Commentaire sur Makhshirin 2:8
מָצָא בָהּ מְצִיאָה, אִם רֹב נָכְרִים, אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְהַכְרִיז. וְאִם רֹב יִשְׂרָאֵל, צָרִיךְ לְהַכְרִיז. מֶחֱצָה לְמֶחֱצָה, צָרִיךְ לְהַכְרִיז. מָצָא בָהּ פַּת, הוֹלְכִין אַחַר רֹב הַנַּחְתּוֹמִין. וְאִם הָיְתָה פַת עִסָּה, הוֹלְכִים אַחַר רֹב אוֹכְלֵי פַת עִסָּה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִם הָיְתָה פַת קִבָּר, הוֹלְכִין אַחַר רֹב אוֹכְלֵי פַת קִבָּר:
[Si] on y trouve un objet perdu [dans la ville]: Si la plupart [des résidents] sont des gentils, il n'est pas nécessaire de proclamer [qu'il a trouvé quelque chose]; et si la plupart sont juifs, il faut proclamer; [et si] c'est moitié-moitié, il doit proclamer. [Si] on y trouve du pain [dans la ville], nous suivons la majorité des boulangers; et si c'était du pain de farine pure, nous suivons la majorité de ceux qui mangent de la farine pure. Le rabbin Yehudah dit: Si c'était du pain de farine grossière, nous suivons la majorité de ceux qui mangent de la farine grossière.
Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
רוב נחתומים – if most of the bakers are heathen, the bread is forbidden, for the bread of heathens is from the eighteen matters that they decreed on that day [that Rabban Gamaliel was deposed as head of the Sanhedrin] (see Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 1, Mishnah 4 and the Bartenura commentary there].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If one found there lost property, The issue here is finding lost property. The rabbis obligated one to declare lost property that was found and return it to the owner if the owner could identify it. These halakhot are found in the second chapter of Bava Metzia. This obligation is only to a fellow Jew. One is not obligated to return property to a non-Jew, at least not according to the Mishnah. Later halakhah rectified this discrimination, as it did in many cases.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
פת עיסה – clean/white bread.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If the majority [of the inhabitants] were non-Jews, he need not proclaim it; If the majority was not Jewish, then he need not proclaim that he found a lost object because he can assume that it belonged to a non-Jew.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
פת קיבר (eaters of black bread) – bread that is not pure/white.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If the majority were Israelites, he must proclaim it; If the majority were Jews he must proclaim it and if a Jew claims it, he would have to return it to him. This would make for quite an awkward situation if he proclaimed it and then it turned out to belong to a non-Jew.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makhshirin
אחר רוב אוכלי פת קיבר – if the majority of them are heathens, the bread is forbidden. Alternatively, one can explain: after the majority of the bakers, after the majority of those who eat white bread, etc. If the majority of them are members of the order for the observance of the Levitical laws in daily intercourse, the bread is ritually pure and there is no need to tithe. But if the majority are those not observing certain religious customs regarding tithes and Levitical cleanness, the bread is ritually impure and one needs to tithe.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If they were half and half, he must [also] proclaim it. If the split is 50/50 he must assume that it could belong to a Jew and he must proclaim it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If one found bread there we must consider who form the majority of the bakers. The second half of the mishnah deals with bread that is found in the mixed city. The rabbis prohibited Jews from eating bread made by Gentiles, not because the bread is impure or not kosher, but in order to prevent assimilation. The first criterion is to follow the majority of bakers, as has been the rule in most of the previous mishnayot.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
If it was bread of clean flour, we must consider who form the majority of those who eat bread of pure flour. However, if the bread is of a special kind, such as bread made of clean flour, we need to look at who makes clean flour bread. This is more expensive so it will be made probably by the upper class.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makhshirin
Rabbi Judah says: if it was coarse bread, we must consider who form the majority of those who eat coarse bread. Today coarse bread is the most expensive type of bread, but back then (and probably not too long ago), it was for the poorer folk. So Rabbi Judah adds that if the bread is of poor quality, i.e. it is coarse, then we can assume it was made by someone poor and we follow the majority of poor people.
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