A person prunes a tree on a convert's field by removing branches only from one side. What is the ruling?
Pruning from only one side suggests he took the branches for personal use. Since intent appears to be self-benefit rather than land improvement, it is not a valid act of possession.
Question 2
A person plows a convert's field thinking it is his own. Does he acquire it?
A valid chazakah requires awareness that the property is ownerless and deliberate intent to claim it. Acting under a mistaken assumption nullifies the acquisition.
Question 3
A person spreads seeds in rows on a convert's field. Does he acquire the field?
Spreading seeds does not acquire the field. At the moment of sowing, intent is directed toward the future harvest, not an immediate act of possession over the land.
Question 4
A person takes earth from a high area of a convert's field and deposits it in a low area. What does this indicate?
Moving earth from a high place to a low place improves the field by leveling it. This signals intent to improve the land and constitutes a valid act of possession.
Question 5
When a convert died while holding a Jew's collateral, and a second Jew takes the collateral located in the first Jew's courtyard — who acquires it?
If the collateral was kept in the first Jew's protected courtyard, his courtyard acquires it for him automatically — the second Jew gains nothing by taking it.