מֹ֧אזְנֵי צֶ֣דֶק אַבְנֵי־צֶ֗דֶק אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין צֶ֖דֶק יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם אֲנִי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
Balanças justas, pesos justos, uma eifa justa, e um hin justo terão convosco; Eu sou Hashem, vosso Deus, que vos tirei da terra de Mitzrayim.
Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot
Rebbi Ḥaggai and Rebbi Jeremiah went to the Bazaar11The translation is tentative; בית חנוותא means “the house of stores”, which might be a description of a shuq even though it is difficult to explain why the word שׁוּקָא was not used. It is not clear what kind of miẓwah the two rabbis performed in the market. In the opinion of R. Eleazar Askari they were agoranomoi, overseers of weights and measures, and Rebbi Ḥaggai recited a benediction before starting to go from stall to stall and checking the balances for correctness since that is a Biblical commandment repeated several times in the Pentateuch (Deut. 25:15, Lev. 19:36) in addition to the prohibition of fraudulent business practices.
The Rome manuscript has instead of בית חנוותא the expression לְמֵי חַטָּאתָה “the water for the ashes of the read heifer”, the drawing of which certainly would need a benediction. The Talmud reports that Rebbi Ḥaggai finished his Talmud studies with Rav Ḥuna I at age 18 and lived to be 160 years old; so, as shown in the commentary to Mishnah 1:1, he still could have seen ashes of the read heifer, but these could not have been preserved at the time of Rebbi Jeremiah who lived during the third and fourth generations of Amoraïm, even if these ashes were uniquely reserved for Cohanim eating Terumah.
R. Zachariah Frankel wants to emend to בֵּית חַתְנוּתָא “place of a wedding” but his reading has no basis in antique or medieval sources.. Rebbi Ḥaggai was quick to recite a blessing. Rebbi Jeremiah said to him: You acted correctly because all commandments need a benediction. And from where that all commandments12After establishing benedictions before the consumption of food one establishes now the need for benedictions before the execution of positive commandments (by tradition, only those to be performed at specific times or occasions, not those that are always valid). need a benediction? Rebbi Tanḥuma, Rebbi Abba bar Cahana in the name of Rebbi Eleazar: (Ex. 24:12) “I want to give you the stone tablets, the Torah and the commandment13The verse really reads: “both Torah and Commandments”. The double vaw in the verse is essential for R. Eleazar’s argument..” It brackets Torah and commandment. Just as Torah needs a benediction, a commandment also needs benediction.
The Rome manuscript has instead of בית חנוותא the expression לְמֵי חַטָּאתָה “the water for the ashes of the read heifer”, the drawing of which certainly would need a benediction. The Talmud reports that Rebbi Ḥaggai finished his Talmud studies with Rav Ḥuna I at age 18 and lived to be 160 years old; so, as shown in the commentary to Mishnah 1:1, he still could have seen ashes of the read heifer, but these could not have been preserved at the time of Rebbi Jeremiah who lived during the third and fourth generations of Amoraïm, even if these ashes were uniquely reserved for Cohanim eating Terumah.
R. Zachariah Frankel wants to emend to בֵּית חַתְנוּתָא “place of a wedding” but his reading has no basis in antique or medieval sources.. Rebbi Ḥaggai was quick to recite a blessing. Rebbi Jeremiah said to him: You acted correctly because all commandments need a benediction. And from where that all commandments12After establishing benedictions before the consumption of food one establishes now the need for benedictions before the execution of positive commandments (by tradition, only those to be performed at specific times or occasions, not those that are always valid). need a benediction? Rebbi Tanḥuma, Rebbi Abba bar Cahana in the name of Rebbi Eleazar: (Ex. 24:12) “I want to give you the stone tablets, the Torah and the commandment13The verse really reads: “both Torah and Commandments”. The double vaw in the verse is essential for R. Eleazar’s argument..” It brackets Torah and commandment. Just as Torah needs a benediction, a commandment also needs benediction.
Jerusalem Talmud Gittin
Rebbi Ze‘ira asked before Rebbi Mana: Is it the same for a gift? Can a person appoint an agent for anything that is not his? He said to him, there the Torah gave her the right to a bill of divorce and she appoints an agent to receive what is rightfully hers. Can you say in regard to a gift that a person can appoint an agent for anything that is not his? In addition, from what Rebbi Yose and Rebbi Jacob bar Zavdi, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan said, if somebody said to give a gift to another and he wants to retract, he may retract. Rebbi Yose stood near Rebbi Jacob bar Zavdi and said to him, is that a just “yes”39Lev. 19:36: “Your hîn shall be just”. The הִין is a liquid measure (half a se’ah). But since biblical כֵּן “yes” became rabbinic הֵן, the verse is interpreted to mean that in money matters any “yes” has to be honest. The formal argument is that the verse already mentioned the ephah as correct measure; therefore the smaller hîn requires symbolic interpretation. [This learned pun is in the name of R. Yose ben R. Jehudah in the Babli, Baba meṣiʻa 49a, Bekhorot 13b; Sifra Qedošim Pereq 8(7)].? He said to him, at the moment he said it, it was a just “yes”.
Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia
Rebbi Jacob bar Idi, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: A ring does not have the status of a pledge44Since it has to be returned as is, it is only a reminder without legal consequences. Cf. Ševi‘t 10:9, Note 131; Babli 48b.. Nobody dealing in words onlymay one deliver to “Him Who exacted retribution”45Sevi‘it 10:9, Notes 129–130; Babli 49a, Tosephta 3:14. As long as there was no action of acquisition, the person who goes back on his word can be considered untrustworthy but is not subject to judicial censure.. Rebbi Jacob bar Zavdi, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: If one promised a gift to another and wanted to renege on it, he may renege.46Sevi‘it 10:9, Notes 133–142; Ma‘aśer Šeni 4:7 Note 129 Babli 49a. [Rebbi Jacob bar Zavdi asked before Rebbi Abbahu: Is that “true no, true yes47Lev. 19:36.”?]48Text added from E. Since the answer is given in L, the question must have been in the original text. For the duty to be honest in monetary matters as a biblical command, cf. Ševi‘it 10:9, Note 134; Giṭṭin 6:1, Note 39. He said, at the moment when he said it, he had to speak with full deliberation49The obligation to be honest does not imply a prohibition to change one’s mind. In the Giṭṭin text, it is R. Jacob bar Zavdi who gives the answer to R. Yose [Babli 49a, Bekhorot 13b; Sifra Bekhorot Pereq 8(7)].. After that, if he changes his mind, he cannot change it, that is, if [the recipient] is poor50Giving alms is not a gift to the poor but a gift to God and as such is final upon being promised (Mishnah Qiddušin 1:6.
Kaftor waPeraḥ Chapter 44 reads: “If somebody promised to give a gift and wants to change his mind, he may change his mind. But if he said, I am speaking with full deliberation, he cannot change his mind. That is, for a rich recipient. But for a poor recipient it becomes a vow.” This seems to be more of a paraphrase than an exact quote.. But for a rich person, is that a vow? Rav commanded his servant: If I tell you to give a gift to a person, if he is poor, give it to him immediately. But if he is rich, take counsel with me a second time51This contradicts the statement in Ševi‘t 10:9 that Rav never changed his mind once he had promised a gift..
Kaftor waPeraḥ Chapter 44 reads: “If somebody promised to give a gift and wants to change his mind, he may change his mind. But if he said, I am speaking with full deliberation, he cannot change his mind. That is, for a rich recipient. But for a poor recipient it becomes a vow.” This seems to be more of a paraphrase than an exact quote.. But for a rich person, is that a vow? Rav commanded his servant: If I tell you to give a gift to a person, if he is poor, give it to him immediately. But if he is rich, take counsel with me a second time51This contradicts the statement in Ševi‘t 10:9 that Rav never changed his mind once he had promised a gift..