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Bava Basra 40a

בבא בתרא מ׳ ע״א

Bava Batra 40a

Learn Bava Basra 40a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The rules for how many witnesses each legal act needs and when they must be told 'כתובו'. Then רבא's question about קנין, and a dispute over when a מודעא may be written.

Overview

This amud finishes a list of rules about witnesses. מחאה (a protest against someone holding your land) and מודעא (an advance declaration that a sale is forced) each need two witnesses, and the witnesses may write them down without being told to. הודאה (admitting a debt) needs two witnesses, but they may write a document only if the person tells them 'כתובו'. קנין needs two witnesses and no 'כתובו', and קיום שטרות (confirming documents) needs three. The גמרא gives the memory aid ממה״ק. רבא then asks: if קנין is like an act of בית דין it should need three people, and if it is not, it should need 'כתובו' like הודאה. He answers that קנין is not a court act, but a plain קנין is normally meant to be written down, so permission to write is assumed. The גמרא then turns to מודעא. רבה and רב יוסף allow one only against a person who ignores the court, while אביי and רבא allow it even against law-abiding people. The amud ends as the חכמי נהרדעא begin a general rule about every מודעא, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר ״כְּתוֹבוּ״;

and he does not need to say 'Write';

מוֹדָעָא – בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם,

a declaration — in front of two,

וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר ״כְּתוֹבוּ״;

and he does not need to say 'Write';

הוֹדָאָה – בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם,

an admission — in front of two,

The steps (8)

  1. StatementProtest and advance declaration: two witnesses, no instruction to write needed
  2. StatementAdmission, acquisition, and confirming documents
  3. StatementA memory aid for the list
  4. Challengeרבא's difficulty: what kind of act is a קנין?
  5. Resolutionרבא answers his own question about קנין
  6. StatementA מודעא only against someone who ignores the court
  7. StatementA מודעא even against law-abiding people
  8. StatementThe חכמי נהרדעא begin a rule about every מודעא