Inheritances Chapter 8

כְּשֶׁמּוֹרִידִין קָרוֹב לְנִכְסֵי הַשָּׁבוּי אוֹ בּוֹרֵחַ אוֹ לְנִכְסֵי הַיּוֹצֵא לְדַעַת שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ בּוֹ שֶׁמֵּת. לֹא יוֹרִידוּ קָטָן שֶׁמָּא יַפְסִיד הַנְּכָסִים. וְאֵין מוֹרִידִין קָרוֹב לְנִכְסֵי קָטָן שֶׁמָּא יִטְעֹן וְיֹאמַר זֶה חֶלְקִי הַמַּגִּיעַ לִי בִּירֻשָּׁתִי. וַאֲפִלּוּ קָרוֹב מֵחֲמַת קָרוֹב אֵין מוֹרִידִין. כֵּיצַד. הָיוּ שְׁנֵי אַחִים אֶחָד גָּדוֹל וְאֶחָד קָטָן וְנִשְׁבָּה הַקָּטָן אוֹ בָּרַח. אֵין מוֹרִידִין הַגָּדוֹל לְתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַקָּטָן אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִמְחוֹת. וְשֶׁמָּא יַחֲזִיק זֶה הָאָח וּלְאַחַר שָׁנִים יֹאמַר זֶה חֶלְקִי שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לִי בִּירֻשָּׁתִי וּמֵחֲמַת יְרוּשָׁה בָּאתִי. וַאֲפִלּוּ בֶּן אָחִיו שֶׁל זֶה הַקָּטָן הַנִּשְׁבָּה אֵין מוֹרִידִין אוֹתוֹ לִנְכָסָיו שֶׁמָּא יֹאמַר שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת אָבִי יָרַשְׁתִּי חֵלֶק זֶה:

When the [court designates] a relative [to attend] to the properties of the captive or fleer [about whom it is suspected that they are deceased], or to the properties of the one who departed voluntarily, about whom it was heard that he is deceased, [the court] does not [appoint] a minor [to attend the properties] lest he cause a loss to the properties. [The courts also] do not [appoint] a relative [to attend in a sharecropping arragnement] to the property of a minor, lest [the relative] will [take advantage of the minor's inexperience and falsely] claim, "This [property] is my share that belongs to me through my own inheritance." Even a relative of a relative is not [given the property to attend, because of this concern]. What is an example [of this law]? [If] there were two brothers, one an adult and one a minor, and the minor was taken captive or fled, [the court] does not [appoint] the adult [brother as a sharecropper] of [the minor's] field, since the minor [brother] cannot protest [effectively if] the [adult] brother takes possession [of the field] and after [some] years claims, "This is my portion that I received in my own inheritance and it is in my possession because of [my own] inheritance." Even a nephew of this minor who was taken captive is not given the property [in a share-cropping arrangement], lest he say that, "I inherited this portion because of my [own] father."

לְעוֹלָם אֵין מוֹרִידִין קָרוֹב לְנִכְסֵי קָטָן אֲפִלּוּ קָרוֹב מֵחֲמַת אֲחֵי הַאֵם שֶׁאֵינָן רְאוּיִין לִירַשׁ. הַרְחָקָה יְתֵרָה הִיא זוֹ וַאֲפִלּוּ יֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶן שְׁטַר חֲלוּקָה בֵּין בְּבָתִּים בֵּין בְּשָׂדוֹת לֹא יֵרֵד. וַאֲפִלּוּ אָמַר כִּתְבוּ עָלַי שְׁטַר אֲרִיסוּת לֹא יֵרֵד שֶׁמָּא יֹאבְדוּ הַשְּׁטָרוֹת וְיַאַרְכוּ הַיָּמִים וְיִטְעֹן וְיֹאמַר שֶׁזֶּה חֵלֶק יְרֻשָּׁה בָּא לוֹ (מֵחֲמָתוֹ אוֹ) מֵחֲמַת מוֹרִישָׁיו. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאִשָּׁה אַחַת שֶׁהָיוּ לָהּ שָׁלֹשׁ בָּנוֹת וְנִשְׁבֵּית הַזְּקֵנָה הִיא וּבַת אַחַת וּמֵתָה בַּת שְׁנִיָּה וְהִנִּיחָה בֵּן קָטָן. וְאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֵין מוֹרִידִין זוֹ הַבַּת הַנִּשְׁאָרָה לַנְּכָסִים שֶׁמָּא מֵתָה הַזְּקֵנָה וְנִמְצְאוּ שְׁלִישׁ נְכָסִים אֵלּוּ לַקָּטָן וְאֵין מוֹרִידִין קָרוֹב לְנִכְסֵי קָטָן. וְכֵן אֵין מוֹרִידִין לְזֶה הַקָּטָן בַּנְּכָסִים שֶׁמָּא עֲדַיִן הַזְּקֵנָה בַּחַיִּים וְאֵין מוֹרִידִין קָטָן לְנִכְסֵי שָׁבוּי. אֶלָּא כֵּיצַד עוֹשִׂין. מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַעֲמִיד אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס לַחֲצִי שֶׁל קָטָן מַעֲמִידִין אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס עַל כָּל נִכְסֵי הַזְּקֵנָה. אַחַר זְמַן שָׁמְעוּ שֶׁמֵּתָה הַזְּקֵנָה אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים תֵּרֵד הַבַּת הַנִּשְׁאָרָה לִשְׁלִישׁ הַנְּכָסִים שֶׁהוּא חֵלֶק יְרֻשָּׁתָהּ וְיֵרֵד הַקָּטָן לִשְׁלִישׁ שֶׁהוּא חֶלְקוֹ מִנִּכְסֵי הַזְּקֵנָה. וְהַשְּׁלִישׁ שֶׁל בַּת הַשְּׁבוּיָה מַעֲמִידִין לוֹ אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס מִפְּנֵי חֵלֶק הַקָּטָן שֶׁמָּא מֵתָה גַּם הַבַּת הַשְּׁבוּיָה וְיֵשׁ לְזֶה הַקָּטָן חֲצִי הַשְּׁלִישׁ שֶׁלָּהּ. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה:

No relative is ever given possession of the property of a minor, not even a person whose family connection stems from one's maternal brother, who is not fit to inherit. This is an extra safeguard. Even if there is a document recording the division of the estate, whether homes or courtyards, the property should not be given to the relative. Even if the relative states: "Write a document stating that I received the field as part of a sharecropping agreement," he should not be given the field. Perhaps the documents will be lost, and after a long period the person will claim that he received it as an inheritance, or that he received it as an inheritance from a relative who received it as an inheritance. An incident once occurred concerning an old woman who had three daughters. The old woman and one daughter were taken captive. A second daughter died and left a son below the age of majority. The Sages said: We do not give the property to the remaining daughter in a sharecropping agreement, for perhaps the elderly woman died and thus one third of the estate would belong to the minor, and we do not give a relative property belonging to a minor. Similarly, we do not give the property to the minor. For perhaps the old woman is still alive, and the property of a person taken captive should not be given to a minor. "What should be done instead? Since a guardian must be appointed for the half designated for the minor, we appoint a guardian for the old woman's entire estate." Afterwards, it was reported that the older woman died. Our Sages said: "The remaining daughter should receive the third that is her portion of the inheritance. The minor should receive the third that is his portion of the older woman's estate. And a guardian should be appointed for the third that belongs to the daughter in captivity, because of the portion of it that the minor might receive. For if the daughter in captivity also dies, the minor would receive one half of her third." Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.