Un commerciante può prendere (produrre) da cinque piani di trebbiatura e posizionarlo in un cestino. [Tutti sanno che non è cresciuto nei suoi campi e che l'ha comprato da molte persone; e lo comprano da lui con questa comprensione. (Era consuetudine dei commercianti acquistare (produrre) dai proprietari dei campi durante la trebbiatura e metterli nei loro cassonetti)]. (Può prendere il vino) da cinque tini da vino e metterlo in una botte, purché non riesca a mescolarli, [lasciandolo fuori che ha comprato la maggior parte da una fonte "primaria", e mescolandolo (con vino) da un posto diverso, i suoi vicini pensano che provenga tutto dalla stessa fonte.] R. Yehudah dice: "Un negoziante non dovrebbe distribuire ai bambini orecchie secche e secche perché li abitua così a venire da lui. I saggi consentitelo. E non può vendere al di sotto del prezzo di mercato [perché abitua così le persone a venire da lui e restringe il sostentamento del suo vicino.] I saggi dicono: "Possa essere ricordato per il bene!" [Per questo abbassa il prezzo . E questa è l'halachah.] Uno non può setacciare (la pula di) grisin (fagioli spaccati in un mulino, uno in due. Per il loro aspetto migliorato gli permette di aumentare il prezzo oltre il valore della rimozione della pula.] Questi sono le parole di Abba Shaul. E i saggi lo consentono. [Per l'acquirente può valutare il costo della rimozione della pula confrontando il m con gli altri. E vale la pena spendere di più per questi setacciati per risparmiarsi il disturbo (di setacciare). L'halachah è conforme ai saggi.] E concordano sul fatto che non dovrebbe farlo (solo) sulla superficie del contenitore [per migliorare il loro aspetto, senza aver setacciato la paglia di sotto], poiché è solo un "occhio- ladro "[con questa setacciatura superficiale.] Non si può" ritoccare "né un uomo [un servitore cananeo che attende la vendita], una bestia, né navi.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
התגר נוטל מחמש גרנות – for everyone knows about him that they were not grown in their fields, and that he purchases from many people and with the presumption that they purchase from him [as well].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
A merchant may buy from five threshing floors and put the produce into a storage chamber, or from five wine-presses and put into one jug, as long as he doesn’t intend to mix them [for purposes of fraud]. This section is a continuation of the previous mishnah. There we learned that a person may not mix produce that comes from different fields. Here we learn that someone who purchases from different fields may place the produce or wine in the same storage chambers, as long as he doesn’t intend to mix good and bad produce.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
מגורה – storehouse where they collect grain. A granary, where they thresh the grain and it is the manner of the traveling merchant to purchase from house owners at the time of the granary and to bring them into his own storage facility.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Rabbi Judah says: “A storekeeper should not distribute parched corn or nuts to children, for that accustoms them to come [only] to him.” But the Sages permit. And he may not lower the price. But the Sages says: “Let him be remembered for good [if he lowers the price].” He may not sift crushed beans, according to Abba Shaul. But the Sages permit. (1) But they agree that he should not sift them [only] at the entry of the storage chamber, since he would be a deceiver of the eye. ( He should not beautify what he sells, whether humans, cattle or utensils. Rabbi Judah states that certain competitive business practices are forbidden. A shopkeeper may not give parched corn or nuts to children (they didn’t have candy back then) since that will make the kids want to come back and bring their parents along with them, thereby damaging the competing businesses. (I’m sure parents can identify with this mishnah. How many times have you been at the checkout counter of the store and your kids begs you to buy him/her the toy or candy blatantly displayed out front?). Rabbi Judah also forbids a seller to lower a price in order to compete with his fellow sellers. Both of these practices were permitted by the Sages. Abba Shaul forbids a seller to sift the crushed beans and thereby remove the waste. This would raise the price and again probably cause competition with the other sellers. Again, the Sages permit. They do, however, forbid a seller to sift the crushed beans that are on the outside of a container. The buyer would see sifted crushed beans and think the entire container is sifted. This is indeed a deceptive business practice, and not merely competitive. Similarly, it is forbidden to artificially improve something’s appearance in order to sell it. The modern example would be to put wall paper over walls of a house in order to hide the fact that they are in truth rotting away.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
פיטס – a huge vessel.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Metzia
Questions for Further Thought: • Mishnah twelve: What types of business practices are forbidden to the Sages and what types are permitted?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
ובלבד שלא יתכוין לערבן – to publicize to purchase the majority from a praiseworthy place and to mix in it from another place, and his neighbors think that all the produce is from the same place.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
ולא יפחות את השער – to sell it cheaply, because he is accustomed to come with him and overwhelms the food of his friends.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
זכור לטוב – and as a result of this, those who store produce sell it cheaply. And this is the Halakha.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
גריסין – beans that are ground in the millstone, one for two.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
לא יבור – the worthless matter/refuse , because since hey look nice, he raises their price a great deal from the price of the refuse that he took from them.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
וחכמים מתירין – for the purpose is able to see and to distinguish how much the refuse that he has sifted costs from those that others have. And it is good for him to raise their price of those that are sifted out of great effort. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
שלא יבור מעל פי המגורה – upwards to show the nice ones, but the refuse that is within it, he did not sift.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
לפי שאינו אלא כגונב את העין – with this sifting.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
מפרכסין – they repair them and make them more beautiful.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Metzia
לא את הדאם – a Canaanite slave who stands to be sold.
