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כתובות 20:2
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
But if he is a scholar, even he himself [may remind the witness]. As that case of R. Ashi: He knew evidence for R. Kahana, [and] he said to him: Does the master remember that evidence? And he said to him: No. But was it not so and so? He replied: I do not know. In the end, R. Ashi reminded himself, and he gave evidence for him. He saw that R. Kahana was surprised, [so] he said to him: Do you think [that] I relied upon you? I threw it upon my mind and I remembered it. We learnt elsewhere: Mounds which are near a town or a road, whether they are new or old, are unclean; those [mounds] which are distant — if they are new, they are clean, and if they are old, they are unclean. What is near? Fifty cubits. And what is old? Sixty years. [This is] the view of R. Meir. R. Judah says: 'near', [denotes] when there is none nearer; 'old', when one remembers it. [Now] what is [meant by] a town and what is [meant by] a road? Shall I say: [by] a town is [meant] an ordinary town, [and by] a road is [meant] an ordinary road? Do we presume uncleanness out of doubt? Did not Resh Lakish say: They found some pretext and declared the land of Israel unclean? — Said R. Zera: [By] a town is [meant] a town which is near a burial place, and [by] a road is [meant] a road [leading] to a burial place. I grant you [in the case of] a road [leading] to a burial place, because sometimes it might happen [that a funeral took place] at twilight, and it chanced that they buried it in the mound. But [in the case of] a town which is near a burial place — all go to the burial place! — Said R. Hanina: Because women bring there their abortions and lepers [bring there] their arms. [And it is assumed that] till fifty cubits she goes alone, but for a longer distance she takes a man with her and [then] she goes to the burial place. Therefore, we do not presume uncleanness in Eretz Israel. R. Hisda said: You may infer from [the words of] R. Meir [that] one remembers evidence till sixty years, for a longer [period than sixty years] one does not remember. But it is not so, [for] there [he does not remember the evidence after sixty years] because it is not his concern, but here, since it is his concern, even for a longer [period he] also [remembers the evidence]. MISHNAH. [IF] ONE WITNESS SAYS, 'THIS IS MY HANDWRITING AND THAT IS THE HANDWRITING OF MY FELLOW, AND THE OTHER [WITNESS] SAYS, 'THIS IS MY HANDWRITING AND THAT IS THE HANDWRITING OF MY FELLOW,' THEY ARE BELIEVED. [IF] ONE SAYS, 'THIS IS MY HANDWRITING,' AND THE OTHER SAYS, 'THIS IS MY HANDWRITING,' THEY MUST JOIN TO THEMSELVES ANOTHER [PERSON]. [THIS IS] THE VIEW OF RABBI. BUT THE SAGES SAY: THEY NEED NOT JOIN TO THEMSELVES ANOTHER [PERSON], BUT A PERSON IS BELIEVED TO SAY, 'THIS IS MY HANDWRITING'.GEMARA. If you should find [that] according to the view of Rabbi
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