What is "what appertains to those who come up from Bavel"? Such as: the Temple Mount, the azaroth (the Temple courts), and the well in the middle of the way. And what is "what appertains to that city"? Such as: the open place [the marketplaces in the city], the bath-house, the house of prayer, the book chest, and the books [which the city people buy to learn in.] R. Yehudah says: He can either write it over to the Nassi or write it over to any person. [The gemara explains that this is what is meant: And what is their remedy? They can write over their portion to the Nassi. That is, those who bevowed benefit from each other and are forbidden to use the open place of the city, the book chest, and the books — each one can write over his share in these to the Nassi, after which he is permitted to use them. For each of them will then be making use of the holding of the Nassi, and none of them will be benefitting from his neighbor.] What is the difference between writing it over to the Nassi and writing it over to any person? If he writes it over to the Nassi, he does not require ceding. [If they write it over to the Nassi, they need not cede it to him through (the acquisition of) another, the Nassi acquiring it because of his eminence, even though it is not ceded to him through another.] And the sages say: Both require ceding (by acquisition). The Nassi is mentioned because that (writing it over to the Nassi) is the common instance. R. Yehudah says: The men of the Galil need not write it over, for their fathers already wrote it over for them. [The men of the Galil were highly contentious, and in their anger they would bevow benefit from each other — at which their fathers arose and wrote over their shares to the Nassi, so that if their sons after them bevowed benefit from each other, they would not be forbidden to use the open place of the city, the book chest, or the books, these being the holding of the Nassi.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
הרחבה (town square) – the markets that are in the city.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
Introduction
This mishnah explains the categories mentioned at the end of the previous mishnah. It also discusses how people can avoid some of the difficult consequences of being forbidden to derive benefit from one another.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
והתיבה (ark) -where they place in it the Scrolls/books.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
What are the things that belong to those that came up from Babylonia [to Jerusalem]? For example the Temple Mount and the Temple courtyards and the well in the middle of the road. The things that belong to “those who came up from Babylonia” are mostly holy property, for example the Temple and the courtyards. Also included in this category are the wells dug for the pilgrims so that they would have water on their way over. Those who may not receive benefit from one another may still benefit from this type of property since individuals do not own shares in them, rather they are owned collectively.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
והספרים – that the people of the city buy to study them.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
What are the things that belong to that town? For example the public square, the bath-house, the synagogue, the ark, and the [sacred] scrolls. The city property includes most structures built specifically for a certain city, including the town square, synagogue, ark for keeping the scrolls and the scrolls themselves. Note that although these things are religious items, they still are jointly owned by the people of the city and not by all of Israel. Therefore, if people cannot benefit from one another, they may not benefit from this property as well.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
והכותב חלקו לנשיא – It explains in the Gemara (Tractate Nedarim 48a) that this is what it is said, and what is their remedy? They should write/assign their portion to the President/Nasi, meaning to say that those who made vows are not to benefit from each other and are prohibited to use the street of the city and the Ark and the Scrolls/books, each one of them should write/assign the part/share that each has to the President/Nasi, and afterwards each one of them will be able to use them, for they are using the wealth of the President/Nasi, and not one of them is benefitting from his fellow.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
And he should assign his portion to the Patriarch. Rabbi Judah says: it is the same whether he assigns it to the Patriarch or to a private individual. But what is the difference between one who assigns it to the Patriarch and one who assigns it to a private individual? If he assigns it to the Patriarch, he need not [formally] confer title. But the Sages say: both this and this require formal conferring of title, they mentioned the Patriarch in particular as this is usual. Rabbi Judah said: The Galileans need not assign [their portion], because their ancestors have already done so for them. This next section gives advice on how to deal with a situation in which Reuven cannot benefit from all municipal property because he cannot benefit from Shimon’s property and likewise Shimon may not benefit from municipal property because of Reuven’s partial ownership. After all, this could make life quite difficult. The solution is that both write out a document assigning their shares to the Patriarch, so that he owns their share of the municipal property. In this way, they will not be benefiting from each other’s property but from the Patriarch’s. Rabbi Judah says that they need not assign the property to the Patriarch but rather may assign it to any individual. The only difference between the two is that the transaction with the Patriarch does not require any formal transaction, whereas a transaction with an ordinary person does. The other Sages hold that no matter whom one assigns the property, a formal transaction is required. The only reason that the earlier halakhah mentioned assigning the property to the Patriarch was that this was the normal way of doing things. In other words, it is a suggestion and not mandatory. In contrast, Rabbi Judah would say that the halakhah mentions the Patriarch because it is easier to assign him property than to an ordinary individual. Nevertheless, he too would hold that this is not mandatory. Finally, Rabbi Judah says that in the Galilee the Patriarch is already the formal owner of all municipal property, and hence the entire problem will not arise.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
רבי יהודה אומר – if they wanted, let them assign their shares/portions to an ordinary person, but if they wrote/assigned them to the Nasi, there is no need to make assignment to him/to take possession of it through another person, since because of the importance of the Nasi, he acquires even though that he was not assigned it by another, but an ordinary person does not acquire until he makes assignment to him/he takes possession of it through another [person].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
אנשי גליל אין צריכין לזכות – the people of the Galilee were quarrelsome (see Talmud Nedarim 48a) and through their anger, they would make vows against benefiting from one another, their fathers stood up and assigned their shares to the Nasi, so that if their children after them would make vows forbidding benefit from one another, they would not be forbidden in the street of the city or the Ark or the Scrolls/Books, for they are the wealth of the Nasi.
