יום ו Date: 1 Adar, 5775 (2/20/15) – Kesuvos#18 {Tani}

SELF-INCRIMINATION

[18b bottom] Rami bar Chama: If witnesses on a document say, “we were coerced to sign because of a threat to our lives” they are believed. But if they said that “we were coerced to sign because of a threat to our finances,” their testimony is not believed. This is because ‘a person cannot establish himself as a criminal’ (and admission to sign for a financial benefit would be self-incriminating). A man is unfit to testify against (and disqualify) his own relative, and he is most certainly related to himself (therefore we disregard the “financial duress” statement and still accept the fact that it is his signature and the document is valid).

Prac-T-cal Tidbits: We should always be careful about how we relate to ourselves, and how we talk about ourselves to others. Loving another [the fundamental principle of the Torah, according to Hillel the elder) comes from loving oneself, and one who talks badly about oneself cannot learn to love others properly. We should make sure to always talk positively and never “disqualify ourselves” in any way.