(Mishnah): There was no Sikrikon (law of extortionists) in Yehudah at the time of killing in war (of Titus). After the killing in war, there was Sikrikon.

How is this? If Reuven bought [land] from a Sikrikon, and afterwards Reuven bought it from the owner [from whom the Sikrikon stole it, even] the (latter) sale is null;

If he bought it from the owner, and then from the Sikrikon, the (former) sale is valid.

If one bought land from a man (there is a lien on it to pay his wife's Kesuvah) and later buys it from the wife, the [latter] sale is null;

If Levi buys it from the wife, and later buys it from her husband, the sales are valid.

This is Mishnah Rishonah (the initial law). A later Beis Din said that [when one buys from a Sikrikon,] he gives a quarter to the owner.

When is this? It is when [the owner] cannot buy [back his land], but if he could buy, he comes before anyone else.

Rebbi set up a Beis Din. They voted and ruled that if the land was by the Sikrikon for 12 months, anyone may buy it, but he gives to the owner a quarter.

(Gemara): Initially, [Romi] decreed destruction against Yehudah, for they have a tradition from their ancestors that Yehudah killed Esav, for it says [in the Brachah to Yehudah] "Yadecha b'Oref Oyvecha." (BIRKEI YOSEF OC 131:4 - Chushim ben Dan hit him first, but he did not die until Yehudah hit him.)

[Romi] was subjugating [people of Yehudah] and taking their fields and selling them to others. Owners were taking them back [from the buyers]; people refrained from buying, and the land was permanently in the Sikrikon's hand (we explained this like HAGAHOS R. DINAR);

They enacted that there is no law of Sikrikon in Yehudah. (Rather, the buyer keeps it.)

Limitation: This refers to people killed in (during) the war [and] before the war, but those killed from the war and after, there is [the law of] Sikrikon.

Question: Are those killed before the war not like those killed after the war?! (At both times, Nochrim were not allowed to kill Yehudim!)

Answer: The case is, a Sikrikon came and stole, and before [Beis Din] wrote a document authorizing the owner to take back his field, Sikrikon (i.e. war) came to the entire world. The law [of Sikrikon] should not be half-way (therefore, during the war they did not apply the law of Sikrikon even to what was taken beforehand).