Pisma zaręczynowe i małżeńskie są sporządzane tylko za obopólną zgodą, a honorarium opłaca pan młody. Pisma o rolnictwie dzierżawców, [pracując i strzegąc pola przez połowę, jedną trzecią lub ćwierć (plonów)] i kontraktowania ziemi, [tyle i tak wiele koron rocznie, czy to produkowało, czy nie] są napisane tylko za obopólną zgodą, a opłatę uiszcza syndyk. Pisma selekcyjne i (o) wszystkie akty betdin są pisane tylko za obopólną zgodą. [("listy selekcyjne" :) Jeden (ze stron procesu) wybiera jednego sędziego, a drugi wybiera jednego i piszą: "Ten (strona procesująca się) wybrał tego sędziego, a jego roszczenia są takie a takie itd." aby nie powtarzali swoich roszczeń.] I obaj uiszczają opłatę. R. Szimon b. Gamliel mówi: Dwóch [stron procesowych] piszą po dwa, każdy (pisząc po jednym) dla siebie, [aby ich roszczenia były dobrze uporządkowane. Halacha nie jest zgodna z R. Shimon b. Gamliel, ale roszczenia dwóch stron postępowania i sędziego, którego każdy z wybranych, są zapisane w jednym rachunku].
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
שטרי אריסות – the person who goes down to the land to work it and to guard it for one-half, one-third or one-fourth [of the profit].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah four continues to discuss the consent needed from the involved parties in order to write a document.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
קבלנות – for such-and-such Khorim per year, whether it produced or it didn’t produce.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
They may not write documents of betrothal or marriage except with the consent of both parties. And the bridegroom pays the (scribe’ fee. Since it is necessary for both the bridegroom and the groom to consent to the marriage of the other, the scribe may not write the document without both of their consent. Since the bridegroom is gaining a wife, he writes the document.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
שטרי בירורין – this one (i.e. litigant) chooses one judge who will judge for him and that one (i.e. litigant) chooses for himself one [judge] and they write in a document: “so-and-so chose judge so-and-so and his claims are this and that,” in order that they don’t retract and raise a complaint.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
They may not write documents of tenancy and sharecropping except with the consent of both parties. And the tenant pays the (scribe’ fee. Tenancy is a lease in which the tenant agrees to give the owner of the land a fixed portion of the crop. Sharecropping is a lease in which the sharecropper agrees to give a fixed amount regardless of what the crop yields. In both of the these types of agreements between landowners and those who wish to work the land the document must be written in front of them both. Since the landowner is giving over a piece of his land and the tenant is promising to give the landowner something in return the scribe must ensure that the deal is agreed to by both parties. The scribe’s fee is split.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
כותבים שנים – to each one of the litigants a separate document in which their claims are arranged in it, but the Halakha is not according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel. But rather, they write one document containing the claims of each of the litigants and that so-and-so (i.e., the litigant) chose so-and-so as a judge that would adjudicate for him and so-and-so (i.e., the other litigant) chosen so-and-so as a judge that would adjudicate for him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
They may not write documents of arbitration or any document drawn up before a court except with the consent of both parties. And both parties pay the (scribe’ fee. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says: “Two documents are written for the two parties, one copy for each.” Arbitration documents are those that state who are the judges from whom the litigants agreed to accept binding judgement. In the time of the Mishnah litigants jointly chose judges (see Sanhedrin 3:1), who were not necessarily fixed employees of the state. The other types of court documents referred to in this mishnah would include such documents as those which allowed the creditor to collect the collateral from the debtor in case of default on a loan or a document that states that a creditor collected such collateral (possibly from a third party). These documents must be written in the presence of both parties, and both parties share the scribe’s fee.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Can you extract general principles from this mishnah and the previous one for when the document must be written in a person’s presence?
