Study Bava Batra folio 34B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ההוא ארבא דהוו מינצו עלה בי תרי, האי אמר: ״דידי היא״, והאי אמר: ״דידי היא״. אתא חד מינייהו לבי דינא, ואמר: תיפסוה אדמייתינא סהדי דדידי היא. תפסינן, או לא תפסינן? רב הונא אמר: תפסינן. רב יהודה אמר: לא תפסינן.
§ The Talmud relates: There was a certain boat that two people were quarreling about with regard to its ownership. This one said: It is mine, and that one also said: It is mine. One of them came to court and said: Seize it until I am able to bring witnesses that it is mine. The Talmud asks: In such a case, do we seize it or do we not seize it? Rav Huna said: We seize it. Rav Yehuda said: We do not seize it, as there is no cause for the court to intervene.
אזל, ולא אשכח סהדי. אמר להו: אפקוה, וכל דאלים גבר. מפקינן, או לא מפקינן? רב יהודה אמר: לא מפקינן. רב פפא אמר: מפקינן. והלכתא: לא תפסינן, והיכא דתפס – לא מפקינן.
The court seized the boat. The one who requested of the court to seize it went to seek witnesses, but did not find witnesses. He then said to the court: Release the boat, and whoever is stronger prevails, as this is the ruling in a case where there is neither evidence nor presumptive ownership for either litigant. The Talmud asks: In such a case, do we release it or do we not release it? Rav Yehuda said: We do not release it. Rav Pappa said: We release it. The Talmud concludes: And the halakha is that we do not seize property in a case where ownership is uncertain, and where it was seized, we do not release it.
זה אומר: ״של אבותי״, וזה אומר: ״של אבותי״ – אמר רב נחמן: כל דאלים גבר. ומאי שנא משני שטרות היוצאין ביום אחד –
There was an incident where two people dispute the ownership of property. This one says: It belonged to my ancestors and I inherited it from them, and that one says: It belonged to my ancestors and I inherited it from them. There was neither evidence nor presumptive ownership for either litigant. Rav Naḥman said: Whoever is stronger prevails. The Talmud asks: And in what way is this case different from the case where two people produce two deeds of sale or gift for the same field that are issued on one day,