Mishnayos Bava Basra Perek 9 Mishnah 6
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בבא בתרא פרק ט׳ משנה ו׳
With regard to a person on his death-bed who wrote a deed granting all of his property to others, and he reserved for himself any amount of land, his gift stands even if he subsequently recovers. If he did not reserve for himself any amount of land, and he recovered, his gift does not stand, as the gift was conditional upon his death, since is it evident that he did not intend to leave himself without means of support. If one did not write in the deed that he was on his deathbed, and he then recovered and wished to retract the gift, and he says: I was on my deathbed, and since I recovered, I can retract the gift, but the recipients say: You were healthy, and the gift cannot be retracted, the giver must bring proof that he was on his deathbed in order to retract the gift. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: The burden of proof rests upon the claimant, and since the property is in the possession of the giver, the recipients must bring proof that they have the right to receive it.
שְׁכִיב מְרַע שֶׁכָּתַב כָּל נְכָסָיו לַאֲחֵרִים וְשִׁיֵּר קַרְקַע כָּל שֶׁהוּא, מַתְּנָתוֹ קַיֶּמֶת. לֹא שִׁיֵּר קַרְקַע כָּל שֶׁהוּא, אֵין מַתְּנָתוֹ קַיֶּמֶת. לֹא כָתַב בָּהּ שְׁכִיב מְרַע, הוּא אוֹמֵר שְׁכִיב מְרַע הָיָה וְהֵן אוֹמְרִים בָּרִיא הָיָה, צָרִיךְ לְהָבִיא רְאָיָה שֶׁהָיָה שְׁכִיב מְרַע, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, הַמּוֹצִיא מֵחֲבֵרוֹ עָלָיו הָרְאָיָה:
Bartenura
ושייר קרקע כל שהוא. והוא הדין אם שייר לעצמו מטלטלין, מתנתו מתנה, ואם עמד אינו חוזר. והוא שקנו מידו על אותו מתנה, דמתנת שכיב מרע במקצת בעי קנין בין עמד בין לא עמד. ואם לא קנו מידו לא קנה מקבל המתנה אפילו מת השכיב מרע. ודוקא כשבא להקנות המתנה מחיים. אבל אם אמר יתנו לפלוני כך וכך אחר מותו אינו צריך קנין, ואפילו שייר לעצמו. ושכיב מרע שבא ליתן מתנה מחיים, אם לא שייר לעצמו כלום ועמד, חוזר ואפילו קנו מידו. ומצוה מחמת מיתה דשמענא ליה דקאמר וי ליה דמיית, לעולם חוזר, בין שייר בין לא שייר, ואפילו קנו מידו. ואם מת, קנה מקבל המתנה ואפילו בלא קנין:
לא כתב בה שכיב מרע. כד קציר ורמי בערסיה. ואף לא לשון מתנת בריא, כד הלך על רגלוהי בשוקא. ולא שייר כלום:
הוא אומר שכיב מרע הייתי. וחוזרני בי. והלה אומר בריא היית ולא תחזור:
צריך להביא ראיה שהיה שכיב מרע. דבתר השתא אזלינן, דהאידנא בריא הוא, ועליו להביא ראיה שהיה שכיב מרע בשעת המתנה:
וחכמים אומרים. לא אזלינן בתר השתא אלא אמרינן המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה, ומקבל המתנה שבא להוציא מיד הנותן שהוא מוחזק, עליו להביא ראיה ועדים שבריא היה באותה שעה. והלכה כחכמים:
ושייר קרקע כל שהוא – (see Tractate Peah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 7 for a similar statement at the beginning of the Mishnah) and the same law applies if he left to himself movable, his gift is a gift. But if he stood and doesn’t return and he who acquired something from him on this same gift, as the gift of someone on their deathbed for a portion, requires acquisition, whether standing or not standing. But if he did not acquire it from his hand, the recipient did not acquire the gift, even if the person on his deathbed died. And especially, if he came to transfer/give possession the gift while living. But if he said: “Give to so-and-so this and that after his death,” he doesn’t require acquisition even if he left something to himself. And a person on his deathbed who came to give a a gift while living, if he did not leave anything to himself and stood, it goes back and even if they acquired it from his hand. It is a Mitzvah on account of death that he heard him when he said: “Woe is he who dies.” It (i.e., the gift) always returns [to its owner] whether he left [something to himself] or he did not leave [something to himself], and even if they acquired it from his hand. But if he died, the recipient acquired the gift, and even without acquisition.
לא כתב שכיב מרע – a pitcher of harvest and throws it into his bier, and even if it is not the language of gift of a healthy individual when he walked in the marketplace on his feet and didn’t leave anything.
הוא אומר שכיב מרע הייתי – and I have retracted, but the other says: “You were healthy and you cannot retract, he has to bring proof that he was on his deathbed, since after the present we follow, since presently, he is healthy. It is upon him to bring proof that he was on his deathbed at the time of the gift.
וחכמים אומרים – we don’t follow after the present but we say: “the claimant must produce evidence” (see Tractate Bava Kamma, Chapter 3, Mishnah 11 as well as the last line of our Mishnah). And the recipient of a gift who comes to remove it from the hand of the giver who is in possession of it, he must bring proof and witnesses that he (i.e., the giver) was healthy at that time, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.