Jeśli ktoś pisze o swoim majątku do swoich synów, musi napisać: „od dziś i po śmierci” [w konotacji: Ziemia jest nabywana przez was od dzisiaj i nie będziecie spożywać jej owoców aż do (mojej) śmierci. A jeśli nie pisze „od dzisiaj”, to nic mu nie daje, bo po śmierci nie ma dawania]. To są słowa R. Judy. R. Yossi mówi: On nie musi [pisać "od dzisiaj". Ponieważ bowiem w akcie jest napisane: „W tym i w tym dniu tygodnia tak i tak nam powiedział:« Bądźcie dla mnie świadkami itd. »”, Data wskazuje, że dar „zaczął się” w tym dniu. Jeśli tak nie jest, po co w ogóle pisać datę? Halacha jest zgodna z R. Yossi.] Jeśli ktoś napisze do swojego majątku po jego śmierci [tj. „Od dzisiaj i po śmierci”], ojciec nie może go sprzedać [bez syna], ponieważ spisane na syna, [tj. ziemia jest własnością syna], a syn nie może jej sprzedać [bez ojca], ponieważ jest w domenie ojca [tj. owoce są własnością ojca]. Jeśli ojciec je sprzedał [bez kwalifikacji], [owoce] są sprzedawane (kupującemu), aż on [ojciec] umrze. Jeśli syn sprzedał je [za życia ojca], kupujący nie otrzyma ich [owoców], aż ojciec umrze. Ojciec [który pisał o swoim majątku do syna "od dziś i po śmierci"] wyrywa i karmi [owoce], kogo chce [za życia]. Ale jeśli chodzi o to, co pozostało w ziemi w chwili jego śmierci, to choćby zostało wyrwane, należy do jego syna, odbiorcy daru. Jednakże, jeśli ktoś pisze o swoim majątku do drugiego, nawet to, co pozostało w ziemi w momencie jego darowizny, należy do spadkobierców. Albowiem człowiek jest bardziej przychylny synowi niż drugiemu.] A to, co zostało, zerwane (z ziemi), należy do spadkobierców. Jeśli zostawił synów, dorosłych i małych, dorośli nie są ubrani kosztem małych [(Wydatki na ubrania dorosłych są większe niż koszty małych)], a mali nie są karmieni kosztem dorosłych. Ale dzielą się równo. [(Wydatki na jedzenie małych są większe niż dorosłych, ponieważ jedzą częściej i więcej zostawiają). Dlatego mali powstrzymują dorosłych od ubierania się w majątku, a dorośli zatrzymują maluczkich przed karmieniem się nim, ale każdy jest ubrany i nakarmiony z własnego udziału]. Jeśli dorośli synowie pobrali się [i wzięli wydatki na ślub z majątku po śmierci ojca], młodzi również mogą się ożenić [tj. , mogą również pokryć koszty ślubu z majątku.] A jeśli młodsi powiedzieli [po śmierci ich ojca]: „Pobieramy się tak, jak (tj. w takim samym stylu), jak to zrobiliście” [za życia naszego ojca ], nie słuchają, ale cokolwiek dał im ich ojciec [za życia], on dał.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
צריך שיכתוב מהיום ולאחר מיתה – that implies the body of the land will be acquired by you from today, but you will not eat of the fruits until after death, but if he did not write, “from today,” he did not give him anything for there is no gift after death.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
The first half of mishnah seven deals with laws concerning a father who gives money to his son before his death, thereby circumventing the lines of inheritance as prescribed in the Torah. The second half of the mishnah deals with the division of the inheritance amongst the sons.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אינו צריך – [it is not necessary] to write “from today, for since he wrote in the document: “on such-and-such day of the week, so-and-so told us, “be for me witnesses,” the date [and time] of the document proves that from that day, the gift began. But if he did not say this, the time that is written in the document – for what purposes was it written? And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yosi.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
The first two sections of the mishnah deal with a father who wrote over his property to one of his sons before his death in order to avoid the property falling equally to all of his sons at the time of his death. The intent of the father’s action is for the money ti stay in the possession of the father until he dies but to already partly belong to the son to whom the property was written over. In this way the son does not have to split the property with the other sons.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
לאחר מותו – from today and after death.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man writes over his property to his son, he must write, “From today and after my death”, according to Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Yose says, “He need not do so.” In order to accomplish such an action the father must write in the document that it is valid “from today and after my death”. He writes “from today” so that the property will already be transferred before his death, and thereby not subject to the laws of inheritance which take effect only after death. He writes, “after my death” so that he can continue to use the property until he dies. This is Rabbi Judah’s opinion. According to Rabbi Yose he need not write “from today” in the document. Since the document contains the date on which it was written, it is clear that the transfer occurs before his death, and is not subject to the laws of inheritance.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
האב אינו יכול למכור – without the son, for the body [of the estate] was acquired by the son.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If a man writes over his property to his son to be his after his death, the father cannot sell it since it is written over to the son, and the son cannot sell it since it is in the possession of the father. If his father sold the property, it is sold [only] until he dies; if the son sold the property, the buyer has no claim until the father dies. The father harvests the crops and gives them to whomever he wishes, and what he has left harvested belongs to [all] his heirs. After the document is written the property is neither fully the son’s nor fully the father’s. Neither can sell the property; if the father were to do the sale is only valid until he dies at which point the property will belong to the son. If the son were to sell the sale is valid only after the father dies. Until then the property is in the father’s possession. The father may continue to harvest the produce from his fields and he may even give it to others as he so desires. If he dies and leaves harvested produce, it is subject to the laws of inheritance and not solely to the son to whom the father wrote his property.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If he left elder sons and younger sons, the elder sons may not take care of themselves [from the estate] at the expense of the younger sons, nor may the younger sons claim maintenance at the cost of the elder sons, rather they all share alike. If the elder sons married [at the expense of the estate] so too the younger sons may marry [at the expense of the estate]. If the younger sons said, “We will marry in the way you married”, they do not listen to them, for what their father gave them, he has given. In this section the father died without writing his property over to one son. In such a case the inheritance is divided equally. The elder sons cannot take care of themselves at the expense of the younger sons. Even though the elder sons need more clothing than the younger sons they may not use more than their share. So too, the younger sons may not claim more food than their share, even though younger children eat and waste more food. With regards to providing a marriage feast for the son and his bride and providing the young couple with a place to live, the younger sons can claim to receive the same amount from the inheritance that the elder sons receive. If, however, the elder sons married while the father was still alive, the younger sons cannot claim that they should receive as much as the elder sons received. Since the elder sons married while the father was alive the money their father gave them for the wedding was a gift and does not impact on the equal division of the inheritance.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מכר האב – [the father sold] in an undefined manner the fruits are sold to the purchaser, until the father dies.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Section 2a: Why is produce which is harvested before the father dies subject to the laws of inheritance whereas the rest of the father’s property is transferred to the son to whom the property was written over?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מכר הבן – during the lifetime of the father, [the son sold it], the purchaser does not have the fruits until the father dies.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
האב – who wrote that his property is to go to his son from today and after death, may pluck up and feed the fruit to whomever he desires during his lifetime, but what he left that is attached [is deposed] at the time of death. Even though that it stands to be plucked up, they belong to the son who receives the gift. But he who writes that all of his property is to go to someone else, even what he had left attached to the ground at the time of his death, it belongs to the inheritors, for the intention of a person is closer to his son than to anyone else.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
מתפרנסין – garments and clothing because the support of the older children is greater than the support of the younger children.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
נזונים – food and drink, because the food of the younger children is greater than that of the older children, who eat many times and scatter. Therefore, the younger children prevent the older children from supporting themselves from that which belongs to the estate of the house, and the older children prevent the younger children from being fed, but rather, each one is supported and fed from his portion.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
נשאו גדולים – they made all the needs of the wedding from the estate of the house after the death of their father, the younger children will also get married with [the support of] the estate of the house.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ואם אמרו הקטנים – behold, we will get married in the manner that you married during the lifetime of our father, we don’t listen to them, but rather, what their father gave them during his lifetime, he gave [them.
