Click here for audio

פרק ה משנה א
הנזקין  

Tort victims' [damages are paid, if not with cash or chattel]

שמין להן בעדית

by assessing [the tortfeasor's] best quality property [and turning the equivalent amount of that property to the victim],

 ובעל חוב 

and a creditor

בבינונית

with medium quality,

וכתבת אשה

and wife's kesuba

 בזבורית

with lowest quality.

רבי מאיר אומר

Rabbi Meir says

אף כתבת אשה

a wife's kesuba is also

בבינונית

with medium quality.

 

 

פרק ה משנה ב
אין נפרעין

We do not collect payment from

מנכסים משעבדים

assets that are encumbered [to third parties] (i.e assets that were in the debtor's possession when the debt was incurred but that were later sold to a third party)

במקום שיש

if there exists

נכסים בני חורין

unencumbered assets

ואפילו הן זבורית

even if they are of the lowest quality.

אין נפרעין

We do not collect payment

מנכסי יתומים

from orphans' assets

אלא מן הזבורית

but from the lowest quality.

   

NOTES

משנה א

שמין להן בעדית - Even though the value of that is paid is ultimately the same, we assume that one would prefer to be paid with a smaller quantity of better land than a greater quantity of lesser land.  מדאורייתא, one can pay with what is equivalent to the best quality of the ניזק, but משום תקון עולם the רבנן were מתקן that it be paid with the best quality of the מזיק, to encourage people to take greater care not to harm one another.

ובעל חוב בבינונית - Although מדאורייתא loans can be repaid from זבורית, we change it to בינונית to encourage lending.

וכתבת אשה בזבורית - As a woman needs no incentive to remain married, this is the unchanged standard set by the תורה.

רבי מאיר אומר - He equates a כתובה to a loan.

משנה ב

אין נפרעין - While pursuant to the previous mishna a creditor might otherwise be entitled to higher quality land, and מדאורייתא the debt (whether from a loan or a tort) creates a lien on that land in favor of the creditor, משום תקון עולם the רבנן were מתקן that a creditor could not enforce that lien against third parties so long as there was unsold land available.  

 

Click here for the hebrew/english for פרק ה from emishna.com