[If] a house collapsed upon a man and his father, or upon him and one from whom he inherits, and there was a wife's kesubah or a creditor's [claim outstanding] against him —- the father's heirs claim [that] the son died first and then the father; [while] the creditors claim [that] the father died first and then the son —- Beis Shammai say: They divide [the estate]. But Beis Hillel say: The property retains its status.

[If] a house collapsed upon a man and his wife —- the husband's heirs claim [that] the wife died first and then the husband, [while] the wife's heirs claim [that] the husband died first and then the wife —- Beis Shammai say: They divide [the estate]. But Beis Hillel say: The property retains its status; the kesubah is in the possession of the husband's heirs; the possessions which enter and go out with her are in the possession of the father's heirs.

[If] a house collapsed upon a man and his mother, all agree that they divide. Said R' Akiva: I agree in this [case] that the posses-sions retain their status. Said Ben Azzai to him: On the disputed issues we are pained, and you come to dispute the unani-mous?

An open document [has] its witnesses on the inside; and a bound [document has] its witnesses on the outside. An open one whose wit-nesses wrote on the outside, and a bound one whose witnesses wrote on the inside, are both invalid. R' Chanina ben Gamliel says: A bound one whose witnesses wrote on the inside is valid, because he can make it an open one. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: All in accord with the custom of the land.

An open document requires two witnesses, and a bound one, three. An open one in which one witness is signed, and a bound one in which two witnesses are signed, are both invalid.  [If] he wrote in it, “one hundred zuzin, which are twenty selas,” he receives only twenty [selas]. [If he wrote,] “one hundred zuzin which are thirty selas,” he receives only a maneh. [If it stat-ed,] “silver zuzin which are ...” and [the rest] was erased, it is not less than two [zuzin]. Silver selas which are ...” and [the rest] was erased, it is not less than two [selas]. “Darkons which are ...” and [the rest] was erased, it is not less than two [darkons]. [If] above was written, one hundred [zuzin], and below, two hundred [zuzin], [or] above two hundred and below one hundred —- everything follows the bottom [statement]. If so, why is the top written? So that if one letter from the bottom should be erased, it will be derived from the top.

We may write a get for a man even though his wife is not with him, and a receipt for a woman, even though her husband is not with her; provided that we recognize them; and the husband pays the fee.  We may write a document for a borrower even though the lender is not with him, but we do not write for a lender unless the borrower is with him; and the borrower pays the fee.  We may write a document for a seller even though the buyer is not with him, but we do not write for a buyer unless the seller is with him; and the buyer pays the fee.

We do not write documents of betrothal and marriage except with the knowledge of both [parties]; and the groom pays the fee. We do not write a sharecropping contact or a rental contract except with the knowledge of both [parties]; and the tenant pays the fee. We do not write documents of designation or any court judgments except with the knowledge of both [parties]; and they both share in the fee. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The two of them write two [documents], one for each [par-ty].

One who paid part of his debt and gave his [loan] document to a third party, and said to him, “If I do not pay you between now and such and such a day, give him his [loan] document” —- [if] the time came and he did not pay, R' Yose says: He should give [the document]. R' Yehudah says: He should not give [it].

[If] someone's loan document was erased, witnesses attest to it, and he comes before the court and they draw up a validation: The document of so-and-so, the son of so-and-so, was erased, of such and such a date, and so-and-so and so-and-so were his witnesses.  [If] one paid part of his debt, R' Yehudah says: He should exchange [the document]. R' Yose says: He should write a receipt. Said R' Yehudah: This results in his needing to safeguard his receipt from the mice. R' Yose said to him: It is fit-ting for him, so that this one's position not be impaired.

[If there were] two brothers, one poor and one wealthy, and their father left them a bathhouse or an olive press —- [if] he had made them for renting, the rent is divided; [if] he made them for themselves, the wealthy one can say to the poor one, “Ac-quire servants, and let them bathe in the bathhouse; acquire olives, and come process them in the olive press.”  Two people in the same town, both named Yosef ben Shimon, cannot produce a document of indebtedness against each other; nor can another produce a document of indebtedness against them. [If] one found among his documents [a receipt stating], “The note of Yosef ben Shimon is paid,” both their notes are [treated as] paid. What should they do? They should [record] the third [gen-eration]. If they were [identical] for three [generations], they should write a description. If they were alike, they should write “Kohen.”  If someone said to his son, “One of my notes is paid, but I do not know which,” all the notes are paid. [If] two [notes] from one person were found there, the larger one is [treated as] paid and the smaller one is not [considered] paid.  One who lends to another through a guarantor may not collect from the guarantor. If he said, “On condition that I can collect from whomever I wish,” he may collect from the guarantor. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: In either case, if the borrower has property, he may not collect from the guarantor. Similarly, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: [If one was] the guarantor of a woman's kesubah, and her husband was divorc-ing her, he must vow not to derive any [further] benefit from her, to prevent them from plotting against this one's property and [then] remarrying.