Mishnayos Bava Metzia Perek 1 Mishnah 6
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בבא מציעא פרק א׳ משנה ו׳
With regard to one who found promissory notes, if they include a property guarantee for the loan he may not return them to the creditor, as, if he were to return them, the court would then use them to collect repayment of the debts from land that belonged to the debtor at the time of the loan, even if that land was subsequently sold to others. If they do not include a property guarantee, he returns them to the creditor, as in this case the court will not use them to collect repayment of the debt from purchasers of the debtor’s land. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: In both this case and that case he should not return the promissory notes to the creditor, as, if he were to return them, the court would in any event use them to collect repayment of the loan from purchasers of the debtor’s land.
מָצָא שְׁטָרֵי חוֹב, אִם יֵשׁ בָּהֶן אַחֲרָיוּת נְכָסִים, לֹא יַחֲזִיר, שֶׁבֵּית דִּין נִפְרָעִין מֵהֶן, אֵין בָּהֶן אַחֲרָיוּת נְכָסִים, יַחֲזִיר, שֶׁאֵין בֵּית דִּין נִפְרָעִין מֵהֶן, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, בֵּין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ לֹא יַחֲזִיר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבֵּית דִּין נִפְרָעִין מֵהֶן:
Bartenura
אחריות נכסים. שעבוד קרקעות שיגבה מהם:
לא יחזיר. לפרעון דחיישינן ולקנוניא. שמא שטר פרוע הוא ומן הלוה נפל, והא דקא מודה לא פרעתי, עצה של רמאות היא ביניהם לטרוף את הלקוחות שלקחו ממנו קרקע שלא באחריות, ויחלקוה ביניהם:
בין כך ובין כך לא יחזיר. דשטר שאין בו אחריות ממשעבדי נמי גבי, דאחריות טעות סופר הוא, וחיישינן לפרעון ולקנוניא. והלכה כחכמים. ודוקא בשטר שאין נזכר בו אחריות אמרו חכמים דטעות סופר הוא וגבי ממשעבדי באילו היה האחריות כתוב בו. אבל אם פירש בשטר שאינו רוצה לקבל עליו אחריות, מודים חכמים דיחזיר, דהשתא ליכא למיחש לקנוניא:
אחריות נכסים – landed security (i.e., that the debtor’s landed property is pledged to the creditor) that he can collect from them.
לא יחזיר – for we are suspicious of collection and conspiracy to fraud and divide the profits. Lest it was a collected/paid off document and it fell from the borrower, and when he admits: “I did not pay,” there is a council of deception between them to seize the sold mortgaged property which cannot be resorted to (in the event of non-payment) and it will be divided between them.
בין כך ובין כך לא יחזיר – a document which cannot be resorted to (i.e., movable property) is mortgaged, and can be collected from, and surety (i.e., property which may be resorted to in the event of non-payment) is the error made by the scribe; and we are suspicious of collection and conspiracy to fraud, and the Halakha is according to the Sages. And specifically, with a document where property may be resorted to in the event of non-payment is not mentioned in it, the Sages said that it is an error made by the scribe, and we collect from mortgaged property as if the surety was written in it (i.e., the document). But if it was spelled out in the document that he (i.e., the borrower) did not want to accept upon himself surety [for non-payment], the Sages admit that he may return it, for now there is no fear for a conspiracy to fraud.