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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Kesuvos 2:3 - 2:4

The Mishnah Yomi for Tuesday, January 2, 2024 is Kesuvos 2:3 - 2:4

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Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Kesuvos Perek 2 Mishnah 3

כתובות פרק ב׳ משנה ג׳

3
With regard to the witnesses who said in their testimony to ratify their signatures in a document: We signed the document and this is our handwriting; however, we were compelled to sign, or we were minors when we signed, or we were disqualified witnesses, e.g., we are relatives of one of the parties, they are deemed credible. Since the document is ratified on the basis of their testimony, it is likewise invalidated on the basis of their testimony. However, if there are other witnesses who testify that it is their handwriting, or if their handwriting emerges on a document from another place, enabling confirmation of their signatures by comparing the two documents, then the witnesses who signed the document are not deemed credible. The document is not invalidated based on their testimony, because ratification of the document is not dependent on their testimony, as their signatures can be authenticated independently.
הָעֵדִים שֶׁאָמְרוּ כְּתַב יָדֵינוּ הוּא זֶה, אֲבָל אֲנוּסִים הָיִינוּ, קְטַנִּים הָיִינוּ, פְּסוּלֵי עֵדוּת הָיִינוּ, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָנִים. וְאִם יֵשׁ עֵדִים שֶׁהוּא כְתַב יָדָם אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה כְתַב יָדָם יוֹצֵא מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר, אֵינָן נֶאֱמָנִין:
ג׳

אנוסים היינו – compulsion at the pain of death lest he kill him, but compulsion of money, lest he take his money [from him] and all the more so, if he said to him: “for most of the money that he gave us,” they are not believed, for no one incriminates himself (i.e., his testimony against himself has no legal effect), for a person is close to himself, and is not believed about himself, neither for acquittal nor for conviction. And similarly, those who are ineligible for testimony, which is on account of nearness but on account of transgression, they are not believed.

יוצא ממקום אחר – inscribed in another document that is in the possession of the Jewish court , and this same document came before us with this one and the writing of the signatories are similar one to the other.

אנוסים היינו. אונס נפשות שמא יהרגנו. אבל אונס ממון שמא יקח ממונו, וכ״ש אם אמרו בשביל רוב ממון שנתן לנו, אינן נאמנין, דאין אדם משים עצמו רשע, דאדם קרוב אצל עצמו ואינו נאמן על עצמו לא לזכות ולא לחובה. וכן פסולי עדות היינו, מחמת קורבה. אבל מחמת עבירה אינן נאמנים:

יוצא ממקום אחר. חתומים בשטר אחר שהוחזק בב״ד ובא אותו שטר לפנינו עם זה וכתב חותמן דומין זה לשל זה:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Kesuvos Perek 2 Mishnah 4

כתובות פרק ב׳ משנה ד׳

4
If this witness whose name is signed on a document says: This is my handwriting and this is the handwriting of my fellow witness, and that witness says: This is my handwriting and that is the handwriting of my fellow witness, these witnesses are deemed credible and the document is ratified, as together they provide testimony authenticating both signatures. If this witness says: This is my handwriting, and that witness says: This is my handwriting, and neither testifies with regard to the signature of the other, they must add another witness with them who will authenticate the signatures of the two witnesses, as otherwise, each of the witnesses would be testifying with regard to half the sum in the document; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. And the Rabbis say: They need not add another witness with them. Rather, a person is deemed credible to say: This is my handwriting. The testimony of the two signatories about their own signatures is sufficient.
זֶה אוֹמֵר זֶה כְתַב יָדִי וְזֶה כְתַב יָדוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרִי, וְזֶה אוֹמֵר זֶה כְתַב יָדִי וְזֶה כְתַב יָדוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרִי, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָנִין. זֶה אוֹמֵר זֶה כְתַב יָדִי וְזֶה אוֹמֵר זֶה כְתַב יָדִי, צְרִיכִים לְצָרֵף עִמָּהֶם אַחֵר, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵינָן צְרִיכִין לְצָרֵף עִמָּהֶם אַחֵר, אֶלָּא נֶאֱמָן אָדָם לוֹמַר זֶה כְתַב יָדִי:
ד׳

הרי אלו נאמנים – for surely there are two witnesses on all of the handwritings.

צריכים לצרף עמהם אחר – that on their own signatures they testify, not on the Maneh/monetary portion (the weight of gold or silver equal to one hundred common or fifty sacred shekels) in the document , and they require two witnesses for each handwriting.

וחכ"א אומרים אינם צריכין לצרף עמהם חר – that on the Maneh/monetary portion in the document they are testifying and when this one says, “this is my signature,” and the other [witness] says, “this is my signature,” it is found that there are two witnesses for the monetary amount in the document and the Halakha is according to the Sages.

הרי אלו נאמנים. דהא איכא תרי סהדי על כל כתב וכתב:

צריכים לצרף עמהם אחר. שעל כתב ידן הן מעידין לא על מנה שבשטר. וצריך תרי סהדי על כל כתב וכתב:

וחכמים אומרים אינם צריכין לצרף עמהם אחר. שעל מנה שבשטר הם מעידים, וכשזה אומר זה כתב ידי וזה אומר זה כתב ידי נמצאו שני עדים על מנה שבשטר. והלכה כחכמים:

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