Kiddushin, Daf Yod Tet, Part 2

 

Introduction

The Talmud continues to discuss whether a master can designate a slave girl to his minor son.

 

מאי הוי עלה תא שמע אמר ר’ אייבו א"ר ינאי אין יעוד אלא בגדול אין יעוד אלא מדעת

תרתי מה טעם קאמר מה טעם אין יעוד אלא בגדול לפי שאין יעוד אלא מדעת

 

What is our decision on the matter? Come and hear: For R. Aibu said in the name of R. Yannai: Designation can be performed only by an adult; designation is only by consent.

[Are these] two [statements]? He states the reason: What is the reason that designation can be performed only by an adult? Because designation is only by consent.

 

R. Yannai rules quite clearly that the son must be of age in order for his father to designate the slave girl to him for marriage. The son must consent to the marriage.

 

ואיבעית אימא מאי מדעת מדעת דידה דתני אביי בריה דרבי אבהו (שמות כא, ח) אשר לא יעדה מלמד שצריך ליעדה

 

Alternatively, what is the meaning of, by consent ? By her consent. For Abaye son of R. Abbahu taught: Who has not designated her, this teaches that he must inform her [that he intends to designate her.]

 

Abaye son of R. Abbahu teaches that she too must consent to the designation.

הוא תני לה והוא אמר לה בקידושי יעוד ואליבא דרבי יוסי ברבי יהודה דאמר מעות הראשונות לאו לקידושין ניתנו

 

He recited it and he explained it: This refers to betrothal by designation, and is in accordance with R. Yose son of R. Judah, who maintained, the original money was not given as kiddushin.

 

Abaye also explains this baraita. If the original sale money was not given as kiddushin, then there still needs to be an act of kiddushin. This kiddushin happens when the master designates her to himself or her son. Like all regular acts of betrothal, this needs to be done with her consent.

רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר אפילו תימא לקידושין ניתנו שאני הכא דאמר רחמנא יעדה

 

R. Nahman b. Yitzchak said: Even if you say that it was given as kiddushin, here it is different, because Scripture expressed [betrothal by the word] ye adah.

 

R. Nahman b. Yitzchak says that even if the original sales money counts as kiddushin, we can still say that designation requires her consent. The Torah uses the word ye adah in order to let us know that her consent is required. [Below we will see that R. Nahman b. Yitzchak himself holds that the original sales money does not count as kiddushin].

 

מאי ר’ יוסי בר’ יהודה דתניא יעדה והפדה צריך שיהא שהות ביום כדי פדייה מכאן א"ר יוסי ברבי יהודה אם יש שהות ביום כדי לעשות עמו שוה פרוטה מקודשת ואם לאו אינה מקודשת

אלמא קסבר מעות הראשונות לאו לקידושין ניתנו

 

What is the reference to R. Yose son of R. Yehudah? As it was taught: [Who did not designate her,] then he shall let her be redeemed (Exodus 21:8): [this teaches that for her to be designated] that there must be time for her to be redeemed.

From here R. Yose son of R. Yehudah ruled that if there is enough time in the day for her to work for him the value of a perutah she is betrothed, but if not, she is not betrothed.

This proves that he holds the original money was not given as kiddushin.

 

The Talmud has mentioned R. Yose son of R. Yehudah s opinion several times. It now explains what that opinion is. The Torah says that if the master does not designate her, then she can be redeemed. Redeeming means paying back the value of the time she has not yet served. By implication, he cannot designate her unless there is time left in her service for her to work the value of a perutah. R. Yose son of R. Yehudah reads the Torah as if it says that the master betroths (designates) her with the value of the work she has left to perform. Forgiving her from having to do the work is the kiddushin money. Hence, he must in general posit that when the master buys the slave, this does not count as kiddushin money.

 

רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר אפילו תימא לקידושין ניתנו שאני הכא דאמר רחמנא והפדה :

 

R. Nahman b. Yitzchak said: You may even say that it was given as kiddushin, yet here it is different, since the Torah said: then he shall let her be redeemed.

 

R. Nahman b. Yitzchak says that R. Yose son of R. Yehudah could even hold that the original sales money counts as kiddushin money, but still in order for her to be designated there must be time in the day for her to work. This is simply what the verse teaches.

Just to go over the structure here. R. Yose son of R. Yehudah did not saying anything about whether the original sales money counts as kiddushin money. He only ruled that there must be time left in the last day of her service for her to work in order for the master to designate her. The stam, the anonymous voice in the Talmud and R. Nahman b. Yitzchak argued over whether this implies that he holds that the sale money counts as kiddushin money. The stam holds that it does not, and R. Nahman b. Yitzchak holds that it does. This is why earlier we saw two opinions attributed to R. Yose son of R. Yehudah.