Kiddushin, Daf Kaf Het, Part 5

Introduction

Today’s section compares giving objects to another person with transferring them to the Temple.

מתני׳ רשות הגבוה בכסף ורשות ההדיוט בחזקה

The sanctuary’s title to property [is acquired] by money; the title of an ordinary person’s property by hazakah.

Ordinary people cannot acquire movable property by using money (as we have learned already), but the Temple can use money to acquire movable property.  So if the Temple’s treasurer wants to buy a cow, once he gives the cow’s owner money the cow is sanctified and belongs to the Temple.

Ordinary people can acquire through hazakah, which here seems to be used in the sense of taking physical possession.

  אמירתו לגבוה כמסירתו להדיוט:

Dedication to the sanctuary is equal to delivery to an ordinary person.

A verbal declaration is not sufficient to transfer ownership.  In other words, if I just pick up an object and say “This belongs to Reuven”, the object does not yet belong to Reuven.  However, when it comes to dedicating something to the Temple, a verbal declaration is sufficient.  If I state, “This cow belongs to the Temple,” the cow belongs to the Temple and is considered sacred.  We can see through both of these sections that the Temple more easily acquires property than does an ordinary human being.