Mishnayos Gittin Perek 5 Mishnah 4
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גיטין פרק ה׳ משנה ד׳
With regard to orphans who are living with a homeowner who takes care of all their needs and affairs, even if neither their father nor the court officially appointed him to this task, or if their father appointed a steward [apotropos] for them, this person is obligated to tithe their produce. With regard to a steward who was appointed by the orphans’ father, when he returns all of the property to the orphans upon their reaching adulthood, he takes an oath that he took nothing of theirs for himself. By contrast, if the court appointed him to serve as a steward for them, then he is not required to take such an oath. Abba Shaul says: The matters are reversed. A steward appointed by the court takes an oath, but a steward appointed by the orphans’ father is not required to do so. With regard to one who renders another’s food ritually impure, or one who mixes teruma with another’s non-sacred produce, or one who pours another’s wine as a libation before an idol, in each of these cases causing the other a monetary loss, if he acted unintentionally, he is exempt from paying for the damage. If he acted intentionally, he is liable to pay. If priests disqualified an offering with improper intention in the Temple, by expressing, while sacrificing the offering, the intention of sprinkling the blood of the offering, burning its fats on the altar, or consuming it, after its appointed time, and they did so intentionally, they are liable to pay the value of the offering to its owner, who must now bring another offering.
יְתוֹמִים שֶׁסָּמְכוּ אֵצֶל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אוֹ שֶׁמִּנָּה לָהֶן אֲבִיהֶן אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, חַיָּב לְעַשֵּׂר פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶן. אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס שֶׁמִּנָּהוּ אֲבִי יְתוֹמִים, יִשָּׁבֵעַ. מִנָּהוּ בֵית דִּין, לֹא יִשָּׁבֵעַ. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר, חִלּוּף הַדְּבָרִים. הַמְטַמֵּא וְהַמְדַמֵּעַ וְהַמְנַסֵּךְ בְּשׁוֹגֵג, פָּטוּר. בְּמֵזִיד, חַיָּב. הַכֹּהֲנִים שֶׁפִּגְּלוּ בַמִּקְדָּשׁ מְזִידִין, חַיָּבִין:
Bartenura
יתומים שסמכו אצל בעל הבית. לעשות מעשיהם על פיו ולא שנתמנה להם אפטרופוס, אפילו הכי כאפטרופוס הוא.
אפטרופוס, בלשון רומי קורין לאב פאט״ר ולקטנים פוטו״ס. ופירוש אפטרופוס אביהן של קטנים:
שמינהו אבי יתומים ישבע. דאי לאו דאית ליה הנאה מיניה לא הוה ליה אפטרופוס, ומשום שבועה לא אתי לאמנועי:
מנוהו בית דין לא ישבע. דטובת חנם היא שזה עושה לבית דין לקבל דבריהם ולטרוח חנם ואי רמית עליה שבועה אתי לאמנועי:
אבא ששאול אומר חלוף הדברים. מנוהו בית דין ישבע, דבההיא הנאה דקא נפיק עליה קלא דאינש מהימנא הוא דהא סמכי עליה בי דינא, משום שבועה לא אתי לאמנועי. מינהו אבי יתומים לא ישבע, דטובת חנם עושה לו לטרוח עם בניו, ואי רמית עליה שבועה אתי לאמנועי. והלכה כאבא שאול:
המטמא. טהרותיו של. חברו:
והמדמע. מערב תרומה בחולין של חברו. ומפסידו, שצריך למכרו לכהנים בזול:
והמנסר. שמערב יין נסך ביין כשר ואוסרו בהנאה:
במזיד חייב. ובדין הוא שיהא פטור, דהיזק שאינו ניכר לאו שמיה היזק, אלא מפני תקון העולם שלא יהא כל אחד ואחד הולך ומטמא טהרותיו של חברו ואומר פטור אני:
הכהנים. שפגלו. קרבנות, ששחטו וזרקו דמם במחשבת לאכול מהם חוץ לזמנו. ולא הורצו לבעלים:
מזידים. שידעו שפסולים בכך:
חייבים. לשלם דמיהן לבעלים, שהרי צריכין להביא אחרים, ואי נמי נדבה היא שאינו חייב בתשלומין, מכל מקום קשה בעיניו שלא הקריב קרבנו שהרי להביא דורון היה מבקש:
יתומים שסמכו אצל בעל הבית – to do their work at his direction, for an administrator/guardian had not been appointed for them; but nevertheless, he was like an administrator.
אפוטרופוס – In the Roman language they would call a father PATER and children [would be called] POTOS. An explanation of APOTROPOS is the father of minor children.
שמינהו אבי יתומים ישבע – for if not [i.e. if he did not take an oath], that he had benefit from him, he would not have had an administrator, and because of the oath taken, he might shrink from serving as a guardian.
מנוהו בית דין לא ישבע – as a gratuitous favor, as he does this for the Jewish court to accept their words and to trouble himself without pay, and if they bring a dispute [by requiring that] he take an oath [that he was faithful to his task], he can shrink from it [i.e., becoming a guardian].
אבא שאול אומר חילוף הדברים – if he court appointed him, he should take an oath, since the benefit [he receives] has a voice that he is an honorable person [by not stealing from the funds in his care] for the Jewish court relies upon him and because of the oath taken, he will not shrink [from his duties in becoming a guardian]; [on the other hand], if the father of the orphans appointed him, he should not take an oath, as it is a gratuitous favor that he does for him to go to the trouble [of caring for] his children, and if they were to raise a dispute against him [by requiring that] he take an oath, he would shrink from his duties [of serving as a guardian]. And the Halakha is according to Abba Shaul.
המטמא – [he defiles] the pure objects of his fellow.
המדמע – he mixes the heave-offering/sacred donation for the Kohanim with unconsecrated foods and causes it to lose value, as it is necessary to sell it to the Kohanim cheaply.
המנסך – mixing wine poured for libations with kosher wine and it is forbidden to derive benefit [from it].
במזיד חייב – but by law, he would be exempt, for damage that is not discernible in the object itself is not itself called damage (see Talmud Gittin 53a), but for the sake of the social order [we do not do this], so that every person would not go and defile his fellow’s pure objects, and say that I am exempt.
הכהנים שפיגלו – [because of an improper intention in the mind of the officiating Kohen making] the sacrifices [rejectable] in that they slaughtered [the animals] and sprinkled their blood with the thought of eating from them at an inappropriate time, and it as not acceptable to the owners [of the sacrifices].
מזידים – that they knew that they would be invalid by doing this.
חייבים – to pay their value to the owners, for they would have to bring other [sacrifices]; alternatively, it is a donation and is not obligated for indemnity payment. Nevertheless, it is difficult in his eyes that he would not make the sacrificial offering, for he was requested to bring a gift.