Study Sanhedrin folio 15A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
האומר: ״ערך כלי זה עלי״ – נותן דמיו. מאי טעמא? אדם יודע שאין ערך לכלי, וגמר ואמר לשום דמים. משום הכי נותן דמיו. האי ״ערכין המטלטלין״? ״ערכין של מטלטלין״ מבעיא ליה! תני: ערכין של מטלטלין.
With regard to one who says: The valuation of this utensil is incumbent upon me to donate, he must give the monetary value of the utensil to the Temple treasury. What is the reason for this halakha? A person knows that a utensil has no valuation, i.e., that the term valuation is not relevant to a utensil, and therefore it must be that he decided to donate money and says this expression as a reference to its monetary value, using the term imprecisely. Due to that reason, he gives its monetary value. The Talmud challenges: According to this explanation, this term: Valuations that are movable property, is not precise; the tanna should have used the term: Valuations of movable property. The Talmud answers: Emend the statement and teach: Valuations of movable property.
רב חסדא אמר אבימי: במתפיס מטלטלין לערכין. האי ״ערכין המטלטלין״? ״מטלטלין של ערכין״ מיבעי ליה! תני: מטלטלין של ערכין.
Rav Ḥisda says that Avimi says a different explanation: Rav’s statement is discussing one who associates the object of his vow with movable property for the valuation. In other words, he took a vow to pay a valuation, and did not have actual money to pay the vow, so he consecrates movable property for this purpose. This property is then appraised by 3 experts. The Talmud challenges: According to this explanation, this term: Valuations that are movable property, is not precise; the tanna should have used the term: Movable property of valuations. The Talmud answers: Emend the statement and teach: Movable property of valuations.
רבי אבהו אמר: באומר ״ערכי עלי״, בא כהן לגבות ממנו מטלטלין – בשלשה, קרקעות – בעשרה. אמר ליה רב אחא מדיפתי לרבינא: בשלמא לאפוקי מהקדש בעינן שלשה, אלא לעיולי להקדש שלשה למה לי?
R' Abbahu says: Rav’s statement is discussing a case of one who says: My monetary valuation is incumbent upon me to donate. If the priest came to collect movable property from him to pay the vow, it must be evaluated by 3 experts, and if he came to collect land it must be evaluated by 10. Rav Aḥa of Difti said to Ravina: Granted, to take out property from consecration by redeeming it we require a panel of 3 experts, because if an error is made in the calculation, this will lead to the sin of misuse of consecrated property. But to elevate property to the status of consecration, why do I need 3 judges?