Arakhin 37
שבזכר ושבנקבה מיבעי ליה
Why is a female, when she is old, valued only at one third, whereas a man at not even a third?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A woman under sixty is to be valued at thirty, above sixty at ten, which is one third; a man under sixty at fifty, over sixty at fifteen, which is less than a third.');"><sup>1</sup></span>
ומאי שנא נקבה דכי מיזקנא קיימא אתילתא ומאי שנא זכר דלא קאי אתילתא
- Said Hezekiah: people say, An old man in the house is a burden in the house, an old woman in the house is a treasure in the house!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A woman is never too old to be useful in the house, whereas in popular opinion, an old man in the house may be termed 'an obstacle', 'a burden', 'a weak vessel'.');"><sup>2</sup></span>
וכי היאך אפשר לכוין בשר כנגד בשר ועצמות כנגד עצמות
is because he has mentioned expressly [the precious metal], but if he has not mentioned expressly, he can free himself of the obligation with anything;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' However base a metal or material.');"><sup>5</sup></span>
פשיטא
An accident [is reported] to contradict [the law just stated]? - Something is missing here and thus it ought to read: 'But if it be a prominent person, then although he has not expressly stated, we estimate it in accordance with his dignity; and IT HAPPENED WITH THE MOTHER OF YIRMATIA WHO HAD SAID, 'I VOW MY DAUGHTER'S WEIGHT': SHE WENT UP TO JERUSALEM AND THEY WEIGHED HER, AND THEN SHE PAID HER WEIGHT IN GOLD'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to which one is bound only by express statement as to that metal is meant, whereas the mother of Yirmatia, on the basis of a general vow, is reported to have made a payment of the weight in gold.');"><sup>6</sup></span>
כיון דכולהו לא תקלי לא קמ"ל
[If he said:] I vo my full stature, he may give a staff which can be bent.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the first case the stature of the metal, whichever he mentioned, should be paid. In the second, he has stressed only the height, therefore a staff, however thin and easy to be bent, will redeem the pledge. In the first it must be solid, as his figure, in the second it must be high, but need not be of any minimum thickness.');"><sup>7</sup></span>
חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני
Thus we see that since he did not have to say anything and nevertheless did make a statement, he meant to add something thereby; therefore here, too, since he did not have to say anything and he spoke nevertheless, he wanted to add something.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The seller should not have mentioned a self-evident clause: that cistern and cellar are not sold with the house. Having mentioned that, he must have added something to the contract not implicit therein, viz., the right to the cellar. In similar manner here, 'full' is a superfluous phrase, stature implies the full height. Hence the additional suggestion: It is only as to the full height that I assume obligation, but as to thickness, that may be as slender as possible.');"><sup>10</sup></span>