Q&A: Workers Who Said “As the Employer Said”: (Bava Metzia 76a)
Workers Who Said “As the Employer Said”: (Bava Metzia 76a)
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In the Talmudic passage in Bava Metzia 76a, I didn’t understand why in the case where the employer tells the agent 3 zuz and the agent tells the workers 4 zuz, it is obvious to the Gemara that their intention was the better option, namely the 4, and as Rashi says, that they meant to say, “You are trusted by us that this is what the employer said,” and therefore if he said, “Your wages are upon me,” he loses the zuz.
Why in this case is there no doubt, unlike the second case presented by the Gemara? After all, they don’t know how much he said.
Thank you
Answer
You mean the case where they accepted it based on the employer’s terms? What is the difficulty? The doubt is whether they accepted the amount, or only believed that this is what the employer said. They rely on the employer as a fair payer, and they accepted it based on what he said.