Zwykły dowód jest podpisany przez dwóch świadków, a złożony przez trzech. Jeśli zwykły get został podpisany przez jednego lub złożony przez dwóch, oba są pasul. [To jest intencja: Tak jak zwykły podpis jednego świadka jest zgodny z prawem Tory, tak jest składany podpis podpisany przez dwóch świadków.] Gdyby było napisane (w getcie): „sto zuzinów, czyli dwadzieścia sela'in, "dostaje tylko dwadzieścia. [Nawet jeśli sto zuzinów to dwadzieścia pięć sela'in, posiadacz weksla (długu) ma słabszą rękę, co jest interpretowane: sto gorszych zuzinów, które są tylko dwudziestu sela'in.] (Gdyby tak było napisane :) "sto zuzinów, które są trzydzieści sela'in", otrzymuje tylko sto (zuzin) [tj. dwadzieścia pięć sela'in, rachunek jest interpretowany: sto zuzinów, które są trzydzieści światła, sela gorsze 'w, które są warte dwadzieścia pięć dobrych.] (Gdyby było napisane :) "srebrne zuziny, które są…", a jeśli [następująca po niej kwota] zostały skasowane, otrzymuje nie mniej niż dwa. „srebrne sela'in, które są…” i zostały usunięte, otrzymuje nie mniej niż dwa. „darconoth, które są…” i zostały usunięte, otrzymuje nie mniej niż dwa. Gdyby było napisane powyżej, „sto” i poniżej, „dwieście” lub powyżej, „dwieście” i poniżej, „sto”, wszystko idzie zgodnie z niższym [o ile nie jest napisane na ostatnia linijka.] Jeśli tak, [tzn. jeżeli na końcu rachunku powtarza się: „I wziąłem na siebie dług za tę i tę kwotę”], to dlaczego jest napisana górna? Tak więc, gdyby usunięto literę z dolnej, można by ją wyprowadzić z górnej.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
פשוט שכתוב בו עד אחד – this is what he said: just as when a plain document in which only one witness is written in it is unfit from the Torah, so also a folded document in which only two witnesses are written in it is also unfit from the Torah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Introduction
Mishnah two mostly discusses discrepancies within a debt document.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין לו אלא עשרים – and even though [it states] one-hundred zuzim, they are twenty-five Selaim. The hand of the owner of the document is at a disadvantage. And this is how we interpret for him a document: one hundred inferior Zuzim are not worth other than twenty Selaim.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
This mishnah deals with documents which were not done properly or had the amount of the debt partially erased.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
אין לי אלא מנה – twenty five Selaim, this is how we interpret it for a document: One hundred Zuzim which are thirty light and inferior Selaim, which are twenty-five from the good ones.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
A simple document requires two witnesses; a sewn document requires three. If a simple document has only one witness, or a sewn document has only two, they are both invalid. A simple document must have two witnesses and a “sewn document” must have three. If they have fewer than the required amount the document is invalid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ונמחקו – the number that is written afterwards is erased.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If it was written in a debt document: “100 zuz which are 20 sela (=80”, he (the can claim only 20 sela; if [it was written] “100 zuz which are 30 sela (=120” he (the can claim only 100 zuz. If in a debt document (an IOU) a number was incorrectly converted into another coin (i.e. dollars into cents), the debtor owes the creditor only the lower amount.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
ומלמטה מאתים – when he doubles his words in the document.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
[If there was written in a debt document] “Silver zuzim which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two zuzim. [If there was written in a debt document] “Silver selas which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two selas. [If there was written in a debt document] “Darics which are …”, and the rest was erased, [the creditor can claim] at least two darics. If a document said that the debtor owed a plural of a certain coin, but the number of the coins owed was erased the creditor can collect only two of the coin. Since the coin was written in plural (i.e. dollars), we know that the number was more than one. The minimum that it could have been is two, and this is what the creditor will be able to collect from the debtor.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
הכל הולך אחר התחתון – as long as it will not be written last in the document.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
If at the top was written a “maneh (100” and at the bottom “200 zuz”, or “200 zuz” at the top and “maneh” at the bottom, everything goes according to the bottom amount. If so, why is the figure written at the top of the document? So that, if a letter of the lower figure was erased, they can learn from the upper figure. If the number at the bottom of a debt document disagrees with the number at the top, the creditor can collect according to the bottom figure, whether it is higher or lower than the bottom figure. The assumption is that the writer of the document, the debtor (or a scribe on his behalf) changed his mind after writing the first amount, and his true intention was the second amount. The mishnah then asks, why do we customarily write the amount on the top and not just on the bottom? The answer is that the top amount will help if the bottom amount is erased. If, however both amounts are still clearly written, we follow the bottom one.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bava Batra
למה כותבין את העליון – for since at the end, the document repeats and states it again, and the responsibility of this money such-and-such I accepted upon myself (see Talmud Bava Batra 167b).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bava Batra
Questions for Further Thought: • Sections two and three: What is the principle that explains why in this case the debtor owes the lower amount (section two) or only two of the coin (section three)?
