Jerusalem Talmud Ketubot 2.10

משנה: וְאֵילּוּ נֶאֱמָנִין לְהָעִיד בְּגוֹדְלָן מַה שֶׁרָאוּ בְקוֹטְנָן. נֶאֱמָן אָדָם לוֹמַר זֶה כְּתָב יָדוֹ שֶׁלְּאַבָּא וְזֶה כְּתָב יָדוֹ שֶׁלְּרִבִּי וְזֶה כְּתָב יָדוֹ שֶׁלְּאָחִי. זָכוּר הָיִיתִי בִּפְלוֹנִית שֶׁיָּצְתָה בְּהִינוּמָא וְרֹאשָׁהּ פָּרוּעַ וְשֶׁהָיָה אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי יוֹצֵא מִבֵּית הַסֵּפֶר לִטְבּוֹל לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָה וְשֶׁהָיָה חוֹלֵק עִמָּנוּ עַל הַגּוֹרֶן וְהַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה בֵּית הַפְּרַס וְעַד כָּאן הָיִינוּ בָאִין בַּשַּׁבָּת. אֲבָל אֵינוֹ נֶאֱמָן אָדָם לוֹמַר דֶּרֶךְ הָיָה לִפְלוֹנִי בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה מַעֲמָד וּמִסְפֵּד הָיָה לִפְלוֹנִי בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה.

MISHNAH: In the following cases, one is trustworthy to testify as an adult about what one saw in one’s minority. A man is trustworthy to say, this is my father’s handwriting, my teacher’s handwriting, my brother’s handwriting; I remember that this person went out in hinuma and uncovered hair, or that this man left school to immerse himself to eat heave, or that he took his part with us on the threshing floor, or that this place is bet happeras, or this far we went on the Sabbath. But a person is not trustworthy to say that X had a right of way at this place, or that X had a space for eulogies at this place.

הלכה: תַּנֵּי. וּבִלְבַד דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵן רְגִילִין בָּהֶן. תַּנֵּי. וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵף עִם אֲחֵרִים.

HALAKHAH: It was stated: Only these which they are used to. It was stated: Only if they are supported by others.

וְחָשׁ לוֹמַר. שֶׁמָּא עֶבֶד הוּא. הָדָא מְסַיְיעָא לְהַהִיא דָמַר רִבִּי חָמָא בַּר עוּקְבָּא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֵּרִבִּי חֲנִינָה. אָסוּר לָאָדָם לְלַמֵּד אֶת עַבְדּוֹ תוֹרָה. לֹא כֵן אָמַר רִבִּי זְעִירָא בְשֵׁם רַב יִרְמְיָה. הָעֶבֶד עוֹלֶה מִשִּׁבְעָה קִרְייוֹת. וַיְדַבֵּר עוֹלֶה מִ[גֹ] פְסוּקִים. תִּיפְתָּר שֶׁלָּמַד מֵאֵילָיו אוֹ שֶׁלִּמְּדוֹ רַבּוֹ כְטֶבִי. וְחָשׁ לוֹמַר. שֶׁמָּא עֶבֶד הוּא. מְסַיְיעָא לְהַהִיא דְתַנֵּי רִבִּי חִיָיה. נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים אֵינָן חוֹלְקִין עַל הַגּוֹרֶן אֲבָל נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מַתְּנוֹת כְּהוּנָּה וּלְוִיָיה מִתּוֹךְ הַבַּיִת.

Should one not worry that he might be a slave? This supports what Rebbi Ḥama bar Uqba said in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Ḥanina: It is forbidden for a man to teach Torah to his slave. But did not Rebbi Ze‘ira say in the name of Rav Jeremiah: A slave is counted as one of the seven readers; wayedabber is counted as one of three verses! Explain it, if he learned it by himself or his master taught him like Tebi. Should one not worry that he might be a slave? This supports what Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: Women and slaves cannot share in the distribution on the threshing floor, but one gives them the gifts of priesthood and levitic status from the house.

מָהוּ לְהוֹצִיא מָמוֹן מִתּוֹךְ עֵדוּתָן. הֵיךְ עֲבִידָא. הָיוּ הַכֹּל יוֹדְעִין עַד שְׂדֵה רְאוּבֵן תְּחוּם שַׁבָּת. וּבָאוּ וְאָמְרוּ. עַד כָּאן הָיִינוּ בָאִין בַּשַּׁבָּת. וְנִמְצֵאת הַשָּׂדֶה שֶׁלְּשִׁמְעוֹן. מָהוּ מֵפִיקְתָהּ מִן שִׁמְעוֹן וּמַחֲזִרָתָהּ לִרְאוּבֵן.

May one act in money matters on their testimony? How is that? If everybody knew that the Sabbath boundary was at Reuben’s field; they came and said, this far we came on the Sabbath, and it turns out that this field is in Simeon’s hand. May one take it from Simeon and return it to Reuben?

מָהוּ שֶׁיְּהוּ נֶאֱמָנִין לוֹמַר. יוֹצְאִין הָיוּ לְלַקֵּט בְּפָגֵי שְׁבִיעִית וְשָׁמַעְנוּ פְלוֹנִי מְמַלֵּל עַל פְּלוֹנִית אִשְׁתּוֹ. אִשָּׁה פְלֹנִית מְמַלֶּלֶת עַל בְּנֶיהָ.

Would they be trustworthy to say, we went out to collect unripe figs in the sabbatical year and heard X talking about his wife Y, or woman Z talking about her children?

רִבִּי אָחָא רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בָּעֵי. הוּזְּמוּ מָהוּ שֶׁיְּשַׁלְּימוּ. אוֹ יָיבֹא כַיי דְאָמַר רִבִּי בָּא רַב יְהוּדָה בְשֵׁם שְׁמוּאֵל. אֵין לוֹמְדִין דָּבָר מִדָּבָר בְּעֵדִים זוֹמְמִין. וָכָא כֵן.

Rebbi Aḥa, Rebbi Samuel asked: If they were proven to be false witnesses, do they have to pay? Or it might be, following what Rebbi Abba, Rav Jehudah, said in the name of Samuel: One does not infer one thing from another in the matter of false witnesses. And here it is so.

תַּנֵּי. שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ בִקְצִיצַת פְּלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי. מָהוּ בִקְצִיצַת. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה אָדָם מוֹכֵר אֶת שְׂדֵה אֲחוּזָּתוֹ הָיוּ קְרוֹבִין מְמַלִּין חָבִיּוֹת קְלָיוֹת וְאֶגּוֹזִים וְשׁוֹבְרִין לִפְנֵי הַתִּינּוֹקוֹת. וְהַתִּינּוֹקוֹת מְלַקְּטִין וְאוֹמְרִים. נִקְצַץ פְּלוֹנִי מֵאֲחוּזָּתוֹ. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיְתָה חוֹזֶרֶת לוֹ הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין לוֹ כֵן וְאוֹמְרִים. חָזַר פְּלוֹנִי לַאֲחוּזָּתוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֵּירִבִּי בּוּן. אַף מִי שֶׁהָיָה נוֹשֶׂא אִשָּׁה שֶׁאֵינָהּ הוֹגֶנֶת לוֹ קְרוֹבָיו מְמַלִּין חָבִיּוֹת קְלָיוֹת וְאֶגּוֹזִים וְשׁוֹבְרִין לִפְנֵי הַתִּינּוֹקוֹת. וְהַתִּינּוֹקוֹת מְלַקְּטִין וְאוֹמְרִים. נִקְצַץ פְּלוֹנִי מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה מְגָרְשָׁהּ הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין לוֹ כֵן וְאוֹמְרִים. חָזַר פְּלוֹנִי לְמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ.

It was stated: “That we ate in X or Y’s clipping.” What is clipping? If a man sold his inherited field, his relatives filled amphoras with roasted kernels and nuts and broke them before children. The children were collecting them and saying, X was clipped from his inheritance. When he bought it back, they were doing the same and saying, X returned to his inheritance. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, also if a man married an unsuitable woman, his realtives filled amphoras with roasted kernels and nuts and broke them before children. The children were collecting them and saying, X was clipped from his family. Whe he divorced her, they were doing the same and saying, X returned to his family.

אֵילּוּ נֶאֱמָנִין לְהָעִיד בְּגוֹדְלָן מַה שֶׁרָאוּ בְקוֹטְנָן כול׳. אֵין נֶאֱמָנִין אֶלָּא בְגוֹדְלָן מַה שֶׁרָאוּ בְקוֹטְנָן. הָא בְקוֹטְנָן לֹא. תַּמָּן תַּנִּינָן. נֶאֱמֶנֶת אִשָּׁה אוֹ קָטָן לוֹמַר. מִיכָּן יָצָא נְחִל. מְהַלֵּךְ לְתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ וְנוֹטֵל אֶת נְחִילוֹ. וָכָה הוּא אוֹמֵר כֵּן. רִבִּי אָחָא רִבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. לֹא אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָה אֶלָּא עַל נְחִיל שֶׁלַּדְּבוֹרִים שֶׁאֵין גְּזֵילוּ דְבַר תּוֹרָה. תַּנֵּי רַב אוֹשַׁעְיָה. וּבִלְבַד בְּמַפְרִיחַ. אֲבָל בְּשׂוֹכוֹ לֹא. רִבִּי זְעִירָא בְעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי מָנָא. לֹא מִסְתַּבְּרָא עַל אָתָרּ. הָא לְאַחַר זְמַן לֹא. אָמַר לֵיהּ. אַף אֲנָא סָבוּר כֵּן. וְתַנִּינָן. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים. שֶׁהֵעִידוּ בְּמַאֲמָרָן. אֲבָל יָצְאוּ וְחָזְרוּ אֲנִי אוֹמֵר. מִפְּנֵי יִרְאָה וּפִיתּוּי אָמְרוּ.

“In the following cases, one is trustworthy to testify as an adult about what he saw in his minority,” etc. They are only trustworthy as adults about what they saw as minors; therefore, not as minors! There, we have stated: “A woman or a minor are trustworthy when they said, from there a swarm of bees left. He then can enter another’s field and take his swarm.” And here, you say so? Rebbi Aḥa, Rebbi Ḥananiah in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Rebbi Joḥanan ben Beroqa said this only about a swarm of bees because taking it is not robbery by biblical standards. Rav Oshaiah stated, only if it is swarming. But not if it clings to a branch. Rebbi Ze‘ira asked before Rebbi Mana: Is that not reasonable only when it happens, but not after some time? He said to him, I agree. And we have stated: When is this said? When they testified to what they said. But if they left and came back, I am saying that they speak out of fear or were seduced.