Se gli orfani facessero affidamento su un capofamiglia [per condurre i propri affari — anche se non è stato nominato un apotropo, è considerato uno ("apotropo", dal latino: padre - "pater"; bambini - "potos" —quindi: "apotropos" - "il padre del giovane")], o se il loro padre ha nominato un apotropos per loro, deve decimare i loro frutti. Se un apotropo è stato nominato dal padre degli orfani, deve giurare (che non si è appropriatamente appropriato di nulla dei loro). [Perché se non trasse alcun beneficio, non sarebbe un apotropo per lui, e il giuramento non fungerebbe da deterrente (accettando la sua nomina)]. Se beth-din lo ha nominato, non lo giura. [Perché sta facendo un bel favore, accettando il loro incarico ed esercitandosi gratuitamente; e se dovesse giurare, questo fungerebbe da deterrente.] Abba Shaul sys: "Proprio il contrario." [Se beth-din lo ha nominato, deve giurare. Perché poiché derivava la soddisfazione di ottenere la reputazione di un uomo onesto, di cui si fidava, il giuramento non avrebbe agito da deterrente. Ma se il padre degli orfani lo nominasse, non lo giura, perché gli sta facendo un favore esercitandosi gratuitamente per i suoi figli, e se un giuramento gli fosse imposto, farebbe da deterrente. L'halachah è in accordo con Abba Shaul.] Se uno contamina [il prodotto pulito del suo vicino] o mescola [terumah con il chullin del suo vicino (prodotto normale), causandogli una perdita costringendolo a venderlo a buon mercato al Cohanim], o mescola [vino libazionale con vino kosher, in modo che il beneficio non possa essere derivato da esso]—(se lo fa) inconsapevolmente, non è responsabile; se intenzionalmente, è responsabile. [Per legge, non dovrebbe essere responsabile, per "Il danno non riconoscibile non si chiama 'danno'."; ma a causa del "bene generale", che gli uomini non vanno e contaminano i prodotti dei loro vicini in esenzione da responsabilità (è stato reso responsabile).] Se Cohanim invalida nel santuario [offerte che hanno macellato e il cui sangue hanno spruzzato, dal pensato di mangiarli al di fuori del loro momento opportuno, squalificandoli (come offerte) per i loro proprietari]—(se lo hanno fatto) intenzionalmente, sono responsabili. [Perché sapevano che lo rendevano inadatto in tal modo. Devono rimborsare i proprietari, che devono portare altre offerte. E anche se fosse un'offerta di regalo, che non deve essere sostituita, tuttavia, il proprietario è dispiaciuto per il fatto che la sua offerta non viene sacrificata, poiché era il suo desiderio di portarla come regalo.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
יתומים שסמכו אצל בעל הבית – to do their work at his direction, for an administrator/guardian had not been appointed for them; but nevertheless, he was like an administrator.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
Introduction
The first two sections of this mishnah deal with certain responsibilities that guardians have in taking care of orphans. The final section deals with damages that are done to food or sacrifices that cannot be seen.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
אפוטרופוס – In the Roman language they would call a father PATER and children [would be called] POTOS. An explanation of APOTROPOS is the father of minor children.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
If orphans relied on a householder or if their father appointed a guardian for them, he must tithe their produce. A guardian has the responsibility to tithe the produce of orphans who are relying on him to manage their lives. This clause is here to introduce the next sections of the mishnah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
שמינהו אבי יתומים ישבע – for if not [i.e. if he did not take an oath], that he had benefit from him, he would not have had an administrator, and because of the oath taken, he might shrink from serving as a guardian.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
A guardian who was appointed by the father of the orphans is required to take an oath. [A guardian who was] appointed by the court does not need to take an oath. Abba Shaul says that the rule is the reverse. When the orphans grow up, according to the law they can make the guardian swear that he did not misappropriate any of their money (see Shevuoth 7:8). According to the first opinion in this section, the orphans have such power only when they were appointed by the father. If the court appointed the guardian, he is not liable for such an oath. This is because the court forced him to be a guardian, and he didn’t necessarily receive any satisfaction. If the halakhah were to force him to take an oath, people would refuse to become guardians. However, if the father appointed him, the guardian has the satisfaction of helping out the father who was assumedly his friend. Since he has that satisfaction, he will accept becoming a guardian even though he might eventually have to take an oath. We can see here that the “tikkun olam” is to exempt guardians from taking oaths if the oath would deter them from accepting such appointments in the first place. Abba Shaul reasons that the exact opposite is true. If the father appoints him he need not swear since he was only doing a favor for the father. According to Abba Shaul, if guardians appointed by the father were forced to swear they would not want to become guardians. However, when the court appoints someone to be a guardian he gets the added benefit of the community knowing that the court believes that he is a trustworthy man. Since he receives this added benefit, he will not refuse becoming a guardian even if it might cause him to take an oath.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
מנוהו בית דין לא ישבע – as a gratuitous favor, as he does this for the Jewish court to accept their words and to trouble himself without pay, and if they bring a dispute [by requiring that] he take an oath [that he was faithful to his task], he can shrink from it [i.e., becoming a guardian].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
One who renders impure [someone else’s pure food] or mixes terumah [with someone else’s non-terumah produce] or makes a libation [with someone else’s wine], if he does so inadvertently, he is exempt, but if intentionally he is liable. Priests who intentionally made someone else’s sacrifice piggul in the Temple are liable. There are three types of invisible damage mentioned in this first clause. If one causes someone else’s terumah to become impure, it has to be thrown away. If someone mixes in terumah with another person’s normal produce it must be sold to priests at the price of terumah which is lower than the price of normal produce. Finally, if someone makes an idolatrous libation with someone else’s wine, the wine must be thrown away. Similarly, if one mixes already libated wine with non-libated wine it must all be thrown away. In all of these cases the damage is done but the object has not physically changed at all. The bottom line halakhah holds that damage that cannot be seen is not considered damage. Therefore, if any of these things were done intentionally, the damager need not make restitution. However, had he done so intentionally he must pay because of “tikkun olam” to prevent people from intentionally damaging other’s property. “Piggul” is a sacrifice offered by a priest who has intends to eat it at a time when that sacrifice may no longer be eaten. “Piggul” cannot be put onto the altar and it does not bring about the intended result of a sacrifice (for instance atonement). This is again a case of invisible damage, and as above, if a priest intentionally causes such damage he is liable.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
אבא שאול אומר חילוף הדברים – if he court appointed him, he should take an oath, since the benefit [he receives] has a voice that he is an honorable person [by not stealing from the funds in his care] for the Jewish court relies upon him and because of the oath taken, he will not shrink [from his duties in becoming a guardian]; [on the other hand], if the father of the orphans appointed him, he should not take an oath, as it is a gratuitous favor that he does for him to go to the trouble [of caring for] his children, and if they were to raise a dispute against him [by requiring that] he take an oath, he would shrink from his duties [of serving as a guardian]. And the Halakha is according to Abba Shaul.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
המטמא – [he defiles] the pure objects of his fellow.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
המדמע – he mixes the heave-offering/sacred donation for the Kohanim with unconsecrated foods and causes it to lose value, as it is necessary to sell it to the Kohanim cheaply.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
המנסך – mixing wine poured for libations with kosher wine and it is forbidden to derive benefit [from it].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
במזיד חייב – but by law, he would be exempt, for damage that is not discernible in the object itself is not itself called damage (see Talmud Gittin 53a), but for the sake of the social order [we do not do this], so that every person would not go and defile his fellow’s pure objects, and say that I am exempt.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
הכהנים שפיגלו – [because of an improper intention in the mind of the officiating Kohen making] the sacrifices [rejectable] in that they slaughtered [the animals] and sprinkled their blood with the thought of eating from them at an inappropriate time, and it as not acceptable to the owners [of the sacrifices].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
מזידים – that they knew that they would be invalid by doing this.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin
חייבים – to pay their value to the owners, for they would have to bring other [sacrifices]; alternatively, it is a donation and is not obligated for indemnity payment. Nevertheless, it is difficult in his eyes that he would not make the sacrificial offering, for he was requested to bring a gift.
