🏘️ Mishnah Bava Batra 7

הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ, בֵּית כּוֹר עָפָר אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, הָיוּ שָׁם נְקָעִים עֲמֻקִּים עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים אוֹ סְלָעִים גְּבוֹהִים עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, אֵינָן נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ. פָּחוֹת מִכָּאן, נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ. וְאִם אָמַר לוֹ כְּבֵית כּוֹר עָפָר, אֲפִלּוּ הָיוּ שָׁם נְקָעִים עֲמֻקִּים יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים אוֹ סְלָעִים גְּבוֹהִין יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נִמְדָּדִין עִמָּהּ:

If one says to another: I am selling you a plot of earth of the size required for sowing one kor of seed [beit kor], and there on that plot there were crevices [neka’im] ten handbreadths deep or rocks ten handbreadths high, they are not measured together with the rest of the field. Rather, the buyer must be provided with land measuring a beit kor exclusive of those crevices or rocks. If the crevices or rocks measured less than ten handbreadths, they are measured together with the rest of the field. But if the seller said to the buyer: I am selling you a plot of earth that is about the size of a beit kor, then even if there on that plot there were crevices deeper than ten handbreadths or rocks higher than ten handbreadths, they are measured together with the rest of the field.

בֵּית כּוֹר עָפָר אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל, פִּחֵת כָּל שֶׁהוּא, יְנַכֶּה. הוֹתִיר כָּל שֶׁהוּא, יַחֲזִיר. אִם אָמַר, הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, אֲפִלּוּ פִחֵת רֹבַע לַסְּאָה אוֹ הוֹתִיר רֹבַע לַסְּאָה, הִגִּיעוֹ. יוֹתֵר מִכָּאן, יַעֲשֶׂה חֶשְׁבּוֹן. מַה הוּא מַחֲזִיר לוֹ, מָעוֹת. וְאִם רָצָה, מַחֲזִיר לוֹ קַרְקַע. וְלָמָּה אָמְרוּ מַחֲזִיר לוֹ מָעוֹת, לְיַפּוֹת כֹּחוֹ שֶׁל מוֹכֵר, שֶׁאִם שִׁיֵּר בַּשָּׂדֶה בֵּית תִּשְׁעָה קַבִּין וּבַגִּנָּה בֵּית חֲצִי קַב, וּכְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא בֵּית רֹבַע, מַחֲזִיר לוֹ אֶת הַקַּרְקַע. וְלֹא אֶת הָרֹבַע בִּלְבַד הוּא מַחֲזִיר, אֶלָּא אֶת כָּל הַמּוֹתָר:

If one says to another: I am selling you a plot of earth the size of a beit kor, measured precisely with a rope, and he gave him even the slightest amount less than what was stipulated, the seller must deduct the difference from the purchase price of the field and return money to the buyer. If he gave him even the slightest amount more than what was stipulated, the buyer must return the difference to the seller. And if the seller said to the buyer that he is selling him a beit kor of land more or less, then even if he gave him a quarter-kav per se’a less than what was stipulated, or he gave him a quarter-kav per se’a more that what was stipulated, i.e., he gave him one twenty-fourth more or less than what was required, it is his. The sale is valid, since the seller told the buyer in advance that he was not committing himself to precise measurements. If the difference is greater than that amount, he must make a calculation, and the party that suffered a loss must be compensated. If the buyer received too much land, so that he must now compensate the seller, what does he return to him? He returns money, i.e., he pays the seller for the surplus land. And if the seller so wishes, the buyer returns the surplus land to him. Why then did the Sages say that he returns money to him? They said this in order to enhance the power of the seller, and enable him to demand payment for the surplus land, rather than accept its return. As, if the surplus in the field was an area required for sowing nine kav of seed, and in a garden an area required for sowing a half-kav of seed, or, according to the statement of Rabbi Akiva, an area required for sowing a quarter-kav of seed (see 11a), the buyer must return the land itself to the seller, and the seller cannot demand payment in money. And if the surplus is greater than a quarter-kav per se’a, it is not only the quarter-kav that he returns; rather, he returns all of the surplus. Since he is already required to make a refund, the refund must be made in the precise amount.

מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, בִּטֵּל הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל. הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל, בִּטֵּל מִדָּה בַחֶבֶל הֵן חָסֵר הֵן יָתֵר, דִּבְרֵי בֶן נַנָּס. בְּסִימָנָיו וּבִמְצָרָיו, פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁתוּת, הִגִּיעוֹ. עַד שְׁתוּת, יְנַכֶּה:

If the seller says to the buyer: I am selling you a plot of land of a certain size measured precisely with a rope more or less, thereby attaching to the sale two contradictory stipulations; in this case, the words: More or less, nullify the words: Measured precisely with a rope. Accordingly, if the surplus did not exceed a quarter-kav per se’a, the sale is valid as is. Similarly, if the seller says to the buyer: I am selling you a plot of land of a certain size more or less measured precisely with a rope, the words: Measured precisely with a rope, nullify the words: More or less, since the principle is that in all cases, one should attend to the final expression; this is the statement of ben Nanas. If one sells a field to another, telling him that he is selling him a field measuring a beit kor, with its particular demarcations and borders that the seller specifies for the buyer, the field’s measurement is not treated in as exacting a manner as in a standard sale. Therefore, if it later turns out that the field was not precisely a beit kor, but the difference is still less than one-sixth, the field is the buyer’s, and the sale is valid as is. But if the difference is greater, e.g., one-quarter or one-fifth, then, until it is calculated at one-sixth, the seller must deduct the difference from the purchase price and return money to the buyer.

הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ חֲצִי שָׂדֶה אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, מְשַׁמְּנִין בֵּינֵיהֶן וְנוֹטֵל חֲצִי שָׂדֵהוּ. חֶצְיָהּ בַּדָּרוֹם אֲנִי מוֹכֵר לְךָ, מְשַׁמְּנִין בֵּינֵיהֶן וְנוֹטֵל חֶצְיָהּ בַּדָּרוֹם, וְהוּא מְקַבֵּל עָלָיו מְקוֹם הַגָּדֵר, חֲרִיץ וּבֶן חֲרִיץ. וְכַמָּה הוּא חֲרִיץ, שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים. וּבֶן חֲרִיץ, שְׁלֹשָׁה:

If one says to another: I am selling you half a field, without specifying which half he is selling, an assessment is made of the field, which is then divided between them, and the buyer takes half of the seller’s field. If the seller says: I am selling you the half that is on the southern side of the field, an assessment is made of the northern and the southern sides of the field, which is then divided between them, and he takes the half on the southern side. And he accepts upon himself to provide the space for the fence between the two halves of the field out of his own property. He also accepts to provide out of his own property the space for the larger ditch and the smaller ditch, which are meant to keep animals out of the field. And how wide is the larger ditch? Six handbreadths. And how wide is the smaller ditch? Three handbreadths.