Gittin 69

משום חינא אקילו רבנן גבה קא משמע לן:

in order [to render marriage] more attractive<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To women in general by making it easier for them to recover their kethubahs. ');">¹</span>

נמנעו מלהשביעה: מ"ט אילימא משום דרב כהנא דאמר רב כהנא ואמרי לה אמר רב יהודה אמר רב מעשה באדם אחד בשני בצורת שהפקיד דינר זהב אצל אלמנה והניחתו בכד של קמח ואפאתו בפת ונתנתו לעני

the Rabbis made a concession in her case. We are told [therefore that this is not so].

לימים בא בעל הדינר ואמר לה הבי לי דינרי אמרה ליה יהנה סם המות באחד מבניה של אותה אשה אם נהניתי מדינרך כלום אמרו לא היו ימים מועטין עד שמת אחד מבניה וכששמעו חכמים בדבר אמרו מה מי שנשבע באמת כך הנשבע על שקר על אחת כמה וכמה

THEY [THE RABBIS] REFRAINED FROM IMPOSING AN OATH ON HER. What was the reason of this refusal? Shall we say it is to be found in the incident reported by R. Kahana, or, according to others by Rab Judah in the name of Rab, viz., that in a year of scarcity a certain man deposited a <i>denar</i> of gold with a widow, who put it in a jar of flour. Subsequently she baked the flour and gave [the loaf] to a poor man. In course of time the owner of the <i>denar</i> came and said to her, 'Give me back my <i>denar</i>, and she said to him: May death seize upon one of my sons<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'May the poison of death have benefit from one of the sons of this woman.' ');">²</span>

מאי טעמא איענשה דאישתרשי לה מקום דינר

if I have derived any benefit for myself from your <i>denar</i>, and not many days passed — so it was stated — before one of her sons died. When the Sages heard of the incident they remarked: If such is the fate of one who swears truly, what must be the fate of one who swears falsely! Why was she punished? Because she had derived advantage from the place of the <i>denar</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which saved her the corresponding quantity of flour. ');">³</span>

ומאי מי שנשבע באמת כמי שנשבע באמת

How then could the Sages speak of her as one who had sworn truly? — What they meant was, One who might be said to have sworn truly. If that is the reason [why the Rabbis refrained from imposing an oath], why only to a widow? Why not also to a divorced woman? Why has R. Zera said in the name of Samuel, 'This rule applies only to a widow, but to a divorced woman an oath is administered'? — There is a special reason in the case of a widow, because she finds a justification for herself [for swearing falsely] on account of the trouble she has taken on behalf of the orphans.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For which she considers she is entitled to some compensation. ');">⁴</span>

אי משום הא מאי איריא אלמנה אפילו גרושה נמי אלמה א"ר זירא אמר שמואל לא שנו אלא אלמנה אבל גרושה משביעין אותה

Rab Judah stated in the name of R. Jeremiah b. Abba: Rab and Samuel were both agreed that this rule applied only to an oath imposed in the <i>Beth din</i>, but outside the <i>Beth din</i> an oath may be imposed on a widow.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Within the Beth din she would be required to take a scroll of the Law or a pair of phylacteries in her hand and swear by one of the divine Names, but outside the Beth din these solemnities would be dispensed with. ');">⁵</span>

אלמנה שאני דבההיא הנאה דקא טרחה קמי דיתמי אתיא לאורויי היתרא

Is this so? Is it not a fact that Rab would not enforce payment of a <i>kethubah</i> [by orphans] to a widow?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely he could have had an oath imposed on her outside the Beth din. ');">⁶</span>

אמר רב יהודה אמר ר' ירמיה בר אבא רב ושמואל דאמרי תרוייהו לא שנו אלא בב"ד אבל חוץ לבית דין משביעין אותה איני והא רב לא מגבי כתובה לארמלתא קשיא

— This is a difficulty. This is the version given in Sura. In Nehardea the version is as follows, Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: This rule applies only to an oath imposed in the <i>Beth din</i>, but outside the <i>Beth din</i> an oath may be imposed on a widow. Rab, however, held that even outside the <i>Beth din</i> an oath may not be imposed on her. [This dictum of] Rab [is] in conformity with his expressed view, for Rab would not enforce payment of a <i>kethubah</i> to a widow. Why did he not make her take a vow<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In accordance with the regulation if Rabban Gamaliel. V. Mishnah. ');">⁷</span>

בסורא מתנו הכי בנהרדעא מתנו הכי אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל לא שנו אלא בבית דין אבל חוץ לב"ד משביעין אותה ורב אמר אפי' חוץ לב"ד נמי אין משביעין אותה

and so let her recover? — In the time of Rab, vows were not treated lightly.

רב לטעמיה דרב לא מגבי כתובה לארמלתא וליאדרה וליגבייה בשני דרב קילי נדרי

A certain woman appealed to R. Huna [to enforce payment of her <i>kethubah</i>]. He said to her, What can I do for you, seeing that Rab would not enforce payment of a <i>kethubah</i> to a widow? She said to him: Is not the only reason the fear that perhaps I have already received part of my <i>kethubah</i>? By the Lord of Hosts I swear that I have not received a penny from my <i>kethubah</i>. Said R. Huna: Rab would admit [that we enforce payment] where the widow takes the oath spontaneously.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'jumps forward'. ');">⁸</span>

ההיא דאתאי לקמיה דרב הונא אמר לה מה אעביד ליך דרב לא מגבי כתובה לארמלתא אמרה ליה מידי הוא טעמא אלא דלמא נקיטנא מידי מכתובתי חי ה' צבאות אם נהניתי מכתובתי כלום אמר רב הונא מודה רב בקופצת

A certain woman appealed to Rabbah son of R. Huna [to enforce payment of her <i>kethubah</i>]. He said to her: What can I do for you seeing that Rab would not enforce payment of a <i>kethubah</i> and my father also would not enforce payment of a <i>kethubah</i> to a widow? She said to him: At least grant me maintenance. He replied: You are not entitled to maintenance either, since Rab Judah has said in the name of Samuel: If a woman claims her <i>kethubah</i> in the <i>Beth din</i>, she has no claim to maintenance.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Keth. 542. ');">⁹</span>

ההיא דאתאי לקמיה דרבה בר רב הונא אמר לה מאי אעביד ליך דרב לא מגבי כתובה לארמלתא ואבא מרי לא מגבי כתובה לארמלתא

She said to him: Turn his seat upside down!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [May he be humiliated (Rashi) — a curse the allusion of which is not quite clear. Goldschmidt connects it with the action of overturning the seat of one who died.] ');">¹⁰</span>

אמרה ליה הב לי מזוני אמר לה מזוני נמי לית ליך דאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל התובעת כתובתה בב"ד אין לה מזונות

He gives me [the worst of] both authorities.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., you follow Rab in refusing to collect the kethubah and Samuel in refusing maintenance. ');">¹¹</span>

אמרה ליה אפכוה לכורסיה כבי תרי עבדא לי הפכוה לכורסיה ותרצוה ואפילו הכי לא איפרק מחולשא

They turned his seat over<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [That the force of the curse should find itself spent in its literal fulfilment]. ');">¹²</span>

אמר ליה רב יהודה לרב ירמיה ביראה אדרה בב"ד ואשבעה חוץ לב"ד וליתי קלא וליפול באודני דבעינא כי היכי דאעביד בה מעשה

and put it straight again, but even so he did not escape an illness. Rab Judah said to R. Jeremiah Bira'ah: impose a vow on her in the <i>Beth din</i> and administer an oath to her outside the <i>Beth din</i>, and see that the report reaches my ears, since I desire to make this a precedent.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rab Judah was a disciple of Samuel, and desired to impose his ruling on R. Huna and the other disciples of Rab. ');">¹³</span>

גופא אמר רבי זירא אמר שמואל לא שנו אלא אלמנה אבל גרושה משביעין אותה

[The text above stated:] 'R. Zera said in the name of Samuel: This rule applies only to a widow, but to a divorced woman an oath is administered.' Cannot then a divorced woman recover her <i>kethubah</i> on [merely] taking a vow? Was not [a communication] sent from there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Eretz Yisrael to Babylon. ');">¹⁴</span>

וגרושה דאדרה לא והא שלחו מתם איך פלוניתא בת פלוני קבילת גיטא מן ידא דאחא בר הידיא דמתקרי איה מרי ונדרת ואסרת פירות שבעולם עלה דלא קבילת מכתובתה אלא גלופקרא אחד וספר תהלים אחד וספר איוב וממשלות בלואים

saying that 'So-and-so the daughter of So-and-so received a Get from the hand of Aha b. Hedia who is also known as Ayah Mari and took a vow binding herself to abstain from all produce whatsoever if she should be found to have received of her <i>kethubah</i> anything besides a blanket, a book of the Psalms, a copy of Job and a copy of Proverbs much worn,