Si uno dice: Esta es mi firma, y esa es la firma de mi amigo; y el otro dice: Esta es mi firma, y esa es la firma de mi amigo, se cree, [hay dos testigos para cada firma.] Si uno dice: Esta es mi firma, y el otro dice: Esta es mi firma, deben unirse a otro (testigo) con ellos. [Porque dan testimonio de su firma, y no de la manah (la cantidad) de la escritura, y cada firma requiere dos testigos.] Estas son las palabras de Rebbi. Y los sabios dicen: No necesitan unirse a otro con ellos, pero se cree que un hombre dice: Esta es mi firma. [Porque dan testimonio de la manah de la escritura, y cuando cada uno dice: Esta es mi firma, hay dos testigos de la manah de la escritura. La halajá está de acuerdo con los sabios.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
הרי אלו נאמנים – for surely there are two witnesses on all of the handwritings.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Introduction
The previous mishnah discussed witnesses testifying about their signatures. This mishnah continues to discuss the subject.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
צריכים לצרף עמהם אחר – that on their own signatures they testify, not on the Maneh/monetary portion (the weight of gold or silver equal to one hundred common or fifty sacred shekels) in the document , and they require two witnesses for each handwriting.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
[If] one witness says, “This is my handwriting and that is the handwriting of my fellow”, and the other [witness] says, “This is my handwriting and that is the handwriting of my fellow”, they are believed. [If] one says, “This is my handwriting” and the other says, “This is my handwriting” they must join to themselves another [person], the words of Rabbi [Judah Hanasi]. But the Sages say: they need not join to themselves another [person], rather a person is believed to say, “this is my handwriting.[If] one witness says, “This is my handwriting and that is the handwriting of my fellow”, and the other [witness] says, “This is my handwriting and that is the handwriting of my fellow”, they are believed. [If] one says, “This is my handwriting” and the other says, “This is my handwriting” they must join to themselves another [person], the words of Rabbi [Judah Hanasi]. But the Sages say: they need not join to themselves another [person], rather a person is believed to say, “this is my handwriting. Generally, two witnesses are required to create valid testimony in Jewish law. In order to validate a signature two witnesses are needed about each signature on the document. If each witness affirms his own signature and the other person’s signature, then both signatures on the document have been affirmed by two people, and the document has been validated. However, if each person cannot affirm the other signature on the document, they must find another person to affirm the signature. Note that one person can affirm both signatures, so long as he recognizes them. All of this is Rabbi Judah Hanasi’s opinion. He holds that the witnesses are actually testifying about their signatures and therefore we need two witnesses on each signature. The Sages hold that a person is believed when he affirms his signature. Therefore, neither needs to bring someone else to join his affirmation. The Sages reason that the witnesses are actually testifying as to the contents of the document. Hence the two are in and of themselves sufficient.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
וחכ"א אומרים אינם צריכין לצרף עמהם חר – that on the Maneh/monetary portion in the document they are testifying and when this one says, “this is my signature,” and the other [witness] says, “this is my signature,” it is found that there are two witnesses for the monetary amount in the document and the Halakha is according to the Sages.
