ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem
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Kesuvos 64
Questions
1)
(a) The husband of a woman who claims that she detests him - must in fact,
wait for a year before divorcing her.
(b) She does not receive Mezonos during that period.
2)
(a) Rav Tuvi bar Kisna quotes Shmuel who says that one writes a letter of
Mered against an Arusah but not against a Shomeres Yavam. This appears to
clash with the Beraisa - which includes a Shomeres Yavam in the list of
cases of Moredes.
(b) Initially, we answer that the Beraisa is talking when the woman is the
Moredes and the man is claiming, whereas Rav Tuvi bar Kisna Amar Shmuel is
talking when it is the man who is Mored and the woman who claims. If Shmuel
is talking about when the man is Mored - he will amend the Lashon 'Kosvin
Igeres Mered *al Arusah*' to 'Kosvin Igeres Mered *la'Arusah*'.
(c) The difference between the two is - that whereas the man is obligated to
have children, the woman is not (so it should not be necessary to write an
Igeres Mered on her behalf).
(d) We reject this answer however, on the grounds that - if that is so, why
do we write an Igeres Mered for an Arusah (seeing as Shmuel is talking about
a case when it is the man who is a Mored)? And even if we were to add that
that is based on the argument that she wants children to support her in her
old age, then why should we not say the same by a Shomeres Yavam?
3)
(a) So we try to establish both the Beraisa and Shmuel when the woman is the
Moredes, and the man is claiming. The distinction between the two 'Kahn
la'Ch'lotz, Kahn le'Yabem' is based on a statement made by Rebbi P'das Amar
Rebbi Yochanan - who said 'Tava la'Ch'lotz, Nizkakin Lo, Tava le'Yabeim, Ein
Nizkakin Lo'.
(b) We reject this answer, too. The distinction between Chalitzah and Yibum
is not acceptable - because, if we tell him to marry someone else when she
refuses to make Yibum, why should we not tell him the same when she refuses
to make Chalitzah? And even if we answer that, in the latter case, he can
claim that he will have difficulty in finding a wife because the Yevamah is
tied to him, why should the same not apply in the former case too. In brief,
why should we not write an Igeres Mered when she refuses to make Yibum, too?
(c) We finally establish both the Beraisa and Shmuel when she refuses to do
Yibum, the former like the Mishnah Rishonah - which gives precedence to
Yibum; the latter like the Mishnah Acharonah - which gives precedence to
Chalitzah.
(d) This resolves the discrepancy - because, according to the Mishnah
Rishonah, since he wants to perform the Mitzvah of Yibum, should she refuse,
we write an Igeres Mered; whereas according to the Mishnah Acharonah, where
Yibum is not considered a Mitzvah, we do not.
4)
(a) According to Rebbi Yehudah, we deduct seven Tarpe'ikin weekly from the
Kesuvah of a Moredes. A Tarpe'ik is half a Zuz Tzuri - the equivalent of
three Ma'os (since a Zuz Tzuri equals six Ma'ah).
(b) According to Rebbi Yehudah, one will then ...
1. ... add - half a Tarpe'ic per day (excluding Shabbos) when the man is a
Mored.
2. ... deduct - one Tarpe'ic per day (including Shabbos) when the woman is a
Moredes.
(c) We include Shabbos when deducting from the Kesuvah of a Moredes, but not
when adding to that of a Mored - because when one adds, it looks like S'char
Shabbos (which is forbidden), whereas wen one deducts, it does not.
64b---------------------------------------64b
Questions
5)
(a) When Rav Chiya bar Yosef asked Shmuel why a Mored loses only half as
much as a Moredes (notwithstanding the half Tarpe'ic for Shabbos), Shmuel
referred him to a market of prostitutes - where it is the man who generally
hires the woman, from which we see that the man's sexual needs are stronger
(in which case a husband suffers more when his wife is a Moredes than
vice-versa).
(b) Alternatively - because his embarrassment when he needs his wife (which
is visible externally), is more than her's.
6)
(a) In the opinion of the Tana Kama of our Mishnah, a man who feeds his wife
through a third person, must arrange for her to receive either wheat or
barley. The minimum amount of wheat per week is two Kabin (the equivalent of
twenty-four egg-volumes) - the minimum amount of barley is four Kabin.
(b) According to Rebbi Yossi, it is only Rebbi Yishmael who would feed his
wife barley (but nobody else should) - because he lived near the border with
Edom, where barley was cheap (see end of Daf).
(c) He arranges for her to have - half a Kav of legumes and half a Kav of
oil.
(d) As an ...
1. ... alternative to a Kav of dried figs - he can provide her with a cake
of figs worth a Manah.
2. ... alternative to figs, he provides her with other fruit.
7)
(a) He provides her with a bed - a mat and a blanket.
(b) He must but her annually - fifty Zuz worth of clothes, which he buys in
the winter, so that she wears the worn clothes in the winter.
(c) The three accessories that he buys her over and above her regular
clothes - are a shawl, a belt and shoes. The obligation to buy her new shoes
applies on each Yom-Tov.
(d) The worn-out clothes belong to her.
8)
(a) The purpose of the Ma'ah Kesef that he provides her with each week is -
for extras for Shabbos.
(b) He is obligated to ensure that his wife eats with him - every
Friday-night (because it is Leil Onah).
(c) In the event that he fails to provide her with the Ma'ah Kesef - he must
compensate her by not claiming the Mosar Ma'aseh Yadehah.
9)
(a) A woman for her part, is obligated to spin for her husband the weight of
five Sela'im of Shesi (threads for the warp) in Yehudah. The equivalent
weight in the Galil - would be ten Sela'im.
(b) If she chose to spin threads for the Erev (the weft - which are much
thinner) - she would have to spin double, ten Sela'im in Yehudah (or twenty
Sela'im in the Galil).
(c) A woman who is feeding - enjoys two advantages, she needs to produce
less and receives more Mezonos.
(d) The above amounts specified by the Tana - apply to women from poor
backgrounds. The wealthier the woman, the more her husband must give her.
10)
(a) Four opinions are mentioned in the Mishnah in Eruvin regarding the Shiur
of Eiruv Techumin. Rebbi Meir requires two weekday meals for each person in
the family - Rebbi Yehudah says four Shabbos meals.
(b) 'Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah Omer, mi'Kikar be'Pundi'on me'Arba Sa'in
be'Sela'. There are forty-eight Pundi'onin in a Sela, and twenty-four Kabin
in four Sa'ah. Considering that each half-Kav provides for two meals - from
the two Kabin of wheat in our Mishnah one would obtain eight meals, leaving
the woman eight meals short.
(c) According to Rebbi Shimon, a Kav of bread provides nine meals - leaving
the woman with eighteen meals, instead of the required fourteen.
11)
(a) 'Chetzyah le'Beis ha'Menuga' means - that someone who remains in a house
stricken with Tzara'as for the amount of time that it takes to eat half of
such a loaf (four k'Beitzim) becomes Tamei.
(b) Half that Shiur is the amount a Kohen needs to eat to attain the status
of 'P'sul Gevi'ah' - means that a Kohen who eats half that amount (two
k'Beitzim) of Tamei food becomes Tamei, and is forbidden to eat Terumah.
(c) Half of that (one k'Beitzah) is required for food to receive Tum'as
Ochlin.
12)
(a) We establish our Mishnah (which prescribes *fourteen* weekly meals for a
woman) even according to Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah (according to whom two
Kabin will only produce *eight* meals), by citing Rav Chisda, who explains
that Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah deducted half the total in his Cheshbon,
which we have to add on here. He did this - because we need to take into
account the store-keeper's payment for baking the bread.
(b) When Rav Chisda himself said elsewhere that he only deducted *a third*
for the store-keeper - he was referring to a case where the owner of the
bread provided the wood, whereas here he speaks when it is the store-keeper
who provided the wood, too.
(c) Adding a half (i.e. half of the total, or what we would we call a
hundred per-cent), leaves us with sixteen meals. We attribute the two extra
meals (over and above the fourteen that she requires weekly) to Rebbi
Chidka - who says that a person is obligated to eat four meals on Shabbos,
two regular meals plus Shalosh Se'udos (with which the Rabbanan also agree)
and Melave Malka.
(d) We even manage to establish our Mishnah ...
1. ... like the Rabbanan of Rebbi Chidka - attributing one of the extra
meals to Shalosh Se'udos, and the other, to an allowance for guests.
2. ... according to Rebbi Shimon who allows her eighteen meals - attributing
one of the extra meals to Shalosh Se'udos, one to Melave Malka, according to
Rebbi Chidka and two to guests, and according to the Rabbanan, one to
Shalosh Se'udos and three to guests (see also Tosfos DH 'ke'Ma'an').
13)
(a) It is not only the Edumians who ate barley, and Rebbi Yossi in our
Mishnah, who seems to say that it was - is not saying that only Rebbi
Yishmael fed his wife barley, but that he was the only one to give twice as
much barley as wheat, because the Edumian barley was of an inferior quality.
(b) Our Mishnah, which does not include wine among the things that a man is
obligated to feed his wife, is a proof for Rebbi Elazar - who said that one
does not prescribe wine for a woman, since wine instils a desire for
Tashmish into a person, and it is better that a woman to do without it.
(c) When the Navi Hoshei'a writes "Eilech Achar Me'ahavai, Nosnei ...
Shamni *ve'Shikuvai*" - he is referring to ornaments, for which women have a
great longing.
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