A deaf-mute (who cannot hear or speak) wants to sell movable property. Is this possible?
Rabbinically, a deaf-mute may buy and sell movable property through gestures. But the court must test him carefully multiple times before his transactions are confirmed. Land transactions remain void.
Question 2
A minor of age 8 who understands commerce wants to sell a field he inherited from his father. Is this valid?
Inherited land may not be sold until age 20, regardless of the seller's signs of maturity or commercial understanding. This Rabbinic protection applies even to a young adult who has reached technical majority.
Question 3
A minor of 10 years performs a kinyan sudar (barter) to acquire movable property. Does he acquire it?
A male minor does not acquire through kinyan sudar or rental of the place where the item rests. He acquires movables only through meshichah. This is because a minor's courtyard doesn't acquire for him — these mechanisms derive from agency principles, not personal domain.
Question 4
An epileptic signs a deed of sale during a lucid period. Is the sale valid?
A person who alternates between mental instability and normal periods has full legal capacity during his lucid intervals. All transactions, including land sales, are binding when conducted during a lucid period, though witnesses must verify this carefully.
Question 5
A youth sold inherited property at age 17 and did not protest after reaching age 20. According to the Rambam, what is the status of the sale?
The Rambam's personal ruling (departing from his teachers) is that if the youth took the money and the buyer used the property openly before him after he turned 20 without protest, the sale is confirmed. Silence equals ratification.