Si un esclave (cananéen) était fait prisonnier et racheté [par d'autres Israélites après que son maître eut désespéré de son retour] —si (il a été racheté) pour la servitude, il sert [le second maître]; si pour la liberté, il ne sert [ni le premier ni le second. Pas le second, car il l'a racheté pour la liberté. Pas le premier, [de peur qu'ils ne le rachètent]. R. Shimon n. Gamliel dit: Dans les deux cas, il sert [son premier maître, de peur que chaque esclave ne se fasse capturer par des brigands pour échapper à son maître.] Si un maître faisait de son esclave un apotiki [po tehei kai ("Ici il restera" ), c'est-à-dire, de ceci (l'esclave) tu recouvreras ta dette, et non d'ailleurs)], et il [son premier maître] l'a libéré, la justice dicte que l'esclave ne doit rien [au second, pour la manumission de son premier maître dissout sa servitude]; mais à cause de "l'intérêt général" [de peur que le second ne le trouve sur le marché et ne lui dise: "Tu es mon esclave", jetant le discrédit sur ses enfants], son maître [le second] est obligé de le libérer et il [ l'emprunteur] lui écrit (le second) un acte de dette pour sa valeur [c'est-à-dire pour sa valeur marchande (en tant qu'esclave); pas pour le montant de la dette si la dette était supérieure à sa valeur.] R. Shimon b. Gamliel dit: Il [l'esclave] ne lui fait pas de facture, car il ne lui doit rien. Mais son premier maître, qui «a endommagé» ce qui lui était dû, doit lui payer sa valeur. Car celui qui endommage ce qui est dû à un autre est responsable. (La halakha est conforme à R. Shimon b. Gamliel)], mais il (le second) le libère.
Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
עבד שנשבה ופדאוהו – Other Israelites [redeemed him] after his master had despaired of recovering him [of getting him back from captivity].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
Introduction
These two mishnayoth discuss the emancipation of slaves.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
אם לשום עבד ישתעבד – to his second master.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
A [non-Jewish] slave [of a Jew] was taken captive and then ransomed [by a third party]: If [he is ransomed] to be a slave he goes back to slavery, If [he is ransomed] as a free man he does not go back to slavery. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says: in either case he goes back to slavery. If a non-Jewish slave is taken captive and held for ransom and then his ransom is paid, according to the first opinion in the mishnah his return to slavery depends upon the intent of the one who paid his ransom. Since the original master didn’t offer up the ransom himself, he loses the ability to decide whether the slave remains a slave. According to another source, if the person who paid the ransom decides that he should remain a slave to his former master, the master must pay back the ransom money. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel holds that in any case the slave returns to his previous owner. The Yerushalmi explains that this is in order to prevent the slave from running away. Another explanation is that the first opinion in the mishnah holds that there is no commandment to redeem slaves. Therefore, by paying his ransom the redeemer has in essence purchased the slave and may do with him as he wishes. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel holds that there is a commandment to redeem slaves owned by Jews. Since the redeemer fulfilled a commandment he did not acquire the slave and the slave returns to his owner. We should note that there are several other explanations of this mishnah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
לשום בן חורין לא ישתעבד – No to his first master nor to his second master. Not to his second master, that behold for the sake of become a free person, he would be redeemed; not to his first master either so that everyone would subject himself to the army and remove himself from his master.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
If a man makes his slave a pledge [for a debt] to another man and then he emancipates him, according to the “letter of the law” the slave is not liable to do anything. But because of tikkun olam we force his [second] master to emancipate him and he [the slave] writes a document for his purchase price. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says that the slave does not write the document but rather the one who emancipates him. In this case Reuven loans Shimon money, and as a pledge (like pawning) for his loan, Reuven takes Shimon’s slave. Shimon still owns the slave and therefore can free the slave despite the loan. In such a case, according to the letter of the law the slave is totally free and need not do anything. However, to protect the slave from an angry Reuven, the court forces Reuven to write out an emancipation document, as if he too has freed the slave. The slave then writes out a document stating how much he is worth, and with this document Reuven can try to recover his loan from Shimon. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says that the original owner (Shimon) writes out the document for he is the one who damaged the lender’s lien on his assets by freeing the pledged slave. If the debtor writes the document, the creditor is more likely to recoup his loss.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
אפותיקי – Here you would stand. From this, you will collect your lien and not from another place.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
ושחררו – his first master
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
שורת הדין אין העבד חייב כלום – to his second master, for the manumission that the first master freed him removes him from enslavement.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
אלא מפני תקון העולם – lest his second master would find him in the market and say to him: “you are my servant and cast aspersion on the purity of his children.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
כופין את רבו – The second [master], and make him (i.e., the slave) a free man. And the slave should write a document of liability regarding his worth, that is to say, according to what he would be worth to be sold in the marketplace, not according to the liability if the liability was greater than his monetary worth.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
רשב"ג אמר אין העבד כותב – [the slave does not write] a document of liability, for he is not liable for anything., but the first master who damaged his servitude, he is the one who must pay his worth, for the one who damages the servitude of his fellow is liable and the Halakha is according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel.
