If one enters a city and doesn't know any person there, he says, "Who here is trustworthy? Who here tithes?" If a person replies "I am," he is not trusted. If he said, "so-and-so person is trustworthy," he is trusted. If he goes to buy from him and says to him, "Who here sells <i>Yashan</i> [grain from the previous year that one is permitted to eat]?" If he replies, "The person that sent you to me", even though it is as if they are rendering services to each other, they are trusted.
Bartenura on Mishnah Demai
איש פלוני נאמן ה"ז נאמן – even though that he was not worthy to be believed since he himself is suspect, there is a leniency that they made with an lodger/guest because of providing for his life. And especially when he doesn’t know a person there, but if he knows a person there, he should not take from anyone other than a specialist.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Demai
Introduction
This mishnah deals with a scenario where two people offer compliments as to each other’s produce. The question is: do we fear that they are colluding and therefore not trust them?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Demai
מי כאן מוכר ישן – for he fears lest they will feed him “new” grain (see Leviticus 23:14 and Tractate Menahot, Chapter 10, Mishnah 5) prior to the Omer being offered up as a sacrifice, and most of those not observing certain religious customs regarding tithes are not suspected on that which is “new” and if is like doubtfully tithed produce for most of those who are not observing certain religious customs regarding tithes do tithe, therefore, they were not so stringent upon themselves that we would say that they are rendering a service to each other [by mutual recommendations]- you testify about me and I will testify about you.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Demai
One enters a city and doesn’t know anyone. He says: “Who here is trustworthy? Who gives tithes here?” One person one responds: “I am.” He may not be trusted. This person is not trusted because a person cannot testify about themselves that they tithe. Only others may testify concerning them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Demai
[But if] he replied: “So-and-so is trustworthy,” he may be trusted. Although the person is not believed to say that he himself tithes, he is believed to say that someone else tithes. This is, after all, the general way that a person would find out if someone tithes he would ask around about him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Demai
He went to buy from so-and-so, and he asked him: “Who here sells aged produce?” and so-and-so replied: “He sent you to me,” though they appear to be repaying each other, they may be trusted. The person who has now bought produce from someone who is trustworthy to have tithed now asks that same person, who in the town sells aged produce, which is better than new produce. He sends the buyer back to the original person, the same one that was not believed in section one. It looks as if they are scratching each other’s back. They both know that a person is not believed to compliment his own wares so they compliment each other’s. Despite this, the mishnah rules that each is believed. Albeck explains that the visitor to the city can treat this case leniently because as a visitor it will be hard for him to determine who is trustworthy.
