Kiddushin, Daf Yod Aleph, Part 4
Introduction
Today s sugya contains yet another difficulty raised against R. Assi s rule that any money mentioned in the Torah is in Tyrian coins, which implies a minimum of a silver dinar.
והרי קידושי אשה דכתיב (דברים כד, א) כי יקח איש אשה ובעלה וגמר קיחה (בראשית כג, יג) קיחה משדה עפרון ותנן בית הלל אומרים בפרוטה ובשוה פרוטה נימא רב אסי דאמר כבית שמאי
But what of a woman’s kiddushin, concerning which it is written: When a man takes a wife, and marries her and we derive the meaning of taking from the taking mentioned with regard to the field of Ephron, yet we learned: Bet Hillel rules: with a perutah or the value a perutah. Shall we say [then] that R. Assi ruled in accordance with Bet Shammai?
The idea of kiddushin with money is derived from a verse in the Torah. Nevertheless, Bet Hillel says that kiddushin can be performed with less than a silver dinar. Is it possible that R. Assi would rule according to Bet Shammai who mandates a dinar? This seems to the Talmud to be an impossible supposition.
אלא אי איתמר הכי איתמר אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסי כל כסף קצוב האמור בתורה כסף צורי ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה
Rather if stated, it was stated thus: Rav Judah said in the name of R. Assi: Whenever a fixed sum of money is mentioned in the Torah, Tyrian coinage is meant; whereas in rabbinic law, it refers to provincial currency.
To solve the difficulty, the Talmud makes a small tweak in the statement attributed to R. Assi. R. Assi was only referring to numbers whose penalty or amount is fixed in the Torah. These include the penalty for accidentally killing a slave, the penalty for rape, seduction and defamation of a virgin, and the redemption of a first born. These amounts must be paid in the higher Tyrian coinage. But just because something is derived from the Torah does not mean that the payment must be in Tyrian coinage. Finally, other amounts mandated by rabbinic law can be paid in the lesser coinage.