Si un sh'chiv mera (un sur son lit de mort) a écrit sur tous ses biens à d'autres, laissant une terre pour lui-même, son cadeau tient. S'il n'a quitté aucune terre, son don ne tient pas. [La même chose s'applique s'il a laissé des meubles. Et s'il s'est levé (de son lit de malade), il ne peut pas se rétracter. Ceci, s'il (le destinataire) a acquis ce cadeau de sa main. Car un don limité d'un sh'chiv mera nécessite un kinyan (un acte d'acquisition), qu'il récupère ou non. Et si le destinataire ne l'a pas acquis de sa main, il ne l'acquiert pas même s'il est mort. Ceci, seulement quand il souhaite conférer le cadeau de son vivant; mais s'il a ordonné que quelque chose soit donné à quelqu'un après sa mort, un kinyan n'est pas nécessaire, même s'il s'est réservé quelque chose pour lui-même. Et un sh'chiv mera qui a voulu conférer un cadeau de son vivant, s'il ne s'est rien réservé pour lui-même, et s'il a récupéré, il peut se rétracter, même s'il a été acquis de sa main. Et quand il l'enseigne à cause de (ce qu'il pense être sa) mort imminente (comme lorsque nous l'entendons dire: "Malheur à moi, car je vais mourir!"), Il peut toujours se rétracter, qu'il ait réservé ou non quelque chose pour lui-même, et même si elle était acquise de sa main. Et s'il meurt, l'autre acquiert le don, même sans kinyan.] S'il ne lui a pas écrit (dans l'acte de donation) "sh'chiv mera" [c'est-à-dire, "quand il était malade au lit", ou un expression évoquant la santé, par exemple "quand il marchait debout sur le marché" et il n'a rien laissé]—S'il dit: «J'étais un sh'chiv mera» [et je me rétracte], et que l'autre dit: «Vous alliez bien» [et vous ne pouvez pas vous rétracter], il doit apporter la preuve qu'il était un sh'chiv mera. [Car nous suivons l'état actuel. Puisqu'il va bien maintenant, il doit apporter la preuve qu'il était un sh'chiv mera au moment du don.] Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. Et les sages disent: [Nous ne suivons pas l'état actuel, mais nous disons que] le fardeau de la preuve incombe à celui qui exigerait (le paiement) de son prochain. [Et le destinataire potentiel, qui souhaite exiger (le cadeau) du donateur, qui le détient maintenant—il lui incombe d'apporter la preuve et les témoins qu'il allait bien à ce moment-là. La halakha est conforme aux sages.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ושייר קרקע כל שהוא – (see Tractate Peah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 7 for a similar statement at the beginning of the Mishnah) and the same law applies if he left to himself movable, his gift is a gift. But if he stood and doesn’t return and he who acquired something from him on this same gift, as the gift of someone on their deathbed for a portion, requires acquisition, whether standing or not standing. But if he did not acquire it from his hand, the recipient did not acquire the gift, even if the person on his deathbed died. And especially, if he came to transfer/give possession the gift while living. But if he said: “Give to so-and-so this and that after his death,” he doesn’t require acquisition even if he left something to himself. And a person on his deathbed who came to give a a gift while living, if he did not leave anything to himself and stood, it goes back and even if they acquired it from his hand. It is a Mitzvah on account of death that he heard him when he said: “Woe is he who dies.” It (i.e., the gift) always returns [to its owner] whether he left [something to himself] or he did not leave [something to himself], and even if they acquired it from his hand. But if he died, the recipient acquired the gift, and even without acquisition.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah six returns to discuss the major topic of the chapter, inheritance law. The specific subject of this mishnah is laws governing a person who gives away his property while on his death bed and then recovers from his illness. The question is can he recover his property.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
לא כתב שכיב מרע – a pitcher of harvest and throws it into his bier, and even if it is not the language of gift of a healthy individual when he walked in the marketplace on his feet and didn’t leave anything.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Generally speaking when a person gives another person a piece of property the giver cannot change his mind once the document is written and signed. However, if the giver was a dying man he may change his mind and recover his property should he recover from his illness. Since we assume that he intended to give the gift only if he were to die, if he were not to die the gift is annulled.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
הוא אומר שכיב מרע הייתי – and I have retracted, but the other says: “You were healthy and you cannot retract, he has to bring proof that he was on his deathbed, since after the present we follow, since presently, he is healthy. It is upon him to bring proof that he was on his deathbed at the time of the gift.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man who lies dying wrote over his property to others [as a gift] and kept back any land whatsoever, his gift remains valid [even should he not die]. If he did not keep back any land whatsoever, his gift does not remain valid [if he should not die]. If, when he wrote the gift document he retained some land for himself, then we can assume that this is not truly the gift of a dying man. A dying man does not retain any land for himself. Therefore, if he should recover from his illness, the gift is not recoverable. If, however, he did not retain any land for himself, then this is the gift of a man who believed himself about to die. In such a circumstance the gift is recoverable should he recover from his illness.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If it was not written in the document, “who lies dying”, but he said that [he had written the document] while he lay dying and they (those who received the said that he was healthy [when he wrote the document], he must bring proof that he had been dying, according to Rabbi Meir. But the sages say: “He who makes a claim against his fellow bears the burden of proof.” In the scenario in this section the document did not state that he was a dying man and the man did recover from his illness. At that point he claimed that he had written the document as a dying man and therefore the gift is retracted. The recipients of the gift claim that he gave it as a healthy man and therefore the gift is not retractable. According to Rabbi Meir the gift goes to the recipients. Since the person’s last confirmed status is as a healthy man (his current status), we can assume that he was healthy when he wrote the document, and therefore the gift is not a gift given by a dying man. According to the sages, the burden of proof lies on the pursuant, in this case the recipients who wish to receive their promised gift from the giver. Since they cannot prove that he was healthy when he wrote the document he is not obligated to give them the gift.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
וחכמים אומרים – we don’t follow after the present but we say: “the claimant must produce evidence” (see Tractate Bava Kamma, Chapter 3, Mishnah 11 as well as the last line of our Mishnah). And the recipient of a gift who comes to remove it from the hand of the giver who is in possession of it, he must bring proof and witnesses that he (i.e., the giver) was healthy at that time, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Why does the dying man have to divide up his property before he dies? Why can’t he just say that the gift will not be transferred until after he dies, thereby avoiding the problem of recovering from his illness after having given away his property?
