פירוש על בבא בתרא 3:2

שלש ארצות לחזקה – three [distinctive] lands in the Land of Israel are divided each from the other concerning the matter of presumption of claim of ownership. For if he had taken possession in one of these [distinctive] lands, and the owner of the land is in the other, his presumption of ownership is not a presumption, because the caravans are not ae not found from one to the other, and even though it is not an emergency or [time of] war, it is similar to an emergency. But if the owner of the land would renounce, there would not be someone to inform the other who has taken possession. Therefore, it was appropriate to the one taking possession to be careful with his document, and since he was not careful, he would lose.

There are three regions with regards to possession: Judea, beyond the Jordan and the Galilee. If the owner was in Judea and another took possession [of his property] in the Galilee; Or if he was in the Galilee and another took possession [of his property] in Judea, such possession does not demonstrate ownership, until he is in the same region.
Rabbi Judah said: “They have specified a period of three years so that if the owner was in Spain and another took possession [of his property] during one year, they could make it known to the owner during the next year and he could return in the third year.”
Our mishnah divides the land of Israel into three distinct parts. As we shall see, this division is important for the rules of chazakah, which we began to learn in mishnah one of this chapter.
If a person took possession of a field and another came within three years and protested that the field was his, the original owner would retain title to the property. Our mishnah deals with a situation where the original owner lived in a different region from his field and therefore he may not have known that another had taken possession of the field, in order to protest within the allotted three years. According to the opinion in section one, in such a case there is no demonstration of ownership through possession for three years. If the owner was in a different region, for instance in the Galilee and the field was in Judea, we cannot assume that the reason he didn’t protest for three years is that he didn’t own the field. Since he may not have heard there can be no ownership through possession. According to Rabbi Judah, the reason that the Rabbis allotted three years in order to establish ownership by possession is to allow messengers to travel up to a year’s distance, there and back, in order to alert the original owner that another had taken his fields. In other words, according to Rabbi Judah, three years time is meant to give the person a chance to protest on another’s possession of his property. If he doesn’t do so, we do not assume that he didn’t hear. Rather, we assume that he sold or gave away his property to the current possessor and therefore does not protest.

עד שיהא עמו במדינה – that both of them would be in Judea, or both of them beyond the Jordan River and even though this one was in one city and that one was in another city, because there were caravans found, he could protest, and since he did not protest, he lost out.

אמר ר' יהודה וכו' – for Rabbi Yehuda holds that the reason for presumption of ownership is not because until three years because people are careful with their documents, [but] more [than this], they are not careful, but the reason for his presumption of ownership is because people will not leave [someone, a usurper] consuming his own land even for one hour and remain silent. But this one that distanced himself for three years in order that if he was in Spain, etc. But if he was with him in the city, immediately, there would be presumption of ownership and in these three [distinct] lands [of the Land of Israel] where caravans are not found, during the three years, however, he would have presumption of ownership. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.