Friday, November 8, 2024

How can I gift you my land, but I want to continue to enjoy the produce during my lifetime? TB Baba Batra 136

Land is acquired in three ways, a contract document (שטר), money (כסף), proprietary usage (חזקה). When a person in his lifetime wants to gift property (קרקע) to his son, but retain the right to consume the produce (פירות), the document will contain the phrase “from today and after my death.- מֵהַיּוֹם וּלְאַחַר מִיתָה” (Sefaria.org translation)

During the Amoraic period, an additional method of acquiring property was instituted. This acquiring was done by a kinyan sudar (קנין סודר), each person tugging on an end of a piece of cloth like a handkerchief. I’m sure you’ve seen this method at weddings when the groom accepts the obligations outlined in the ketubah.

On today’s daf TB Baba Batra 136, Rabbi Yosei and Rabbi Yehuda agree that the phrase “from today and after my death” isn’t necessary to parse the gift document as explained in the first paragraph “Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, said: Whether the wording is he transferred it to him and we acquired it from him, or whether it is we acquired it from him and he transferred it to him, he need not write: From today and after my death, as the act of transfer (i.e. the kinyan sudar-gg) is mentioned in any event. And Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei in the mishna disagree whether the phrase: From today and after my death, is necessary only with regard to a case where the deed merely states: This is a record of the proceedings that took place in our presence, without any mention of an act of transfer.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The Gemara reports that describes both Abaye’s scribes and Rava’s scribes knew the how to write these types of documents correctly.

 

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