or delayed after it, so long as both remain in the same session. If they occupy themselves with something that breaks the session, it is invalidated. This is the verbal form; it may also be concluded by mutual exchange, which is the action-based form.
His statement, “or delayed after it, so long as both remain in the same session. If they occupy themselves with something that breaks the session, it is invalidated”: “delayed” is a circumstantial qualifier of acceptance. That is, acceptance may immediately follow the offer, or it may be delayed.
That it may immediately follow the offer is clear. For example, one may say, “I have sold you this for ten,” and the buyer says, “I accept.” Here, the acceptance immediately follows the offer, and there is no problem with this.
It is also permissible for acceptance to be delayed after the offer. Thus, one may say, “I have sold you this for ten,” and the buyer then remains silent while considering the matter. Before purchasing something, a person may feel a desire for it; but when the seller says, “I have sold it,” he may perhaps hesitate, and that desire may fade. The dearest thing to a person is what is withheld from him. Thus, you find that bird hunters desire a bird before shooting it; but once they have shot it and it falls to the ground, it becomes worth nothing to them. Likewise, when goods are in the seller’s possession and someone says, “Will you sell me this item for ten?” and he replies, “Yes, I will sell it for ten,” then there is no problem if acceptance is delayed. However, we say that if it is delayed, certain conditions must be met:
First: it must take place in the same session.
Second: neither party must occupy himself with something that breaks the session.
Third: the acceptance must correspond to the offer.
As for remaining in the same session, this excludes the case in which it takes place in a different session. For example, if he says, “I have sold you this commodity for ten,” then they part ways, and later he returns and says, “I accept,” this acceptance is not valid, because the session has changed.
Likewise, if they occupy themselves with something that breaks the session—for example, if he says, “I have sold you this car for thirty thousand,” and the other says, “Today I passed by the college and found so-and-so successful,”