Bava Basra - Daf 164
- Text and/or signatures written on erased parchment
Rav said: שטר הבא הוא ועדיו על המחק כשר – a document which comes forward with [its text] and its witnesses’ signatures on erased parchment is valid. The Gemara asks that the holder of the שטר can erase the text and write whatever he wants, and answers: אינו דומה נמחק פעם אחת לנמחק שתי פעמים – parchment which was erased once is not similar to parchment which was erased twice, and his fraud will be discovered. The Gemara asks that he can erase the signature section twice and the text section once, so that after the עדים sign, he can erase and rewrite text which will now match the erasure beneath the signatures!? Abaye answers that עדים do not sign on erased parchment unless it is erased before them, so they will see if the sections look different. Rav is challenged from a Baraisa: הוא על הנייר ועדיו על המחק כשר – if [the text] is on unerased parchment and the witnesses’ signatures are on erased parchment, it is valid. According to Rav, he can erase the text and write whatever he wants!? The Gemara answers that the עדים must write, between the two signatures, “We signed on erased parchment and the text was on unerased parchment.”
- A גט מקושר is postdated by one year
In the Mishnah on Daf 160a, Rebbe Chanina ben Gamliel said a גט מקושר can be unbound and made into a גט פשוט. Rebbe objected that the dating system of these two types of שטרות are different, because a גט פשוט is written according to the actual year of the king’s reign, whereas a גט מקושר is postdated by an additional year: מלך שנה מונין לו שתים – if he reigned one year, they count two years for him in the שטר; שתים מונין לו ג' – if he reigned two years, they count three for him. The Rashbam explains that the nations counted their kings’ years this way, and a גט מקושר follows this method, to increase the difficulty of its preparation. Therefore, if one repays the loan of a גט מקושר within the year, the lender can claim he lost the שטר and write a receipt with the actual date. Later, he can make the גט מקושר into a גט פשוט, giving the false impression that it describes a different loan a year later!? The Gemara answers that Rebbe Chanina ben Gamliel holds we do not write receipts, and the borrower would not repay the loan unless the שטר is destroyed.
- שלש עבירות אין אדם ניצול מהן בכל יום, הרהור עבירה ועיון תפלה ולשון הרע
Rebbe once looked disapprovingly at his son Rebbe Shimon, displeased with the writing of a גט מקושר, but Rebbe Shimon protested, “I did not write it; Rebbe Yehudah Chayata wrote it.” Rebbe replied: כלך מלשון הרע הזה – Turn away from this lashon hara! In another incident, Rebbe admired the writing of a sefer Tehillim, and Rebbe Shimon replied that he did not write it, but Rebbe Yehudah Chayata did, and Rebbe again said, "כלך מלשון הרע הזה". Although this was praise, it may not be said, as taught in a Baraisa: לעולם אל יספר אדם בטובתו של חבירו – a person should never speak too much about his friend’s good qualities, שמתוך טובתו בא לידי רעתו – because from discussing his good qualities may come discussing his bad qualities. Rav said: שלש עבירות אין אדם ניצול מהן בכל יום – there are three aveiros from which no person is saved every day: הרהור עבירה – thoughts of sin, ועיון תפלה – examining one’s prayer, which the Rashbam interprets as confidence one’s prayers will be answered because of his praying with concentration, ולשון הרע – and lashon hara, which is explained as אבק לשון הרע – a shade of slander.
