Teshuvot Maharam · Berlin Edition, Part I, Chapter 49
1
וששאלת אם ראובן יכול לגלגל על שמעון גם ההפסד שהפסיד על ידו שהוצרך לפייס הסוחרים ולהשחירם שלא יצעקו על דבר זה פשוט הוא ששמעון פטור מזה היכא דלא ידע שמעון שהיה סיגים ולא היה עליו הזהירו ועוד א"נ היה יודע שמעון שהיה בו סיגים ולא הוי ידע בו ראובן פטור ודאי מדיני אדם וחייב בדיני שמים דגרמא בנזקין פטור ולא דמי כלל לדינא דגרמי דמחייבים דכל היכא שאין ההיזק נעשה לאלתר ולא ברי הזיקא לא מחייב ומילי טובא איכא בפ' הכונס הלוקחים מיד ראובן שיש בו סיגים כמו שכל השותפי' לא הרגישו.
Q. A, B, C, and D, were partners in a loan made by them. In repayment they received a quantity of silver which they divided among themselves by lot. Subsequently, A bought B's silver and sold it to merchants [probably Gentile merchants]. The latter broke up the silver and found it mixed with base metal. A averted a calamity by pacifying the merchants with gifts of money, thus preventing their bringing false accusations against him. A demands that B reimburse him with the price of the silver, and also compensate him for the money he had spent in pacifying the merchants. A. The sale of the silver to A is void, since it was made in error. Similarly, the division of the silver among the partners is void, even though made by lot, since that too was made in error. However, B is not required to compensate A for the money he spent in pacifying the merchants, since B did not know, at the time of the sale, that his silver contained base metal. Moreover, even if B knew the contents of his silver, he would still be absolved from paying A the money he had given to the merchants, since he was only an indirect cause of A's loss, though he would be liable to punishment by the Heavenly Court. SOURCES: P. 48, 49.
וששאלת אם ראובן יכול לגלגל על שמעון גם ההפסד שהפסיד על ידו שהוצרך לפייס הסוחרים ולהשחירם שלא יצעקו על דבר זה פשוט הוא ששמעון פטור מזה היכא דלא ידע שמעון שהיה סיגים ולא היה עליו הזהירו ועוד א"נ היה יודע שמעון שהיה בו סיגים ולא הוי ידע בו ראובן פטור ודאי מדיני אדם וחייב בדיני שמים דגרמא בנזקין פטור ולא דמי כלל לדינא דגרמי דמחייבים דכל היכא שאין ההיזק נעשה לאלתר ולא ברי הזיקא לא מחייב ומילי טובא איכא בפ' הכונס הלוקחים מיד ראובן שיש בו סיגים כמו שכל השותפי' לא הרגישו.
Q. A, B, C, and D, were partners in a loan made by them. In repayment they received a quantity of silver which they divided among themselves by lot. Subsequently, A bought B's silver and sold it to merchants [probably Gentile merchants]. The latter broke up the silver and found it mixed with base metal. A averted a calamity by pacifying the merchants with gifts of money, thus preventing their bringing false accusations against him. A demands that B reimburse him with the price of the silver, and also compensate him for the money he had spent in pacifying the merchants.
A. The sale of the silver to A is void, since it was made in error. Similarly, the division of the silver among the partners is void, even though made by lot, since that too was made in error. However, B is not required to compensate A for the money he spent in pacifying the merchants, since B did not know, at the time of the sale, that his silver contained base metal. Moreover, even if B knew the contents of his silver, he would still be absolved from paying A the money he had given to the merchants, since he was only an indirect cause of A's loss, though he would be liable to punishment by the Heavenly Court.
SOURCES: P. 48, 49.