. A. that the שכ"מ wrote explicitly that the שחרור take effect מחיים‎. B. The שכ"מ need not write 'מחיים' in the שטר שחרור‎. We assume that his intent is that the שחרור be effective מחיים‎. It is also assumed that when the שכ"מ writes a שטר שחרור granting his עבד all his possessions, his intent is that it should be in accordance to the will of the חכמים‎. Therefore if he recuperates he may retract his gift of property, but he may not retract his gift of freedom to the עבד‎. This too is the wish of the חכמים (since יצא עליו שם בן חורין). In a case where the שכ"מ wrote explicitly מהיום אם ימות, it appears that he may be חוזר בעבד, since he explicitly stated that it will effective only if he dies. T HINKING IT OVER 1. How is the עבד קונה the נכסים after the death of the שכ"מ‎? Who is מקנה it to him? How do we distinguish between the שחרור העבד and the קנין נכסים‎? 2. Is the עבד permitted to marry a בת חורין while the שכ"מ is still alive? 3. Why does תוספות say דהכל תקנת חכמים וכו' מה שחוזר כו' מה שלא חוזר וכו'? Seemingly if ע"פ דין he is able to be חוזר, then the תק"ח is only by עבד, that he is not חוזר‎. If ע"פ דין he is not able to be חוזר then the תק"ח is only that by נכסים he is חוזר‎! Appendix The second וא"ת of תוס' asks: since the intent of the שכ"מ is to be חוזר if he recuperates, why indeed can he not retract concerning the עבד‎? The question, as explained previously, is that since we are following his intent, there is no יצא עליו שם ב"ח. It is evident that even after the שכ"מ wrote the שטר שחרור, he does not intend to free him if he recuperates. It is not clear therefore what is תוספות answer that הכל תקנת חכמים וכו'. Why indeed were the חכמים מתקן that he is not חוזר בעבד, since seemingly לא יצא עליו שם ב"ח‎? It would seem perhaps that really in all cases, once a שטר שחרור is written there is to certain degree a שם ב"ח on this עבד‎. However it is not sufficient to deny the שכ"מ the right to be חוזר unless this שטר שחרור will ultimately free the עבד‎. Therefore תוספות question was; we cannot deny the שכ"מ the right not to be חוזר בעבד if he did not explicitly write מחיים‎. The only reason why this שטר will ultimately free the עבד is because of his intent (and therefore you deny him the right to be חוזר); however this same intent declares that he chooses to be חוזר if he recuperates. We cannot use his intent to go against his intent! תוספות answers that once the שטר שחרור was written there is automatically a שם ב"ח on this עבד; especially since the שכ"מ intends to be משחרר him properly – מחיים‎. Therefore there is a certain degree of שם ב"ח on this עבד‎. The חכמים therefore prefer that אינו חוזר בעבד‎. The שכ"מ in turn will follow the dictum of the חכמים not to be חוזר בעבד even if he recuperates.
התם משום דלאו כרות גיטא הוא‎—There it is because it is not a גט of severance. O VERVIEW Our גמרא concludes that the reason ר"נ maintains that the הלכה is according to ר"מ that לא יוצא לחירות, if the אדון was משייר in the גט שחרור, is because it is not a כרות גיטא‎. Our תוספות quotes a גמרא in ב"ב where it seems that ר"נ does not agree with the reasoning of לאו כרות גיטא, and reconciles the difference. ------------------ תוספות asks: ואם תאמר דבפרק מי שמת (בבא בתרא דף קנ, א) [בעי למימר] עבדי כמקרקעי דמי‎ – And if you will say; that in פרק מי שמת [the גמרא wanted to say that] slaves are considered like immovable property [only] – ופריך עליה מהך דשייר קרקע כל שהוא לא יצא בן חורין‎ – And the גמרא (there) challenges this assumption that עבדי כמקרקעי, from this [משנה which states] that if he retained any amount of קרקע the עבד does not go free. The גמרא there continues to expound the question – וקאמר עלה רב דימי עשו מטלטלין שיור אצל עבד‎ – And רב דימי said concerning this משנה; the חכמים instituted that מטלטלין should also be considered a retention concerning the עבד‎. If the אדון stated that he is retaining מטלטלין, the עבד does not go free either; the same as if the אדון retained קרקע‎ – ואמר ליה רבא לרב נחמן מאי טעמא‎ – And רבא asked ר"נ what is the reason that מטלטלין are also considered a שיור for the עבד‎. We seemingly always assume that עבדא כמקרקעי דמי‎. The fact that he retained מטלטלין should have no bearing on the עבד who is considered קרקע‎ – ואמר ליה משום דעבדא כמטלטלי דמי ומטלטלי הוי שיור אצל עבד‎ – And ר"נ answered to רבא: because עבדים are like מטלטלין [also] and מטלטלין is considered a שיור for the עבד‎. This concludes the question of the גמרא‎. We see from ר"נ that עבדי is also כמטלטלי דמי; not as we supposed that it is only כמקרקעי דמי‎. The גמרא there continues, to answer this question – ומשני רב אשי אנן משום דלאו כרות גיטא הוא מתנינן לה‎ – And רב אשי answered this question; we interpret the reason why it is considered a שיור and the עבד is not יוצא לחירות, it is because it is not a כרות גיטא‎. Really עבדי כמקרקעי דמי, and as an explanation of רב דימי who said עשו מטלטלין שיור אצל עבד, it is not (as ר"נ answered) on account of עבדי כמטלטלי דמי that it is considered a שיור, but rather since there was a שיור in this שטר‎. This concludes the גמרא‎. תספות now presents his question: משמע דרב נחמן דפירש טעמא משום דעבדא כמטלטלי דמי‎ – It seems that ר"נ who explained the reason, why the עבד is לא יצא לחירות is because an עבד is like מטלטלין‎ – לית ליה טעמא דלאו כרות גיטא הוא‎ – He does agree with the reason of לאו כרות גיטא‎. In our גמרא however we say that the reason ר"נ says הלכה כר"מ concerning שיור בעבד is on account of לאו כרות גיטא and from the גמרא quoted in ב"ב it seems that the reason is because עבדא כמטלטלי דמי and not because of כרות גיטא‎. תוספות answers: ואומר רבינו תם דהתם הכי פירושו אנן משום דלאו כרות גיטא הוא מתנינן‎ – And the ר"ת says that there in ב"ב the explanation of the גמרא is as follows: when רב אשי said we understand the reason is because it is not a כרות גיטא, he did not mean to dispute ר"נ; but rather רב אשי claimed – שכך השיב רב נחמן לרבא ולא משום דעבדא כמטלטלי הוא‎ – That this is what ר"נ actually responded to רבא; that the עבד does not go free since it is not a כרות גיטא but not because עבדא כמטלטלי הוא‎. רב אשי maintained – שלא השיב כן רב נחמן מעולם‎ – That ר"נ never responded in this manner that עבדא כמטלטלי, but rather דלאו כרות גיטא הוא‎ – והשתא רב אשי דהתם לטעמא דפירש הכא‎ – And now רב אשי there in ב"ב follows the reason which רב אשי explained here- טעמא דרב נחמן הוי משום דלאו כרות גיטא הוא כמו שהוא מפרש שם: That the reason of ר"נ is because it is not a כרות גיטא as רב אשי explains there in ב"ב. In both places רב אשי explains that the reason of ר"נ in the case of שיור is because לאו כרות גיטא הוא‎. S UMMARY When רב אשי said in ב"ב that אנן משום דלאו כרות גיטא מתנינן לה he did not mean to say that he disagrees with רב נחמן who maintains that עבדא כמטלטלי דמי‎. Rather רב אשי claimed that ר"נ never gave this reason of עבדי כמקרקעי דמי‎. The only reason ר"נ gave according to רב אשי was דלאו כרות גיטא היא‎. The same reason that רב אשי gives here to explain ר"נ. T HINKING IT OVER If we were to assume that ר"נ maintains עבדי כמטלטלי דמי, would ר"מ agree that פלגינן דיבורא or not?
והאמר רבי יוחנן דברי הכל כולי‎—But ר"י said that all agree, etc — O VERVIEW The statement of אין ערעור פחות משנים is mentioned a few times in ש"ס. In each occasion it is quoted as 'והאמר ר"י', seemingly indicating that there is an original statement, and this is merely a quote of the original statement. However, we never find an original statement which says 'אמר ר"י'. ----------------- אומר רבינו תם דעיקר מילתא דרבי יוחנן‎ – ר"ת says that the original statement of ר"י that אין ערעור פחות משנים‎ – איתמר בפרק ב' דכתובות (דף כג, ב) גבי פלוגתא דמעלין לכהונה על פי עד אחד‎ – was stated in the second פרק of מסכת כתובות concerning the dispute whether one is elevated to כהונה based on the testimony of one witness. תוספות disregards a possible objection to this presumption: ואף על גב דהתם נמי מייתי לה כלישנא דמייתי לה הכא: And even though that there also in כתובות, he quotes the statement of ר"י in the same manner as he quotes it here; namely the גמרא says in both these places 'והאמר ר"י' – ‘but ר"י said’, indicating that the original statement was said elsewhere?! Nevertheless תוספות insists that the original statement of ר"י that אין ערעור וכו', is concerning the case of מעלין לכהונה ע"פ ע"א. S UMMARY The original statement of ר"י that אין ערעור פחות משנים was said concerning the issue of מעלין לכהונה ע"פ ע"א. Regardless that there also it is quoted as 'והאמר ר"י'. T HINKING IT OVER Why is it necessary to pinpoint the original statement of ר"י‎?
סמוך אהני‎—Rely on these O VERVIEW The גמרא is presently assuming that when the משנה states אם יש עליו עוררים יתקיים בחותמיו, we are discussing a situation where two witnesses claim that it is a forged גט‎. The משנה is therefore saying that in such a case if we find two witnesses that will authenticate the גט, it will be considered a valid גט‎. To which the גמרא asks; why should we rely on the two who authenticate the גט‎? Let us rather rely on the two who invalidate the גט‎. The question תוספות is addressing is, why should we rely on those who invalidate more than those who authenticate. ------------------- תוספות explains that the גמרא means that we should rely on those – שפוסלין החתימה ולוקמה בחזקת אשת איש‎ – who invalidate the signatures, equally with those who authenticate the signatures; and therefore since there are two conflicting sets of עדים, so let us place her in her original status, that she is a married woman. S UMMARY The עדי קיום and עדי ערעור contradict each other, forcing us to place the woman in her original status as an אשת איש‎. T HINKING IT OVER Does the גמרא (and תוספות) mean when it says: 'סמוך אהני', that she is a ודאי א"א or a ספק א"א‎?
אלא ערער דבעל‎—Rather it is the contention of the husband O VERVIEW The גמרא states that קיום הגט is necessary (בא"י) if the בעל is מערער‎. תוספות will offer another possibility where קיום is necessary. ------------------ והוא הדין ערער דלקוחות שבאה אשה לטרוף מהן כדאמרינן בירושלמי: The same law holds if it was the contention of the purchasers (who brought property from this woman’s husband), from whom this woman came to collect the purchased properties from them as the גמרא says this in the תלמוד ירושלמי‎. The woman claims that she has a prior lien on these properties, for they are subordinate to her כתובה‎. The לקוחות argue that she is not entitled to collect the כתובה unless we first validate the גט‎. The law is on the side of the לקוחות‎. She must be מקיים the גט before she can collect from the לקוחות, even if the בעל is not מערער S UMMARY The לקוחות can force the אשה to be מקיים the גט, if she seeks to collect her כתובה from the נכסים they bought from her husband. T HINKING IT OVER 1. What is the greater חידוש: that the בעל can be מערער or that the לקוחות can be מערער‎? 2. What support can be brought from the לשון המשנה, to תוספות contention that ערעור לקוחות also requires קיום‎?
שוו למוליך ולמביא‎—They are the same concerning sending and bringing a גט O VERVIEW The משנה is teaching us that when sending a שטר שחרור ממדה"י for an עבד, the שליח is required to say בפנו"נ; implying that the שליח is believed and no other עדים are required to validate the גט‎. Our תוספות seeks an explanation why is an עד אחד believed in this situation. --------------- תוספות asks: ואם תאמר בשלמא באשה הוי משום עיגונא אבל בעבד מה עיגון יש‎ – And if you will say; granted by a woman, we believe the single שליח that it was נכתב ונחתם בפניו, even though he is only an עד אחד, because of our concern that she not remain an עגונה, however concerning an עבד what possible עיגון can there be if we do not believe the שליח, but rather require two עדים to prove the validity of the שטר שחרור‎? He is not bound by the איסור אשת איש as the woman receiving the גט is. Why therefore should an ע"א be believed?! תוספות anticipates a possible explanation: דאי משום דאסור בבת חורין ובשפחה‎ – for if you will argue there is עיגון here as well. At this stage, when the עבד receives the שטר שחרור, he is forbidden to marry both a free woman and a slave woman; since we lack the עדים to validate the שטר שחרור. The עבד cannot marry a בת חורין for we do not know for sure that it is a valid גט שחרור‎. He cannot marry a שפחה either for it is possible that it is a valid גט שחרור and he is a בן חורין who is אסור בשפחה‎. It is on account of this עיגון, that we should believe the שליח that בפני נו"נ. תוספות refutes this explanation; if this is the concern, there is a simple solution: לא ליתביה האי שליח לעבד גט זה שהביא ממדינת הים ולא יאסר בשפחה – The שליח should not give to the עבד this גט שחרור that he brought from overseas and the עבד will not be forbidden from marrying a שפחה‎. This status should remain until two עדים are found to validate this שטר שחרור then the שליח will deliver it to him, and he will be מותר בבת חורין‎. In this way there will be no עיגון‎. When the שליח brings the שטר שחרור he does not give the שטר to the עבד until the עדים are found. During this time the עבד is מותר בשפחה, since he is still an עבד‎. He did not receive the שטר שחרור yet. Once we have the עדים, the שליח gives him the גט; the עדים validate it and he is מותר בבת חורין‎. There is no עיגון‎. The question remains why do we believe an ע"א, i.e. the שליח, when there is no problem of עיגון‎. תוספות answers: ויש לומר דחשוב עיגון הא דאסור בבת חורין ומה שאינו מתחייב במצות: One may say; that the fact that the עבד is אסור בבת חורין and the fact that he is not obligated to observe the מצות, that is considered an עיגון‎. The term עיגון is not limited to a situation where one cannot marry at all. The term עיגון also applies to situations where one may not marry an appropriate wife (even if he may marry someone less desirous from a תורה perspective). It applies to situations not directly connected to marriage. If one is prevented from doing מצות, that too is considered an עיגון‎. Therefore we cannot say, hold back on the giving of the שטר שחרור until he finds עדים‎. The עבד will nevertheless experience עיגון by not marrying a בת חורין and also by not being able to be מקיים the מצות‎. S UMMARY The שליח who brings a גט שחרור is believed to say בפנו"נ because of the עיגון of the עבד‎. The עבד will not be able to marry a בת חורין (even though he can marry a שפחה) and will not be able to be מקיים מצות unless the גט is validated. This depravation is considered sufficient עיגון to cause the חכמים to enact that we believe the testimony of the שליח‎. T HINKING IT OVER 1. Seemingly, at the point being discussed, namely prior to giving the שטר שחרור to the עבד, the status of the עבד is clear. He is an עבד‎. Why are we concerned about his ability to marry a בת חורין or to be מקיים מצות‎? Are we concerned about עבדים being מקיים מצות or marrying בנות חורין‎?! 2. How can תוספות suggest that the שליח should not give the שטר שחרור to the עבד; since the rule is that once the master gave over the שטר שחרור to the שליח, the עבד becomes free immediately for זכין לאדם שלא בפניו‎?!
ששוו גיטי נשים לשחרורי עבדים‎—In which גיטי נשים are like שחרורי עבדים O VERVIEW When a statement is made that ‘a’ is like ‘b’; the inference is that ‘b’ is a known factor, and ‘a’ is (also) like ‘b’. תוספות will question the sequence in the phrase ששוו גיטי נשים לשחרורי עבדים, which indicates that שחרורי עבדים is primary to גיטי נשים‎. ----------------- תוספות comments: איפכא הוה לי למימר ששוו שחרורי עבדים לגיטי נשים‎ – The משנה should have phrased it in the reverse; ‘in which שחרורי עבדים are like גיטי נשים’ – דעיקר דין מוליך ומביא הוי באשה‎ – For the basic ruling requiring and accepting בפ"נ by מוליך ומביא is concerning a גט for a woman. Why therefore did the משנה phrase it in the reverse, that גט אשה is like שחרור עבד; indicating that the main ruling was by שחרורי עבדים‎? תוספות explains: אלא אגב דעד השתא איירי בגיטין נקטיה ברישא: However, we can say that since till now the תנא of the משנה was discussing the laws of גיטין he mentioned גיטין first. The subject of the discussions up to now, were גיטי נשים, therefore the תנא is informing us that saying בפ"נ is one of the ways in which גיטי נשים (the topic under discussion) is the same as שחרורי עבדים‎. S UMMARY We compare גיטי נשים to שחרורי עבדים, since we were discussing גיטי נשים until now; not because שחרורי עבדים is primary. T HINKING IT OVER Why does תוספות assume that the עיקר דין מוליך ומביא is by a אשה‎?