Bava Basra - Daf 175
- אין אדם משטה בשעת מיתה
Rava asked: שכיב מרע שהודה מהו – If a gravely ill person admitted owing someone money, what is the halachah? צריך לומר אתם עדי – Must he say to those present, “You are my witnesses to the admission,” or does he not have to say "אתם עדי"? Normally, an admission to owing money before witnesses does not obligate him to pay (if he did not designate עדים), because he can later claim he was joking when he made this admission. Does this apply to a שכיב מרע as well? Furthermore, Rava asked: צריך שיאמר כתובו – Must he say to the witnesses, “Write the admission in a שטר,” which is ordinarily required before recording an admission in a שטר, or is it not required in the case of a שכיב מרע? The Gemara concludes: אין אדם משטה בשעת מיתה – a person does not jest at the time of his death, so his admission is accepted even without designating witnesses. ודברי שכיב מרע ככתובין וכמסורין דמו – And the words of a שכיב מרע are treated like they are written and delivered. Since it is like it is written in a שטר, the עדים can record his admission in a שטר without his instruction.
- הרוצה שיחכים יעסוק בדיני ממונות
The next Mishnah states that a loan recorded in a שטר may be collected from נכסים משעובדים (properties sold by the borrower), but an oral loan is only collected from the borrower’s own properties. An ערב’s commitment which is recorded after the שטר’s signatures is only collected from בני חורין, and Rebbe Yishmael ruled this way. However, Ben Nanas argued that the lender should not collect from the ערב at all: הרי החונק את אחד בשוק – if [the lender] was strangling [the borrower] in the market, and someone saw and told the lender, “Leave him and I will give you the money,” he is exempt from paying, שלא על אמונתו הלוהו – because he did not originally lend him the money based on his trust (since this commitment was made after the loan). Rather, an ערב is only liable where he committed to guarantee the loan before it is made. Rebbe Yishmael said: הרוצה שיחכים יעסוק בדיני ממונות – one who wants to become wise should occupy himself with learning monetary laws, שאין לך מקצוע בתורה יותר מהן – because there is no area of Torah greater than it, והן כמעיין הנובע – and they are like a flowing fountain. And one who wishes to occupy himself in learning דיני ממונות should serve Ben Nanas.
- Machlokes if שעבודא דאורייתא re: collecting loans
Ulla says that Biblically, both a loan in a שטר and an oral loan may be collected from נכסים משועבדים, because שיעבודא דאורייתא – a person’s property is beholden to a debt Biblically. The Rabbis enacted that an oral loan cannot be collected from משועבדים, משום פסידא דלקוחות – because of the loss of the buyers of the borrower’s land. They were not concerned about the buyers’ loss in the case of a debt in a שטר, because since the debt became known publicly through the שטר, אינהו נינהו דאפסידו אנפשייהו – they are the ones who caused the loss to themselves. Rabbah says the opposite, that Biblically, no loans are collected from משועבדים, because שעבודא לאו דאורייתא. The Rabbis instituted to collect debts recorded in שטרות from משועבדים, כדי שלא תנעול דלת בפני לוין – in order not to shut the door in front of potential borrowers, who would not be able obtain loans without the lenders’ confidence in being able to collect them. This enactment was not extended to an oral loan, because לית ליה קלא – it is not public knowledge.
