Un get simple est signé par deux témoins et un get plié par trois. Si un get simple a été signé par un ou un get plié par deux, les deux sont pasul. [Telle est l'intention: tout comme un simple get signé par un témoin est pasul par la loi de la Torah, il en est de même pour un get plié signé par deux témoins.] S'il était écrit (dans le get): "cent zuzin, qui sont vingt sela'in, "il n'en reçoit que vingt. [Même si cent zuzin valent vingt-cinq sela'in, le détenteur du billet (de la dette) a la main inférieure, étant interprété: cent zuzin inférieurs, qui ne sont que vingt sela'in.] (Si c'était le cas écrit :) "cent zuzin, qui sont trente sela'in," il ne reçoit que cent (zuzin) [c'est-à-dire vingt-cinq sela'in, la facture étant interprétée: cent zuzin, qui sont trente légers, sela inférieur 'en, qui valent vingt-cinq bons.] (S'il était écrit :) "argent zuzin, qui sont ...", et si [le montant suivant] a été effacé, il en reçoit pas moins de deux. "argent sela'in, qui sont ...", et il a été effacé, il en reçoit pas moins de deux. "darconoth, qui sont ...", et il a été effacé, il en reçoit pas moins de deux. S'il était écrit en haut, «cent» et en bas, «deux cents» ou au-dessus, «deux cents», et en dessous, «cent», tout va selon le plus bas, [tant qu'il n'est pas écrit sur la dernière ligne.] Si oui, [c'est-à-dire, si cela est répété à la fin de la facture: «Et je me suis endetté pour ceci et ce montant»], pourquoi le supérieur est-il écrit? De sorte que si une lettre était effacée de la partie inférieure, elle pourrait être dérivée de la partie supérieure.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
פשוט שכתוב בו עד אחד – this is what he said: just as when a plain document in which only one witness is written in it is unfit from the Torah, so also a folded document in which only two witnesses are written in it is also unfit from the Torah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah two mostly discusses discrepancies within a debt document.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין לו אלא עשרים – and even though [it states] one-hundred zuzim, they are twenty-five Selaim. The hand of the owner of the document is at a disadvantage. And this is how we interpret for him a document: one hundred inferior Zuzim are not worth other than twenty Selaim.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
This mishnah deals with documents which were not done properly or had the amount of the debt partially erased.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין לי אלא מנה – twenty five Selaim, this is how we interpret it for a document: One hundred Zuzim which are thirty light and inferior Selaim, which are twenty-five from the good ones.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
A simple document requires two witnesses; a sewn document requires three. If a simple document has only one witness, or a sewn document has only two, they are both invalid. A simple document must have two witnesses and a “sewn document” must have three. If they have fewer than the required amount the document is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ונמחקו – the number that is written afterwards is erased.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If it was written in a debt document: “100 zuz which are 20 sela (=80”, he (the can claim only 20 sela; if [it was written] “100 zuz which are 30 sela (=120” he (the can claim only 100 zuz. If in a debt document (an IOU) a number was incorrectly converted into another coin (i.e. dollars into cents), the debtor owes the creditor only the lower amount.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ומלמטה מאתים – when he doubles his words in the document.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
[If there was written in a debt document] “Silver zuzim which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two zuzim. [If there was written in a debt document] “Silver selas which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two selas. [If there was written in a debt document] “Darics which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two darics. If a document said that the debtor owed a plural of a certain coin, but the number of the coins owed was erased the creditor can collect only two of the coin. Since the coin was written in plural (i.e. dollars), we know that the number was more than one. The minimum that it could have been is two, and this is what the creditor will be able to collect from the debtor.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
הכל הולך אחר התחתון – as long as it will not be written last in the document.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If at the top was written a “maneh (100” and at the bottom “200 zuz”, or “200 zuz” at the top and “maneh” at the bottom, everything goes according to the bottom amount. If so, why is the figure written at the top of the document? So that, if a letter of the lower figure was erased, they can learn from the upper figure. If the number at the bottom of a debt document disagrees with the number at the top, the creditor can collect according to the bottom figure, whether it is higher or lower than the bottom figure. The assumption is that the writer of the document, the debtor (or a scribe on his behalf) changed his mind after writing the first amount, and his true intention was the second amount. The mishnah then asks, why do we customarily write the amount on the top and not just on the bottom? The answer is that the top amount will help if the bottom amount is erased. If, however both amounts are still clearly written, we follow the bottom one.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
למה כותבין את העליון – for since at the end, the document repeats and states it again, and the responsibility of this money such-and-such I accepted upon myself (see Talmud Bava Batra 167b).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Sections two and three: What is the principle that explains why in this case the debtor owes the lower amount (section two) or only two of the coin (section three)?
