Kiddushin 4

Chapter 4

א אי נמי שדות בכסף יקנו (ירמיה לב,מד) תני האישה נקנית
1 alternatively, men shall acquire fields for money;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XXXII, 44.');"><sup>1</sup></span> therefore, he teaches: A WOMAN IS ACQUIRED.
ב וניתני התם האיש קונה מעיקרא תני לישנא דאורייתא ולבסוף תני לישנא דרבנן ומאי לישנא דרבנן דאסר לה אכולי עלמא כהקדש
2 Then let him state there,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 41a.');"><sup>2</sup></span> 'A man acquires'? - He [the Tanna] first employs Biblical phraseology, but subsequently, the Rabbinical idiom.
ג וניתני הכא האיש קונה משום דקא בעי למיתנא סיפא וקונה את עצמה בדידה תנא נמי רישא בדידה
3 Now what does the Rabbinical term connote?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Heb. mekaddesh literally means 'consecrates.' Why is this employed by the Rabbis for betrothal?');"><sup>3</sup></span> - That he [the husband] interdicts her to all [men] as hekdesh.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos.; hekdesh is forbidden for secular use.');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ד וניתני האיש קונה ומקנה משום דאיכא מיתת הבעל דלאו איהו קא מקני מן שמיא הוא דמקני לה
4 But, why not teach here, 'A man acquires'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Granted that Biblical usage demands a verb of acquisition, yet just as the Mishnah on ');"><sup>5</sup></span> - Because he desires to teach the second clause, AND ACQUIRES HER FREEDOM, which refers to her [the woman], he therefore teaches the first clause likewise with reference to her.
ה ואי בעית אימא אי תנא קונה ה"א אפילו בעל כרחה תנא האשה נקנית דמדעתה אין שלא מדעתה לא
5 Then let him state, 'A man acquires. and makes [her] acquire'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Both clauses referring to his action.');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ו ומאי איריא דתני שלוש ליתני שלושה משום דקא בעי למיתני דרך ודרך לשון נקבה הוא דכתיב והדעת להם את הדרך ילכו בה (שמות יח,כ)
6 - Because there is the husband's death where it is not he who frees her, but it is Heaven who confers [her freedom] on her.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence this could not be referred to as his (voluntary) action.');"><sup>7</sup></span> Alternatively, were it taught 'he acquires.'
ז ואלא הא דתניא בשבעה דרכים בודקין את הזב ניתני שבע משום דקא בעי למיתני דרך ואשכחן דרך דאיקרי לשון זכר דכתיב בדרך אחד יצאו אליך ובשבעה דרכים ינוסו לפניך (דברים כח,ז) אי הכי קשו קראי אהדדי וקשיא נמי מתני' אהדדי
7 I might have thought, even against her will, hence It is stated 'A WOMAN IS ACQUIRED,' implying only with her consent, but not without.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By referring it to her, the Tanna shews that the validity of acquisition is dependent on her consent.');"><sup>8</sup></span> Now, why does he [the Tanna] choose to teach shalosh?
ח קראי אהדדי לא קשיין הכא דבתורה קאי ותורה איקרי לשון נקבה דכתיב תורת ה' תמימה משיבת נפש (תהילים יט,ח) כתב לה בלשון נקבה התם דבמלחמה קאי דדרכו של איש לעשות מלחמה ואין דרכה של אשה לעשות מלחמה כתב לה בלשון זכר
8 Let him teach sheloshah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Shalosh (three) is used with fem. substantives; sheloshah with masc. ones, which is the more usual.');"><sup>9</sup></span> - Because he desires to state derek [way], which is feminine, as it is written, and thou shalt shew them the way wherein [bah] they must walk.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XVIII, 20: bah is feminine (in her) , the masc. being bo.');"><sup>10</sup></span>
ט מתני' אהדדי לא קשיין הכא דלגבי אשה קאי קתני לה בלשון נקבה התם דלגבי איש קאי דדרכו של איש ליבדק ואין דרכה של אשה ליבדק דהא אשה נמי באונס מיטמאה תני לשון זכר
9 'If so, when we learnt, a zab<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos, cf. p. 3, n. 1.');"><sup>11</sup></span> is examined in seven [shiv'ah] ways [derakim.]':<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Pl. of derek.');"><sup>12</sup></span>
י מ"ט תני שלוש משום דרכים ניתני דברים וניתני שלושה משום דקבעי למיתני ביאה וביאה איקרי דרך דכתיב ודרך גבר בעלמה כן דרך אשה מנאפת (משלי ל,יט-כ)
10 let him [the Tanna] employ sheva'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Shiv'ah with masc., sheva' with fem. substantives.');"><sup>13</sup></span> - Because he desires to state derek, which we find designated as masculine, as it is written, they shall come out against thee in one way [be-derek ehad], and flee before thee seven ways [shiv'ah derakim].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXVIII, 27: in both clauses the numerals are masculine.');"><sup>14</sup></span>
יא הא תינח ביאה כסף ושטר מאי איכא למימר משום ביאה
11 If so, the verses are contradictory, and the Mishnahs likewise? - The verses are not contradictory: here [the first verse quoted], the reference being to the Torah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When Jethro said to Moses, and thou shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, by 'way' he meant the Torah.');"><sup>15</sup></span> which is a feminine noun, as it is written: The law [torah] of the Lord is perfect [temimah], restoring [meshibath] the soul:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XIX, 8; both the adjective and the participle are feminine.');"><sup>16</sup></span>
יב ותני תרתי אטו חדא הנך נמי צורך ביאה נינהו
12 the feminine form is employed. There, however, the reference is to war, and it is the practice of man to wage war, not of woman - therefore the masculine is employed.
יג ואי בעית אימא הא מני ר' שמעון היא דתניא ר"ש אומר מפני מה אמרה תורה כי יקח איש אישה (דברים כב,יג) ולא כתב כי תלקח אשה לאיש מפני שדרכו של איש לחזר על אשה ואין דרכה של אשה לחזר על איש משל לאדם שאבדה לו אבידה מי חוזר על מי בעל האבידה מחזר על אבידתו
13 The Mishnahs are [likewise] not contradictory: here, since the reference is to a woman, It is couched in the feminine form. There, the reference being to a man, since it is the nature of a man to be examined, but not of a woman, for a woman becomes unclean even through an accident,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A man is unclean as a zab only if the discharge comes of itself, without being caused by external factors (technically called accidents) ; e.g., the eating of certain foods, physical overstrain, etc.; seven such factors might have caused the discharge, and consequently he had to be examined in respect of these. But a woman is unclean even then; hence there is no purpose in examining her.');"><sup>17</sup></span>
יד והא דתנן בז' דרכים בודקין את הזב ליתני דברים התם הא קמ"ל דדרכא דמיכלא יתירא לאותיי לידי זיבה ודרכה דמישתיא יתירא לאתויי לידי זיבה
14 the masculine form is employed. Now, why does he employ shalosh?
טו והא דתנן אתרוג שווה לאילן בג' דרכים ליתני דברים משום דבעינן מתני סיפא ולירק בדרך אחד סיפא נמי ניתני דבר
15 on account of derakim [ways]! Then let him teach debarim [things] and sheloshah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A woman is acquired by three things; debarim is masc.');"><sup>18</sup></span> - Because he wishes to mention INTERCOURSE, which is designated 'way', as it is written, and the way of a man with a maid. Such is the way of an adulterous woman.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XXX, 19 f.');"><sup>19</sup></span> Now, that answers for intercourse; but what can you say of MONEY AND DEED? - [They are] on account of INTERCOURSE.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since derek is required for cohabitation, it is also used for the others.');"><sup>20</sup></span> And are two taught on account of one?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely the idiom should be primarily adapted to the majority?');"><sup>21</sup></span> - These too are adjuncts of intercourse.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They are not separate and complete acts, but preliminaries to cohabitation.');"><sup>22</sup></span> Alternatively I can say: The author of this [Mishnah] is R'Simeon, For it was taught: R'Simeon said: Why did the Torah state, If any man take a wife,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXII, 13.');"><sup>23</sup></span> and not 'if a woman be taken to a man'? Because it is the way of a man to go in search of a woman, but it is not the way of a woman to go in search of a man. This may be compared to a man who lost an article: who goes in search of whom? The loser goes in search of the lost article.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But the lost article does not seek the loser. Thus, man having lost his rib, he seeks to recover it. - Since R. Simeon says 'It is the way of a man, etc.' he also teaches: 'A WOMAN IS ACQUIRED IN THREE WAYS. 'Derek' (way) is applicable to something that happens in conformity with nature or normal practice.');"><sup>24</sup></span> Now, as to what we learnt: 'a zab is examined in seven ways': let it state [seven] 'things'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because generally speaking the masculine is preferable.');"><sup>25</sup></span> - There we are informed this: it is the nature [way] of excessive eating to cause gonorrhoea, and it is the nature [way] of excessive drinking to cause gonorrhoea. Further, as to what we learnt: 'The citron is comparable to a tree in three ways'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., in respect of 'orlah (q.v. Glos.) , fourth year fruits, and the year of release. The fruit gathered in the fourth year of a tree's planting was to be eaten in Jerusalem, like the second tithe (v. note 4) . Special laws governed the produce of every seventh year (v. Lev, XXV, 1-7) , but the definitions of 'seventh year' varied. In respect to trees it meant the fruit that grew in the seventh year, even if not harvested until the eighth; while in speaking of vegetables it applies to the time of gathering: the citron is assimilated to trees in this matter.');"><sup>26</sup></span> - let him state [in three] things? - Because he wishes to teach the second clause: and to vegetables in one way.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., in respect of tithing. In the first, second, fourth, and fifth years after the 'year of release', the first and second tithe were separated, the first being given to the Levite and the second eaten by its owners in Jerusalem; in the third and sixth years the first and third tithes were due, the latter being given to the poor. Here too, trees were determined by the time when their fruit grew; vegetables by their gathering; the citron was assimilated to vegetables in this matter.');"><sup>27</sup></span> Then in the second clause too' let him state, [and to vegetables in one] 'thing'?