The Mishnah taught that a slave can go free by giving money (of others) to the master. R. Yirmiyah says - if someone else gave money to the master it works, but it would not work for the master to give money to others. (Note: This entry and the next one follow the explanation of the Pnei Moshe.)

R. Zeira disagrees: The master could give money to others. If another could free the slave through giving money to the master, the opposite is also true.

Question (R. Yirmiyah to R. Zeira): What would be the law if a person said, "Take this money for your slave to go free''?

Answer (R. Zeira): It would certainly work.

Question (R. Yirmiyah): What if he said,''...for your field to become hefker (ownerless)''?

Answer (R. Zeira): It does not work.

Question (R. Yirmiyah): What is the difference between a slave and a field?

Answer (R. Zeira): In the case of the slave, the recipient is acquiring for a person (who has intellect), which is not the case for a field.

Question (R. Yirmiyah): If so, what if the slave was a deaf-mute?

Answer (R. Zeira): But he is still an adult (i.e. he is in the category of people who have intellect).

Question (R. Yirmiyah): If so, what if the slave was a child?

Answer (R. Zeira): He will grow into someone with intellect.

R. Yona: R. Zeira (who says that the master could give the money to others) follows the opinion of R. Shimon ben Elazar...

Beraisa (R. Shimon ben Elazar citing R. Meir): The tana of our Mishnah had said (see earlier 22-2) (b)) that according to R. Meir he can acquire himself with a document through himself. R. Shimon ben Elazar disagrees and says that R. Meir holds that he must acquire himself with a document through others.

What is meant by "through others'' but not "through himself''? Is it not that the master gives the document to others for his slave will go free? Here also, the master gives money to others for his slave to go free.

R. Avun: R. Shimon ben Elazar follows the opinion of Rebbi who said that a person could free half of his slave. (because if he was being completely freed, why could the slave not receive the document himself, using the principle that he acquires his hand and his document at the same time?)

Question: Do the Rabbanan not agree that one could free half of his slave?

Answer: It could be achieved if he was owned by two partners (if one freed him and one did not), but if it is a slave owned by one master, (since half of him remains a slave, his hand automatically receives the document for the master and) it is as if the master transferred it from his right hand to his left.

Question: Does Rebbi not agree that it is as if the master merely transferred it from his right hand to his left?

Answer: Here, there is an acquisition since it is another person who receives the document to free half of the slave.

Question: If this is the case, why do the Rabbanan disagree?

Answer: Rabbanan hold that whoever can acquire for himself can have others acquire for him; but whoever cannot, cannot have others acquire for him.

But Rebbi holds that even one who cannot acquire for himself can have others acquire for him.

Question: If a slave lifted an ownerless item and said, "I am acquiring it for myself and not for my master''. What is the law? Does it nevertheless become the master's or can he acquire it for himself?

Answer (Mishnah in Nedarim): One who vowed against giving any benefit to his son-in-law and he wishes to give his daughter money, he should say to her, "This money is given to you as a gift on condition that your husband has no control over it, but rather, it should be used for food for yourself''.

Beraisa: He must also stipulate explicitly that she herself is only acquiring it to use for her food.

R. Zeira: The author of this Beraisa is R. Meir, who views the hand of a slave like the hand of his master.

Question: Is it only in the case of a gift that R. Meir holds that (the hand of the slave is like the master's and) the hand of a wife is like her husband's hand, but in the case of finding an ownerless item, he agrees to Rabbanan (that he could acquire for herself)?

Answer (R. Zeira to R. Mana): A gift is different as another person is giving it.

Response (R. Mana): All the more so - if when she acquires from another person you say that whatever she acquires, goes to her husband; certainly when a slave acquires an ownerless item without another giving it, it should be acquired by the master.