Kiddushin, Daf Yod Bet, Part 4
Introduction
Today s sugya continues with another story of a man who betroths a woman with an object that might not be worth a perutah.
ההוא גברא דאקדיש באבנא דכוחלא
יתיב רב חסדא וקא משער ליה אי אית ביה שוה פרוטה אין ואי לא לא
ואי לית ביה שוה פרוטה לא והא אמר שמואל חיישינן
A certain man betrothed [a woman] with a black marble stone.
R. Hisda was sitting and appraising it: if worth a perutah, she is [betrothed]; if not, she is not. Now, if not worth a perutah, she is not betrothed? But didn t Shmuel say: We are concerned..
This is essentially the same story we read in yesterday s section. But stay tuned there s a twist coming.
רב חסדא לא סבר ליה דשמואל
R. Hisda did not agree with Shmuel.
R. Hisda says that for the betrothal to be valid, the object must be worth a perutah in the place where she is betrothed.
אמרה ליה אימיה והא ההוא יומא דקדשה הוה ביה שוה פרוטה
אמר לה לאו כל כמינך דאסרת לה אבתרא
His mother said to him: But on the day he betrothed her it was worth a perutah!
He said to her: It is not within your power to prohibit her to the latter one.
The mother of the man who betrothed argues that the stone was worth a perutah when he betrothed her, and thus the woman should not be allowed to betrothed to another man.
But R. Hisda refuses to be concerned about this and here we can see what R. Hisda is really trying to do. Evidently, this woman has tried to become betrothed to another man, assuming that the first marriage was not executed properly because the item was not of value. If R. Hisda starts to be concerned that the item might have been worth a perutah, then the second marriage will turn out to be illegitimate. So R. Hisda tells his mother that she cannot just make an assumption that would invalidate the second marriage, the one the woman seems to want to maintain, is invalid.