Bava Metzia 68A

קא פריק לה בארבעה זוזי, הכא נמי לא שנא.

that he redeems it at 4 dinars a year, despite the fact that the produce is worth more? Here too, it is no different. Since he established the deduction of a fixed sum that he cannot be sure he will receive, the practice is permitted, even if he in fact profits from the arrangement.

ומאן דאסר ⁠– אמר לך: שדה אחוזה הקדש היא, ורחמנא אוקמיה אפדיון. הכא ⁠– הלואה היא ומיחזי כרבית.

And the one who prohibits this arrangement could have said to you that the halakha with regard to an ancestral field is discussing consecrated property and God established redemption for it, on the basis of which the rabbis determined the full redemption. Here, by contrast, it is a loan, and therefore it has the appearance of interest.

אמר רב אשי: אמרו לי סבי דמתא מחסיא: סתם משכנתא ⁠– שתא. למאי נפקא מינה? דאי אכיל לה שתא ⁠– מצי מסלק ליה, ואי לא ⁠– לא מצי מסלק ליה.

Rav Ashi said: The elders of the town of Mata Meḥasya told me: An unspecified mortgage [mashkanta] is for a year. The Talmud poses a question: What is the practical difference resulting from this ruling? The Talmud explains: It means that if the lender consumed its produce for a year, the borrower can then remove him; but if not, the borrower cannot yet remove him, as an unspecified mortgage does not last less than this period of time.

ואמר רב אשי: אמרו לי סבי דמתא מחסיא, מאי ״משכנתא״⁠ – דשכונה גביה. למאי נפקא מינה? לדינא דבר מצרא.

And Rav Ashi said: The elders of Mata Meḥasya told me: What is the meaning of the word mashkanta? It is referring to the fact that it resides [shekhuna] with him. The Talmud again asks: What is the practical difference resulting from his statement? The Talmud answers: It is relevant for the halakha of one whose field borders the field of his neighbor. Since the mortgaged field resides with him, it is considered his property to a certain extent, and therefore he is granted the right to purchase a neighboring field before an outside party does so.