משנה: וְאֵי זֶהוּ דָבָר שֶׁלְּעוֹלֵי בָבֵל. כְּגוֹן הַר הַבַּיִת וְהָעֲזָרוֹת וְהַבְּאֵר שֶׁבְּאֶמְצַע הַדֶּרֶךְ. וְאֵי זֶהוּ דָבָר שֶׁלְּאוֹתָהּ הָעִיר כְּגוֹן הָֽרְחָבָה וְהַמֶּרְחָץ וּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וְהַתֵּיבָה וְהַסְּפָרִים וְהַכּוֹתֵב חֶלְקוֹ לַנָּשִׂיא. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אֶחָד כּוֹתֵב לַנָּשִׂיא וְאֶחָד כּוֹתֵב לַהֶדְיוֹט. מַה בֵין כּוֹתֵב לַנָּשִׂיא לַכּוֹתֵב לַהֶדְיוֹט שֶׁהַכּוֹתֵב לַנָּשִׂיא אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לְזַכּוֹת וְהַכּוֹתֵב לַהֶדְיוֹט צָרִיךְ לוֹ לְזַכּוֹת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים אֶחָד זֶה וְאֶחָד זֶה צְרִיכִין לְזַכּוֹת. לֹא דִבְּרוּ בַנָּשִׂיא אֶלָּא בַהוֹוֶה. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אֵין אַנְשֵׁי הַגָּלִיל צְרִיכִין לִכְתּוֹב שֶׁכְּבָר כָּֽתְבוּ אֲבוֹתָם עַל יְדֵיהֶם. MISHNAH: What are the institutions of the returnees from Babylonia? For example, the Temple Mount, the courtyards63The Temple courtyards., and the cistern in the middle of the road64Traditionally made for pilgrims.. What are the institutions of that town? For example, the town square, the bathhouse, the synagogue with the ark and the scrolls. And he writes his part to the Patriarch65In the case of Nedarim 5:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Nedarim.5.4.1">Mishnah 4, if each one writes over his part of the public institutions of the town to the Patriarch, both of them are permitted to walk in the town and to use its institutions..
Rebbi Jehudah says, one of them writes to the Patriarch and the other to a private person72This is a continuation of the previous Mishnah. R. Jehudah permits either of the parties to donate their usufruct of public property to a third party even though public property is not transferable in this way.. What is the difference between him who writes to the Patriarch and him who writes to a private person? The one who writes to the Patriarch does not have to perform an act of delivery73In talmudic legal theory, a transfer of property is only valid if the point in time of the transfer of property rights or of claims to property is well defined. This usually is done by the buyer (or recipient) or his representative giving to the seller (or donor) or his representative a vessel (or edge of garment) to hold temporarily. In talmudic theory, Boaz took off his shoe to acquire the right to buy back Elimelekh’s property and with it Ruth (by preliminary marriage) from Ruth.4.8">Tob (Ruth 4:8). Following the terminology of the Book of Ruth, in Babylonian/rabbinic terminology this act is called קִנְיָן “acquisition”., the one who writes to a private person has to perform an act of delivery. But the Sages say, in either case one has to perform an act of delivery. Rebbi Jehudah says, the people of Galilee do not have to write since their forefathers already wrote for them74They never recognized private rights of the citizens to public property. Therefore, the vower and the subject of his vow can use public property without formalities..
הלכה: וְאֵי זֶהוּ דָבָר שֶׁלְּעוֹלֵי בָבֵל כול׳. כֵּינִי מַתְנִיתָא. רְחָבָה שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הָרַבִּים מַפְסַקְתָּהּ כְּעוֹלֶי בָבֵל הִיא. חַד בַּר נַשׁ קִידֵּשׁ בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה. רִבִּי שׁוֹבְתַי וְרִבִּי חֲסִידָא אַעֲלוּן עוֹבְדָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי יוֹסֵה וְאָמַר. אֵינָהּ מְקוּדֶּשֶׁת. אָמַר רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה. אַנְתְּ קָרָת אִיגַּרְתָּא וּכְתִיב בְּגַוָּהּ. וְלֹא עוֹד. אָמַר רִבִּי מָנָא. קַשִּׁיתָהּ קוֹמֵי רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה. מַהוּ וְלֹא עוֹד. בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁלְּיָחִיד קִידֵּשׁ. אָמַר לוֹן. אֵינָהּ מְקוּדֶּשֶׁת. אָתָא מֵימַר לָךְ אֲפִילוּ בְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁלָּרַבִּים קִידֵּשׁ. וְהִינּוֹ וְלֹא עוֹד. אָתָא מֵימַר לָךְ אֲפִילוּ בְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁלַּיְּחִידִי קִידֵּשׁ. וְהִינּוֹ אֵינָהּ מְקוּדֶּשֶׁת. HALAKHAH: “What are the institutions of the returnees from Babylonia,” etc. So is the Mishnah: A town square which is crossed by a public road is as if from the returnees from Babylonia66Tosephta 2:10. This is not an emendation of the Mishnah but an explanation: A town square which is crossed by an imperial highway is imperial, not local, property.. A man used a Torah scroll for his preliminary marriage67Where the man has to give his fiancee something of value; cf. Peah 2:1:10" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Peah.2.1.10">Peah2:3, Note 46; Demay 4:2, Note 19; Yevamot 1:1:15" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Yevamot.1.1.15">Yebamot 1:1, Note 63. to a woman. Rebbi Sabbatai and Rebbi Ḥasida brought the matter before Rebbi Yose who said, she is not married68A Torah scroll cannot serve as a marriage gift.. Rebbi Ḥizqiah said, you read the letter69Maybe it should be: I read the letter. and there is written in it “not only”. Rebbi Mana said, I asked before Rebbi Ḥizqiah, what means “not only”? Did he marry with a Torah scroll which is private property70Since a Torah scroll may be sold only if a person is in extreme difficulties (Bikkurim 3:6:2-4" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Bikkurim.3.6.2-4">Bikkurim 3:7, end), it is doubtful whether monetary value was transferred. (For that reason, a modern marriage is concluded by the gift of a gold ring without a stone, whose commercial value can be easily determined.)? He said to us, she is not married. That comes to tell you, even if he used the public Torah scroll71In which every member of the synagogue has partial ownership. But since only the town council backed by a vote of the entire population could sell a Torah scroll, even if the man transferred his interest to his bride, he did not transfer disposable value. to marry, that is “not only”. But that means, even if he used a privately owned Torah scroll to marry, that is “she is not married.”
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אֲפִילוּ אֶחָד כּוֹתֵב חֶלקוֹ לַנָּשִׂיא כול׳. כֵּינִי מַתְנִיתָא. צָרִיךְ לִכְתּוֹב חֶלְקוֹ לַנָּשִׂיא. “Rebbi Jehudah says, even if only one signs over his part to the Patriarch,” etc. So is the Mishnah: One of them has to sign over his part to the Patriarch75Not both of them to ordinary citizens. Cf. J. N. Epstein, מבוא לנוסח המשנה 2, Jerusalem-Tel Aviv 1964, p. 361, who raises the question whether the “Patriarch” is the head of the Academy or the head of the city administration..