Kiddushin, Daf Tet, Part 3

 

Introduction

The Talmud continues to discuss betrothal by document.

 

ואמר רבא אמר רב נחמן כתב לו על הנייר או על החרס אע"פ שאין בו שוה פרוטה בתך מקודשת לי בתך מאורסת לי בתך לי לאינתו בין ע"י אביה בין ע"י עצמה מקודשת מדעתו והוא שלא בגרה

 

Rava said in the name of R. Nahman: If one writes on paper or a shard, even if it is not worth a perutah, Your daughter be consecrated to me, Your daughter be betrothed to me, [or] Your daughter be my wife, whether [she accepts it] through her father or by herself, she is betrothed upon his [the father s] consent, providing that she has not reached majority age.

 

If she has not yet reached majority age, then her father must consent to her betrothal.

 

כתב לה על הנייר או על החרס אע"פ שאין בו שוה פרוטה הרי את מקודשת לי הרי את לי לאינתו הרי את מאורסת לי מקודשת בין ע"י אביה בין ע"י עצמה מדעתה והוא שבגרה :

 

If he writes on paper or on a shard, even if it is not worth a perutah, Behold, you are consecrated to me, Behold, you are my wife, Behold, you are betrothed to me, she is betrothed, whether [it is accepted] by her father or herself, with her consent, providing that she is of age.

 

If she is of age, then she must be the one that consents to the betrothal. Note that what matters is not who physically accepts the deed. What is determinative is who consented to the betrothal.

 

בעי ר’ שמעון בן לקיש שטר אירוסין שכתבו שלא לשמה מהו הויות ליציאות מקשינן מה יציאה בעינן לשמה אף הוייה בעינן לשמה או דלמא הויות להדדי מקשינן מה הוייה דכסף לא בעינן לשמה אף הוייה דשטר לא בעינן לשמה

 

R. Shimon b. Lakish asked: What if a deed of betrothal was not written expressly for her sake? Do we compare ways of betrothal with divorce: just as the divorce [document] must be written expressly for her sake, so too must betrothal be written for her sake; or perhaps, different ways of betrothal are compared to each other: just as betrothal by money need not be for her sake, so betrothal by deed need not be for her sake?

 

R. Shimon b. Lakish asks whether the document used for betrothal must be written expressly for this woman. Meaning if he finds a piece of paper on which it is written, Your daughter be betrothed to me can he just pick it up and use it to betroth whatever girl he wants.

A get must be written with the particular divorcee in mind. So does the same law apply to the deed of betrothal? Or might we say that just as the money does not need to be for her sake, neither does the deed of betrothal?

 

בתר דבעיא הדר פשטה הוייה ליציאה מקשינן דאמר קרא (דברים כד, ב) ויצאה והיתה :

After he asked it, he resolved it: we do compare betrothal to divorce, for the verse says, And she departs [i.e., divorced] . . . and she becomes [another man’s wife] (Deuteronomy 24:2).

 

Due to the verse that is read as comparing marriage to divorce, betrothal documents must also be written with the particular woman in mind.