Responsa for Ketubot 97:8
דתניא מצוה לזון את הבנות קל וחומר לבנים דעסקי בתורה דברי רבי מאיר רבי יהודה אומר מצוה לזון את הבנים וקל וחומר לבנות משום זילותא ר' יוחנן בן ברוקא אומר חובה לזון את הבנות לאחר מיתת אביהן אבל בחיי אביהן אלו ואלו אינן ניזונין
For it was taught: It is a moral duty to feed one’s daughters, and all the more so one’s sons, since the latter are engaged in the study of the Torah, the words of R. Meir. R. Judah ruled: It is a moral duty to feed one’s sons, and all the more so one’s daughters, in order (to prevent their) degradation. R. Yohanan b. Beroka ruled: It is a legal obligation to feed one’s daughters after their father’s death; but during the lifetime of their father neither sons nor daughters need be fed.
Teshuvot Maharam
Q. A mother demanded support from her three sons. One son has no money except his salary as teacher. The second son possesses fourteen marks. The third son is rich but does not live in the same town. Who must support the mother?
A. It is the accepted law that children are obligated to support their widowed mother only out of the possessions they inherited from their father, but not out of their own possessions. However, children of means may be forced to support their mother as an act of charity [since a Jew may be forced to give charity to the poor]. Therefore, any son who would himself be thrown upon charity were he forced to support his mother, can not be forced to do so. But those sons who have means should support their mother in proportion to their wealth. These sons, however, cannot be forced to support their mother out of their own money, but can do so out of the money they are usually obliged to give to charity, although they would thus incur the curse of the Rabbis who say: "Cursed be he who feeds his father out of the poor man's tithe" Kid. 32a.
SOURCES: Cr. 198; Pr. 541; Tesh. Maim. to Shoftim, 15; Mordecai Hagadol, p. 197d.
A. It is the accepted law that children are obligated to support their widowed mother only out of the possessions they inherited from their father, but not out of their own possessions. However, children of means may be forced to support their mother as an act of charity [since a Jew may be forced to give charity to the poor]. Therefore, any son who would himself be thrown upon charity were he forced to support his mother, can not be forced to do so. But those sons who have means should support their mother in proportion to their wealth. These sons, however, cannot be forced to support their mother out of their own money, but can do so out of the money they are usually obliged to give to charity, although they would thus incur the curse of the Rabbis who say: "Cursed be he who feeds his father out of the poor man's tithe" Kid. 32a.
SOURCES: Cr. 198; Pr. 541; Tesh. Maim. to Shoftim, 15; Mordecai Hagadol, p. 197d.
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