[37a - 60 lines; 37b - 55 lines]
1)[line 1]"ושברתי את גאון עוזכם""V'SHAVARTI ES GE'ON UZCHEM..."- "And I will break the pride of your power; [and I will make your skies like iron, and your earth like bronze.]" (Vayikra 26:19)
2)[line 2]בולאותBULA'OS- rich people
3)[line 3]"[כי פתח תפתח את ידך לו ו]העבט תעביטנו [די מחסרו אשר יחסר לו]""[KI FASO'ACH TIFTACH ES YADECHA LO, V']HA'AVET TA'AVITENU [DEI MACHSORO ASHER YECHSAR LO.]"- "[But you shall open your hand wide to him, and] shall surely lend him [sufficient for his need, in that which he lacks.]" (Devarim 15:8)
4)[line 4]ללעוזאL'LE'UZA- for a person who speaks a foreign language
5)[line 5]פורסא דמילתאPURSA D'MILSA- an enactment for [the betterment of] the matter
6)[line 12]קלח של כרובKELACH SHEL KERUV- a stalk of cabbage
7)[line 15]עציץ נקובATZITZ NAKUV- a flowerpot with a drainage hole (wherein what grows within it is considered to be growing from the ground)
8)[line 17]דמנח אסיכיD'MANACH A'SIKEI- that was resting on [a stand who legs were merely] pegs
9)[line 18]גידמא דדיקלאGIDMA D'DIKLA- the stump of a palm tree (palm tree stumps do not regenerate - Ta'anis 25a, Bava Basra 80b)
10)[line 19]מסרי מילייהו להדדיMASREI MILEI L'HADADEI- without writing a Pruzbul, they would verbally hand over their loans to Beis Din
11)[line 23]ולערבUL'AREV- and to a guarantor of a loan
12)[line 26]לנושה בחברו מנהL'NOSHEH B'CHAVEIRO MANEH- to one who demands from another person the repayment of a loan of a Maneh (100 Zuz)
13)[line 32]אחריות נכסיםACHRAYUS NECHASIM
A Shtar she'Yesh Bo Achrayus is a contract that contains a stipulation that the creditor may extract payment from the debtor's land should he not have money to pay back his loan. For this reason, people will trust a debtor who writes a Shtar she'Yesh Bo Achrayus.
14)[line 40]סייםSIYEM- he specified
15)[line 42]כל נכסיי אחראין וערבאין לךKOL NICHSAI ACHRA'IN V'ARAVA'IN LACH- all of my assets are available for collection [in the repayment of this loan] to you
16)[line 43]קריביהKERIVEI- the relative of
17)[line 46]שבקיהSHAVKEI- he (the relative) left him (Rebbi Asi)
18)[line 50]וכי מפני שאנו מדמין נעשה מעשה?V'CHI MIPNEI SHE'ANU MEDAMIN NA'ASEH MA'ASEH?- (Medamin - O.F. sospecier - to suspect) just because we suspect, or speculate, what the law is, should we rule that way in practice?
19)[line 52]שטר העומד לגבות כגבוי דמיSHTAR HA'OMED LIGAVOS K'GAVUY DAMI
Ownership of a Shtar (a document of debt or deed) that gives a person title over property is equated to ownership of the property itself. Just as the person who owns and uses the property has a "Chazakah" over that property, so, too, the person who owns a document that gives him title to property has a "Chazakah" over that property.
20)[line 54]המשכוןHA'MASHKON- the collateral, security
21)[line 54]והמוסר שטרותיו לבית דיןVEHA'MOSER SHETAROSAV L'VEIS DIN- and a person who hands over his loans to Beis Din [to collect; identical with Pruzbul] (RASHI)
22)[last line]"... ולך תהיה צדקה...""... U'LECHA TIHEYEH TZEDAKAH..."- "[You shall deliver him the pledge back when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment, and bless you;] and it shall be righteousness to you [before HaSh-m.]" (Devarim 24:13)
37b----------------------------------------37b
23)[line 4]ותלי ליה עד דאמר הכיU'TALI LEI AD D'AMAR HACHI!- (lit. and hang him until he says so!) and force him to say it! (See Insights)
24)[line 8]הוה מסיק ביה רבה זוזיHAVAH MASIK BEI RABAH ZUZEI- that is, Aba bar Marsa owed money to Rabah
25)[line 13]אמטתAMTAS- Did you bring [money to "Mar," a title of respect for their teacher, Rabah]
26)[line 16]ואי אמרת ליה אף על פי כן הוה שקלינהו מינך!V'IY AMRAT LEI AF AL PI CHEN, HAVAH SHAKLINHU MINACH!- And if you would have said, "Af Al Pi Chen" - "Even though [you tell me that Shemitah has cancelled the debt, I would like to pay you the sum as a present]," he would have accepted it from you!
27)[line 21]צורבא מרבנןTZURBA ME'RABANAN- a young, intense Torah scholar (RASHI to Ta'anis 4a)
28)[line 24]לא שביק היתירא ואכיל איסוראLO SHAVIK HEITEIRA, V'ACHIL ISURA- (lit. a person will not pass up permitted food and eat prohibited food) given the option, we assume that a person will choose a permitted method as opposed to a prohibited one
29)[line 26]פתח פיך לאלם הואPESACH PICHA L'ILEM HU- this is an instance of "Open your mouth for the speechless" (Mishlei 31:8), i.e. Beis Din makes beneficial claims for those who are unable to do so
30)[line 35]יאושYE'USH - Giving up hope
(a)Ye'ush means that the owner gives up hope of ever getting back his stolen or lost object and verbally acknowledges that the loss is irretrievable ("Vai Li l'Chisaron Kis"). Ye'ush takes the stolen or lost object out of the possession of the original owner and allows the thief to acquire it as his own. (Although there is an opinion that states that Ye'ush alone is not sufficient to remove a stolen object from the original owner's possession (see Background to Sukah 30:2:b:2), our Gemara assumes that when Nochrim capture a Jew's slave, Ye'ush alone will remove the slave from the Jew's possession. The reason for this seems to be because a Nochri is not commanded to return a stolen object (the Torah verse, "v'Heshiv Es ha'Gezeilah..." - "and he shall return the stolen item...," applies only to Yisrael) (see NESIVOS HA'MISHPAT 371:1 and Acharonim).
(b)When a slave is captured or stolen, RASHI writes that the Ye'ush of the owner is enough to make the slave Hefker, i.e. Halachically ownerless. Afterwards, his captors acquire him through Kibush (conquest), a form of the Kinyan of Chazakah (see Background to Gitin 38:3 and see Insights there).
31)[line 40]פרקיהPARKEI- he redeemed him
32)[line 40]דילמא ממנעי ולא פרקיDILMA MIMNE'EI V'LO FARKEI- perhaps people will not redeem him
33)[line 47]ומפיל עצמו לגייסותU'MAPIL ATZMO L'GAYASOS- and he will make himself fall into the hands of marauding troops, i.e. get himself captured
34)[line 47]ומפקיע עצמו מיד רבוU'MAFKI'A ATZMO MI'YAD RABO- (lit. and he extract himself from his owner's hand) and he has a simple method of freeing himself from his owner's possession
35)[line 53]שבאיSHABA'EI- captors