Kiddushin, Daf Nun Bet, Part 4

 

Introduction

A story about a brewer using beer to betroth a woman a man after my own heart. Hope things go well for him.

 

ההוא סרסיא דקדיש בפרומא דשיכרא אתא מריה דשיכרא אשכחיה אמר ליה אמאי לא תיתיב מהאי חריפא

A certain brewer betrothed [a woman] with a measure of beer.

Then the owner of the beer came and found him. He said to him, Why did you not give [her] this [beer, which is] stronger?

 

The brewer used beer that does not belong to him to betroth the woman. When the owner saw what he had done, he asked why he used the weak beer and not the better, stronger, beer. The question is whether this is considered acquiescence to his use of the beer such that the woman is betrothed.

 

אתא לקמיה דרבא אמר לא אמרו כלך אצל יפות אלא לענין תרומה בלבד דתניא כיצד אמרו תורם שלא מדעת תרומתו תרומה הרי שירד לתוך שדה חבירו וליקט ותרם שלא ברשות אם חושש משום גזל אין תרומתו תרומה ואם לאו תרומתו תרומה ומנין היה יודע אם חושש משום גזל אם לאו הרי שבא בעל הבית ומצאו ואמר לו כלך אצל יפות אם נמצאו יפות מהם תרומתו תרומה ואם לאו אין תרומתו תרומה היו הבעלים מלקטים ומוסיפים בין כך ובין כך תרומתו תרומה

 

He came before Rava. He said to him: They only said go to the better ones in reference to terumah.

For it was taught: In which case did they say that if one separates [terumah] without [the owner’s] knowledge, his separation is valid?

If one enters his neighbor’s field, gathers [the crops] and separates [terumah] without permission: and he [the owner] is concerned that this was [akin to] theft, his separation is not valid; otherwise, it is. And how does one know whether he is concerned that it is theft? If the owner comes and finds him, and says to him, Go to the better [crops] : and better [crops] are found, the separation is valid; if not, it is invalid.

If the owner gathers [crops] and adds [to that already separated], in both cases his separation is valid.

 

Rava essentially rules that the betrothal is not valid. The actions of the brewer remind him of the case of terumah. The baraita refers to a case where a person separates terumah on another person s behalf. The separation of terumah is valid if we can ascertain that the owner was satisfied with the separation. If he says to the one who separated why didn t you separate from better produce, and there is better produce, then the separation is valid. But if there is no better produce, then he is being sarcastic and the separation is not valid.

If the owner adds more produce to that already separated, then again, the initial separation is valid.

 

אבל הכא משום כיסופא הוא דעבד ואינה מקודשת

 

But here he acted in this way because of shame and she is not betrothed.

 

This is the end of Rava s ruling. In this case, the owner of the beer did not really want the brewer to use his beer to betroth a woman. He was simply embarrassed that poor quality beer was used. But the beer did not belong to the brewer and therefore he cannot betroth with it.