Si quelqu'un recevait un champ de son voisin et ne souhaitait pas le désherber [c'est-à-dire, enlever l'herbe mauvaise, qui affaiblit le sol et empêche la croissance du grain], et qu'il (le locataire) lui dit: "Quelle différence fait ça te rapporte [si ma part est moindre parce que les herbes réduisent les épis]? Je te donnerai la location "[tant et tant de korin, que j'ai accepté], il n'est pas entendu, parce qu'il (le propriétaire) peut lui dire: "Demain, tu peux le quitter, et il me lèvera de (mauvaises) herbes."
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
ולא רצה לנכש – to cleanse the field from bad grasses that weakens the strength of the field and prevents the grain from coming up.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
If one leased a field from his fellow and he did not want to weed it, and he said to the owner, “What do you care, as long as I pay you the agreed rental?”, they do not listen to him, for the owner can say to him, “Tomorrow you will leave the field and it won’t bring forth anything but weeds.” According to our mishnah a sharecropper is responsible to weed the field that he is working. Even if he were to say to the owner that he will still give him the full amount of the rental agreement, the owner can force the sharecropper to weed, since not weeding will cause future damage to the field. It is in the owner’s best interests that should the sharecropper leave he could rent the field to others.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
מה איכפת לך – if my portion is lacking for the grasses reduces/lessens the ears of corn , I will give you my tenancy payment of such-and-such kors as I agreed with you.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Questions for Further Thought: • What do these two mishnayoth have in common with regards to the responsibilities of a sharecropper?
