If one makes a condition contrary to what is written in the Torah, his condition is void. [This entire Mishnah is in accordance with R. Meir, who holds that if one makes a condition contrary to what is written in the Torah, even in respect to money matters, his condition is void. This is not the halachah. But, in monetary matters, even if one makes a condition contrary to what is written in the Torah, his condition stands.] And every condition preceded by an act is void. [If he prefaced the intended act to the desired condition, e.g., "This is yours, if you do this and this," (the condition is void). For it is not like the condition of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven, viz. (Numbers 32:29): "If they pass over … then you shall give, etc." where the condition precedes the act.] And whatever (condition) can be fulfilled at the end, if he stipulates it in the beginning, [the condition being prefaced to the act], the condition stands. [But if it is not possible to fulfill the condition, the condition is void and the act stands. For (in positing this impossible condition), he is only hyperbolizing, not really intending the condition, but only desiring to taunt and goad his neighbor with words.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
כל המתנה על מה שכתוב בתורה תנאו בטל – The entire Mishnah is [according to] Rabbi Meir, who holds that a person who makes a stipulation against what is written in the Torah, even in a manner of money, his condition is null/void, and is not the Halakha. But in a manner of money, even after he stipulated against what was written in the Torah, his condition is valid.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
If one makes a stipulation contrary to that which is written in the Torah he stipulation is void. In the previous mishnah we learned that guardians may make stipulations to exempt themselves from varying degrees of liability. However, in this mishnah we learn that stipulations made that are contrary to the Torah are null and void. Apparently there is a contradiction between the two mishnayoth, with mishnah ten allowing stipulations contrary to that which is in the Torah and mishnah eleven disallowing them. One possibility to reconcile the two is that monetary stipulations, such as those mentioned in mishnah ten are valid and non-monetary stipulations are not valid. A non-monetary stipulation would be, for example, if a man married a woman on condition that she would not need a get (a divorce document) to divorce him. This is certainly an invalid stipulation.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
כל תנאי שיש בו מעשה מתחלה – that he advanced the act that he has do to the stipulation that he requests from him, such as “behold this act is yours if you will do a certain thing, and it is not similar to the condition stipulation of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven (Numbers 32:29): “if [every shock-fighter among the Gadites and the Reubenites] crosses…you shall give them [the land of Gilead as a holding],” which is a stipulation prior to an action.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Any stipulation that mentions first the action is void. There are strict rules regarding the way in which stipulations must be stated. This mishnah teaches that the stipulation must be mentioned before the action. For instance if one says: “Behold you are betrothed to me on condition that my father will agree” the woman is married even if the father does not agree. If he wishes the stipulation to be valid he must mention the stipulation first by saying, “If my father agrees then you are betrothed to me”.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
תנאו בטל – the action is valid and even though the person who made the stipulation did not fulfill the stipulation.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Any stipulation that can in the end be fulfilled and was laid down as a condition from the beginning, such a condition is valid. Finally we learn that for a stipulation to be valid it must be possible to fulfill it. For instance if one said, “If you fly to the sky then you are betrothed to me” the stipulation is invalid and she is betrothed immediately.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
וכל שאפשר לו לקיימו בסופו – and the stipulation was prior to the action.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Questions for Further Thought: Mishnah eleven, section three: Why do you think that for a stipulation to be valid it must be possible for one to perform it? Why would someone state an impossible stipulation?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
תנאו קיים – but it is impossible for him to fulfill it, the stipulation is null/void and the action is fulfilled, for it is not other than an evasive reply, for it is not in his heart to make a stipulation other than to merely annoy him, distancing and putting off his fellow with words.
