If one lends his neighbor on a bill (of debt), he (the creditor) collects from bound property. [Even if property commitment is not included therein, he collects from bound property; for we rule that (omission of) commitment is an error of the scribe, and it is as if it were included.] (If one lends his neighbor) through witnesses, he collects from free property. If he issues a writ of indebtedness [without other witnesses], he collects from free property [and not from bound property. For since witnesses are lacking, there is no "report" (of the debt), and (prospective) buyers (of the property) have no knowledge of it to guard themselves (from buying the property)]. If a guarantor comes forth after the signing of the bill [i.e., if after the witnesses have signed the bill, he writes: "I, so and so, son of so and so, am a guarantor"], he (the creditor) collects from the [guarantor] from the free property [alone. For since the witnesses are not signed on the guarantee, it is like a verbal loan]. Once, such a case came before R. Yishmael, and he said: He collects from the free property. Ben Naness said to him: He collects neither from the bound property nor from the free property. R. Yishmael: Why? Ben Naness: If one man were choking another in the marketplace and someone came along and said: "Let him go" (and I will pay you), he is exempt (from payment) — for he (the creditor in our instance) did not lend him on his trust (in the guarantor). But who is a guarantor who is liable? If one says: "Lend him, and I will pay you," he is liable. R. Yishmael said: If one would grow wise, let him occupy himself with monetary law, for there is no department of Torah transcending that. It is like a bubbling fount. And one who would occupy himself with monetary law, let him pay attendance upon Shimon ben Naness [("Ben Naness said to him, etc.":) Ben Naness holds that every guarantor (who comes forward) after the money has been given is not a guarantor, for he (the creditor) did not lend him on (the basis of) his trust in the guarantor. And even though R. Yishmael praised Ben Naness, the halachah is in accordance with R. Yishmael. And a guarantor after the money has been given requires a kinyan (an act effecting acquisition), lacking which he does not commit himself. And before the giving of the money, he does not require a kinyan.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
המלוה את חבירו בשטר – even though it is not written [in the loan document] property which is pledged from which debts may eventually be collected (i.e., landed property), collects from mortgaged property for we hold that surety (i.e., mortgaged property) is a scribal error, if it had not been written in the [loan] document. It is considered as if it was written.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah eight, the final mishnah of Bava Batra, deals with a creditor’s ability to recover his debt if the debtor is not able to pay back the loan himself.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
הוציא עליו כתב ידו שהוא חייב לו – and there is no other testimony there.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man lent his fellow money by using a document, he may recover the debt from mortgaged property. But if he had lent only before witnesses (and not through a, he may recover the debt only from unmortgaged property. If a man used a document to lend money he may recover the debt even from mortgaged property. This means that if after the time of the loan the debtor sold some of his property and then was not able to repay the loan the creditor can collect from that sold property. If, however, the loan was only done orally, with witnesses to testify, then he may only recover from unmortgaged property, namely property still in the hands of the debtor.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
גובה מנכסים בני חורין – and not mortgaged [property], for since he has no witnesses, it has no voice, and they did not know about him that he had property in order that he had to be careful about.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If the [creditor] brought forth [a loan document] upon which appeared his (the debtor’ signature as evidence that he was indebted to him, the creditor may recover the debt only from unmortgaged property. If the creditor had a debt document written or signed by the debtor himself, but not signed by witnesses, he may collect from unmortgaged property but not from mortgaged property.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אחר חיתום שטרות – after the witnesses signed the document, [the guarantor wrote]: “I so-and-so the son of so-and-so is the guarantor.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man signed as a guarantor after the signatures of witnesses, the creditor may recover the debt only from [the guarantor’s] unmortgaged property. Such a case came before Rabbi Yishmael and he said, “He may recover only from unmortgaged property”. Ben Nanos said to him: “He may recover the debt neither from mortgaged nor unmortgaged property.” He said to him: “Why?” He answered, “If a man seized a debtor by the throat in the street and his fellow found him and said ‘Leave him alone (and I will pay’, he is not liable, since not through trust in him did the creditor lend the debtor money.” Rather which type of guarantor is liable? [If a man said], “Lend him money and I will pay thee”, he is liable, for he lent him the money through his trust in the guarantor. According to Rabbi Yishmael if the witnesses signed on a document and the guarantor signed afterwards the creditor may collect only from the guarantor’s unmortgaged property but not from his mortgaged property. Ben Nanos disagrees with Rabbi Yishmael and states that in such a case the creditor cannot collect from any of the guarantor’s property. The reason is that the creditor loaned the money not based on his trust of the guarantor. Ben Nanos makes an analogy to a creditor who attacks a debtor and a third party promises to pay back the debt. In such a case the creditor does not actually believe that the guarantor will pay back the debt and therefore the guarantor is not obligated to repay the loan. According to Ben Nanos only if the guarantor guarantees the loan before it is executed and the creditor makes the loan from the outset knowing who the guarantor is can the creditor collect from the guarantor.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
גובה מן הערב – from free standing properties alone for since witnesses did not inscribe on the surety/guarantor, it is like a loan by mouth.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
And Rabbi Yishmael said, “He who wants to be wise let him occupy himself with cases dealing with monetary matters, for there is no greater branch of Torah than this; for they are like a welling fountain; and he who wishes to occupy himself with laws concerning monetary matters, let him serve [as a pupil] of Shimon ben Nanos. Rabbi Yishmael finishes tractate Bava Batra, which is indeed the last part of a much longer tractate called Nezikin that has been broken into three parts, Bava Kamma, Bava Metzia and Bava Batra, with a message as to the importance of these laws. A person who wishes to sharpen his intelligence, should study monetary laws, for the logic and methods of reasoning that stand behind these laws is the greatest in all of Torah study. And in a final note of concession to Ben Nanos, with whom Rabbi Yishmael has just disagreed, Rabbi Yishmael says that the greatest teacher of the laws concerning money is Shimon ben Nanos himself. Rabbi Yishmael teaches us two important lessons: 1) Learning Torah does not only teach us how to live our lives, but through its study we can become more intelligent people. 2) He teaches us the humility to have the utmost respect even for those with whom we might disagree.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אמר ליה בן ננס וכו' – for he holds that every guarantor after the giving of the money is not a guarantor for it wasn’t on the faithfulness of the guarantor and the trust in him that the creditor made the loan to him (i.e., the borrower), and even though Rabbi Yishmael extolled Ben Nanos, the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yishmael for the guarantor after the giving of the money requires an acquisition, and if not, it is not mortgaged, for before the giving of the money, there is no need for an acquisition.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Section one: Why do you think that a creditor has greater to power to collect when the loan is executed through a document?Congratulations! We have finished Bava Batra.It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us to finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives.For those of you who have learned with us the entire tractate, a hearty Yasher Koach (congratulations). You have accomplished a great deal and you should be proud of yourselves. Indeed we have now finished together three tractates of Mishnah. Of course, we have much more to learn. We will begin Sanhedrin tomorrow!
