Chapter: A Parent’s Gift to His Child

It is permissible for a man to give gifts to some of his children and not to others. Nonetheless, it is disliked for him to transfer all of his wealth to a single child—unless the amount is insignificant—and, if he does so while he is in good health, the gift stands.

Whether the father calls it a gift, a grant, or a donation to his son, all are treated alike. If the son is an adult of sound judgment, he and a non-heir outsider are subject to the same rules of possession already outlined. If the son is a minor, no formal transfer of possession is required beyond having the gift witnessed and publicly announced, for the father himself counts as the child’s possessor.

This ruling covers everything the father hands over—real estate, movable goods, livestock, and all other property—except for ready cash. In the case of cash, when he gives it to his minor son he must remove it from his own control and place it with someone who will hold it on the boy’s behalf; otherwise the gift is invalid unless—