Bava Metzia 6:8 - 7:1

בין שומר חנם ובין שומר שכר ישבע – for [he] holds that he should take an oath that he was not negligent and he would be exempt [from damages such as loss and/or theft].

רבי אליעזר אומר זה וזה וישבע וכו' – Even I heard from my teachers according to Rabbi Meir, that both of them (i.e., the unpaid bailee and the paid bailee) should take an oath. But I am amazed at this (i.e., the unpaid bailee) and on that (i.e., the paid bailee) how they become exempt [from liability] with an oath. For the paid bailee – how can he be exempt with an oath that he was not negligent, for even without negligence, he is also liable, for this is not an unavoidable accident but is similar to theft and loss which are close to negligence and an unavoidable accident. And furthermore, if it wasn’t broken in a declivity, even the unpaid bailee, how is he able to take an oath that he was not negligent? For this is certainly negligence. But Rabbi Meir holds that this oath is not from the law, but rather an ordinance of the Sages, if you don’t exempt a person who transfers a barrel from place to place from the payment via this oath, there will not be any person who will [take upon himself the responsibility] to transfer a barrel for his fellow from place to place. Therefore, they (i.e., the Sages) ordained that he should take the oath without intention he broke the barrel and he is exempt.

השוכר את הפועלים. אינו ראשי לכופן – and even though he increase their wages from other works, he can say to them: “this that I have increased your wages, with the knowledge that you will rise up earlier [to work] and stay later for me, for they can say to him: “this that you have increased for us [our wages] is with the knowledge that we provide for you outstanding/better labor.” (see Bava Metzia 83a).

במתיקה – for their bread

הכל כמנהג המדינה – everything which includes the places where workers customarily eat and drink in the morning in the house of the owner before they go out to work. For if the owner had said to them – go early to your work in the field and I will bring to you your food there, they would say to him, “no,” but rather now let is eat in the house prior to our going out to the field, according to the custom of the province.

מעשה ברבי יוחנן בן מתיא – In the Gemara (Bava Metzia 86a-b): The Mishnah is deficient and should be read as follows: If he stipulated to provide them food, he thereby increases his hood to them, that is to say, since it was not necessary to teach this since it was the custom of the province that they would eat, and it was taught explicitly to give them food, more food was mentioned. And there is the story of Rabbi Yohanan etc [as specified in the Mishnah proper].

בשעתו – at the time of his kingdom, when he was a king and a commoner.

שהם בני אברהם יצחק ויעקב – and the meal of Abraham was larger than that of Solomon, for Abraham had three cows for three people (the “people” were the angels, described in the story of Genesis, chapter 18, when Abraham rose up while recovering from his circumcision to welcome his “guests.”). And at the meal of Solomon, Judah and Israel were large like the sands that were on the sea shorte.

עד שלא יתחילו במלאכה – there is nothing here other than words, for once they had begun, they cannot return.

רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר וכו' – And the Halakha is according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel.