Study Ketubot folio 93A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
עסיקין, עד שלא החזיק בה — יכול לחזור בו, משהחזיק בה — אינו יכול לחזור בו. משום דאמר ליה: חייתא דקיטרי סברת וקבילת. ומאימת מחזיק בה? מכי דייש אמצרי.
disputants i.e., individuals who dispute Reuven’s ownership of the field, as long as Shimon has not yet taken possession of it, he can renege on the deal. However, once he has taken possession, Shimon cannot renege on the deal, because at that point the seller, Reuven, can say to him: You agreed to a sack [ḥaita] of knots and you received it, i.e., since you purchased the field with no guarantee, you understood that it was a risky investment. The Talmud asks: And from when is Shimon considered to have taken possession of the property? The Talmud answers: It is from when he walks the boundaries of the land to inspect it.
There are those who say that even if Reuven sold him the field with a guarantee, Shimon may not demand a refund immediately when he discovers that there are disputants, as Reuven can say to Shimon: Show me your document of authorization to repossess property from me, and I will pay you.
מתני׳ מי שהיה נשוי שלש נשים, ומת, כתובתה של זו מנה, ושל זו מאתים, ושל זו שלש מאות, ואין שם אלא מנה — חולקין בשוה.
Mishnah: In the case of one who was married to 3 women and died and the marriage contract of this wife was for 100 dinars and the marriage contract of this second wife was for 200 dinars, and the marriage contract of this third wife was for 300, and all 3 contracts were issued on the same date so that none of the wives has precedence over any of the others, and the total value of the estate is only 100 dinars, the wives divide the estate equally.