Jerusalem Talmud Bava Metzia 4:3

משנה: הַהוֹנָאָה אַרְבָּעָה כֶּסֶף מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה כֶּסֶף לַסֶּלַע שְׁתוּת לַמֶּקַח. עַד אֵימָתַי מוּתָּר לְהַחֲזִיר עַד כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּרְאֶה לַתַּגָּר אוֹ לִקְרוֹבוֹ. הוֹרָה רִבִּי טַרְפוֹן בְּלוֹד הַהוֹנָייָה שְׁמוֹנָה כֶסֶף לַסֶּלַע שְׁלִישׁ לַמֶּקַח וְשָֽׂמְחוּ תַגָּרֵי לוֹד. אָמַר לָהֶן כָּל־הַיּוֹם מוּתָּר לְהַחֲזִיר. אָֽמְרוּ לוֹ יַנִּיחַ לָנוּ רִבִּי טַרְפוֹן אֶת מְקוֹמֵינוּ וְחָֽזְרוּ לְדִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים. אֶחָד הַלּוֹקֵחַ וְאֶחָד הַמּוֹכֵר יֵשׁ לָהֶם הוֹנָייָה. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוֹנָייָה לַהֶדְיוֹט כָּךְ הוֹנָייָה לַתַּגָּר. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אֵין לַתַּגָּר הוֹנָייָה. מִי שֶׁהוּטַּל עָלָיו יָדוֹ עַל הָעֶלְיוֹנָה שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר לוֹ תֶּן לִי אֶת מָעוֹתַי אוֹ תֶן לִי מַה שֶׁהוֹנִיתַנִי. MISHNAH: Cheating⁶⁴Overcharging (or underpaying) the current rate, forbidden in Leviticus.25.14">Lev.25:14. Overcharges of less than 16 2/3% are not recoverable in court. is four obols per tetradrachma of 24 obols⁶⁵A drachma (in the Roman Empire identified with the denar) is 6 obols., one sixth of the sale price. Until when may one return [the merchandise]? Until one can show it to a trader⁶⁶A market maker in that commodity. or a relative. Rebbi Tarphon instructed in Lydda that cheating is eight obols per tetradrachma, a third of the sale price, and the traders of Lydda were rejoicing. He told them, one may return [the merchandise] the entire day; they said, let Rebbi Tarphon keep our place quiet; they returned to the words of the Sages. Just as a private person can be cheated, so a trader can be cheated. Rebbi Jehudah says, a trader has no claim of being cheated⁶⁷Since he has to know what the going rate is for what he sells. This implies that for R. Jehudah a trader is permitted to have a sale with reductions of at least 16 2/3% of the going rate; the Sages would only permit a sale with reductions <16 2/3%.. The person overcharged has the advantage; if he so desires, he says, give me my money back⁶⁸The buyer returns the article and gets his money back., or give me back by what you overcharged me⁶⁹He keeps the article..

הלכה: הָאוֹנָאָה אַרְבָּעָה כֶּסֶף כול׳. רַב אָמַר שִׁיעוּר הוּא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. לֵית הוּא שִׁיעוּרָא. רַב אָמַר. כָּל־הַנּוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בִּמְנַת שֶׁאֵין לוֹ אוֹנָאָה יֵשׁ לוֹ אוֹנָאָה. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי לֵוִי. הָאוֹנָאָה פְרוּטָה וְהַהוֹנָאָה פְרוּטָה. אֶלָּא הוֹנָאָה עַצְמָהּ מַהוּ. תַּנֵּי. נִקְנֶה הַמֶּקַח חוֹזֵר לוֹ הוֹנָייָתוֹ. דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. בָּטֵל מִקְחוֹ. HALAKHAH: “Cheating is four obols,” etc. Rav said, this is the rate⁷⁰Since the Mishnah ties the definition of overcharging to the money changing hands: the sixth has to be computed as one sixth of the sale price both for overcharging or for underpaying. If an article worth 6 was sold for 7 the overcharge was 1/7. If it was sold for 5, the undercharge was 20% and the sale can be annulled on the demand of the seller. In the Babli, 49b, this opinion is attributed to Samuel; Rav holds that the basis of computation always is the current market price.; Rebbi Joḥanan said, it is not the rate⁷¹The larger of sale or market price is the base of computation.. Rav said, if somebody trades on condition that the rules of cheating not apply to him, the rules of cheating do apply to him⁷²Biblical prohibitions cannot be abolished by private conventions; Ketubot 9:1:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Ketubot.9.1.1">Mishnah Ketubot 9:1.. Rebbi Levi⁷³R. Levi was the preacher in R. Joḥanan’s academy. His statement is attributed in the Babli 55a to Levi (bar Sisi), the student of Rebbi. Since here R. Levi is mentioned together with his contemporary R. Joḥanan, and in the Babli Levi bar Sisi together with his contemporary Rav Cahana, there is a genuine discrepancy in the traditions of both Talmudim. stated: Cheating applies to a peruṭah, cheating can be by a peruṭah⁷⁴The rules of cheating apply even to transactions whose total value does not add up to the smallest silver coin, the obol. (In Hasmonean times, when the obol really was a silver coin, it was 24 peruṭot.) In the Babli, Rav Cahana denies the applicability.
E reads וההודאה שוה פרוטה “the confession of a peruṭah’s worth” instead of וההונאה פרוטה. This is an echo of Bava Metzia 4:5:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Bava_Metzia.4.5.1">Mishnah 6 and Šebuot 6:1 and is out of place here.. But what is the status of cheating⁷⁵If the overcharge was less than 16 2/3%, the buyer has no recourse. If it is more than 16 2/3%, he can annul the sale. What if it is exactly 16 2/3%? The Mishnah gives the injured party the choice of either receiving the amount of the overcharge or returning the object.? It was stated: The item was acquired, he returns the overcharge, the words of Rebbi Jehudah the Prince⁷⁶Rebbi’s grandson, contemporary of R. Joḥanan.; Rebbi Joḥanan said, the sale is annulled.

כַּהֲנָא בְּעָא קוֹמֵי רַב. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַמּוֹכֵר מִתְאוּנֶּה מִתְאוּנֶּה עַד חוֹמֶשׁ. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַלּוֹקֵחַ מִתְאוּנֶּה מִתְאוּנֶּה עַד שְׁתוּת. אָמַר לֵיהּ. הִיא הוֹנָייָתוֹ וּמִצְטָֽרְפִין עַד שְׁתוּת. מָכַר לוֹ שָׁוֶה ה̇ בְּו̇ יְכִיל מֵימַר לֵיהּ. חַד דֵּינָר אִיגְרַבְתְּ. סַב דֵּינָרָךְ. אֲמַר רִבִּי זֵירָא. יְכִיל מֵימַר לֵיהּ. לֵית אִיקְרִי דִיהֲוֹן בִּרְייָתָא אָֽמְרִין. פְּלוֹנִי אִיגְחָךְ. וְאִית דְּבָעֵי מֵימַר. יְכִיל מֵימַר לֵיהּ. לֵית הוּא יְקָרִי מַלְבּוּשׁ בְּה̇ דֵּינָרִין. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרִבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה אָֽמְרֵי. מַה טַעֲמָא דְאָהֵן תַּנָּייָא. יְדַע אֲנָא דְּלָא הֲװָת מִיקָֽמְתִי טָבָא אֶלָּא ה̇ דֵּינָרִין. עַל דַּהֲװָת דְּחִיק לֵיהּ יְהָבִי אשִׁתָּה דֵינָרִין. סַב דִּידָךְ וְהַב דִּידִי. Cahana asked before Rav: If the seller is being cheated, he is cheated up to a fifth; if the buyer is being cheated, he is cheated up to a sixth⁷⁷According to Rav, if an article worth 6 is sold for 7, the buyer can invoke the statute against cheating because he was overcharged 16 2/3%. But the seller can claim an additional payment if he was only paid 5, when he really was underpaid 20%, which should lead to an outright cancellation of the transaction.! He answered him, it and the amount of cheating add up to a sixth⁷⁸The objection really is well taken; for the buyer the percentage is computed from below, for the seller from above.. If he sold him what was worth five for six, can [the seller] not say, you were taken in for a denar, take your denar!⁷⁹Since the customer was overcharged by 20%, he can automatically annul the sale. Why can the seller not pay him the amount overcharged and force the customer to keep the merchandise? Rebbi Ze‘ira said, the other can say to him, it is not to my honor that people say, this one was made a laughing stock. Some say, he can say to him, it is not to my honor to wear a garment of five denars. Rebbi Joḥanan, Rebbi Eleazar and Rebbi Hoshaia say, what is that Tanna’s reason⁸⁰The one who says that the higher of market or sale price is the basis of computation.? “I know that my merchandise was worth only five denars, but because he needed it, I gave it to him for six. Take yours and return mine.”

מָכַר לוֹ שָׁוֶה ה̇ בְּו̇. לֹא הִסְפִּיק לִישָּׂא וְלִיתֵּן עַד שֶׁהוֹקִיר מִשֶּׁבַע. רִבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידִי רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁבָּטֵל מֶקַח מֵאֵצֶל זֶה כָּךְ בָּטֵל מִזֶּה. תַּמָּן תַּנִּינָן. אַרְבַּע מִידּוֹת בַּמּוֹכְרִין. מָכַר לוֹ חִטִּים יָפוֹת וְנִמְצְאוּ רָעוֹת לוֹקֵחַ יָכוֹל לַחֲזוֹר בּוֹ. רָעוֹת וְנִמְצְאוּ יָפוֹת מוֹכֵר יָכוֹל לַחֲזוֹר בּוֹ. [הָא הַלּוֹקֵחַ אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַחֲזוֹר בּוֹ.] אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֵּירִבִּי בּוּן. וַתְייָא כְּהֵן תַּנָּא. הַנּוֹשֵׂא וְהַנּוֹתֵן בִּדְבָרִים אֵין מוֹסְרִין אוֹתוֹ לְמִי שֶׁפָּרַע. If he sold him what was worth five for six; [the buyer] did not have time to ask around until it appreciated to be worth seven. Rebbi Jacob bar Idi, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Since the sale is annulled for one⁸¹The buyer originally was overcharged by 20%, which gives him the right to annul the transaction, even though at the moment he could realize a 16 2/3% gain., it also is annulled for the other⁸²The seller can take back the merchandise and sell it again at a higher price.. There, we have stated⁸³Bava Batra 5:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Bava_Batra.5.4.1">Mishnah Bava batra 5:8.: “Four situations in sales. If he sold him high quality wheat and it turned out to be low quality, the buyer can annul the transaction. Low quality and it turned out to be high quality, the seller can annul the transaction.” [Therefore, the buyer cannot annul the transaction.]⁸⁴Text of E, missing in L; but it is clearly understood that the Mishnah Bava batra was quoted to contradict R. Joḥanan’s statement that the seller can annul the sale because the buyer could. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, it follows this Tanna: “Nobody dealing in words only may one deliver to “Him Who exacted retribution”^45,Sevi‘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.⁸⁵Even according to R. Joḥanan, the seller can retract his committment to a sale only as long as no money has changed hands; otherwise the buyer could haul him into court publicly to be cursed. The Babli, Bava batra 83b/84a flatly rejects the possibility that a dishonest trader enjoy a privilege from which the honest trader was barred..