Kiddushin, Daf Zayin, Part 1

 

Introduction

In today s section Rava asks some very theoretical questions exploring how betrothal might possibly work. I want to emphasize that these are theoretical explanations. It is very unlikely that these are practical questions.

 

אמר רבא תן מנה לפלוני ואקדש לך מקודשת מדין ערב ערב לאו אף ע"ג דלא מטי הנאה לידיה קא משעביד נפשיה האי איתתא נמי אע"ג דלא מטי הנאה לידה קא משעבדא ומקניא נפשה

 

Rava said: One who says, [If she says] give a maneh to so-and-so and I will be betrothed to you she is betrothed by the law of a guarantor: a guarantor, although he personally derives no benefit [from the loan], he nevertheless obligates himself [to repayment]; so too this woman, though she personally derives no benefit [from the money], obligates and gives herself [in betrothal].

 

Rava says that a woman can be betrothed without deriving any actual benefit. She can say, give the money to someone else and once the husband gives the money to that other person, she is betrothed. This is derived from the laws concerning a loan guarantor. A guarantor obligates to repay the loan even though he does not derive any benefit. So too this works for a woman.

 

הילך מנה והתקדשי לפלוני מקודשת מדין עבד כנעני עבד כנעני לאו אף ע"ג דלא קא חסר ולא מידי קא קני נפשיה האי גברא נמי אע"ג דלא קא חסר ולא מידי קא קני לה להאי איתתא

 

[If a man says,] Take this maneh and be betrothed to So-and-so, she is betrothed by the law of a Canaanite slave: a Canaanite slave, though he himself loses nothing, he acquires himself, so too this man he loses nothing, he acquires this woman.

 

The man can give the woman a maneh and tell her she is betrothed to someone else, not the person who is giving the money. [Of course, both parties have to agree]. In other words, a man can acquire a woman without giving anything. This is like a Canaanite slave (a non-Jewish slave) who can be freed without giving any money (someone else pays for his freedom). The slave acquires his freedom without paying any money. So too a man can betroth without paying any money.

 

תן מנה לפלוני ואקדש אני לו מקודשת מדין שניהם ערב לאו אף ע"ג דלא קא מטי הנאה לידיה קא משעבד נפשיה האי איתתא נמי אע"ג דלא קא מטי הנאה לידה קא מקניא נפשה

מי דמי ערב האי דקא קני ליה קא חסר ממונא האי גברא קא קני לה להאי איתתא ולא קא חסר ולא מידי עבד כנעני יוכיח דלא קא חסר ממונא וקא קני נפשיה

מי דמי התם הך דקא מקני קא קני הכא האי איתתא קא מקניא נפשה ולא קא קניא ולא מידי ערב יוכיח אע"ג דלא קא מטי הנאה לידיה משעבד נפשיה

 

[If the woman declares,] Give a maneh to So-and-so, and I will become betrothed to him, she is betrothed by the laws of both: a guarantor, though he personally derives no benefit, obligates himself, so this woman too though she personally derives no benefit, cedes herself.

[And should you object:] Is this the same? As for the guarantor, he who acquires loses money, but this man acquires the woman without losing anything? Then let a Canaanite slave prove it, who loses no money and yet acquires himself.

[And should you object:] Is this the same? There, he who gives ownership acquires [the money given for the slave’s freedom]; but here, can this woman cede herself without acquiring anything? Then let a guarantor prove it: though he personally receives no benefit, he obligates himself.

 

Rava now combines the two above possibilities to prove that a woman can tell a man to give money to another person and she will become betrothed to a different man. Note how weird this is: Leah says to Reuven, give a perutah to Shimon and I will be betrothed to Levi. Leah gets nothing, Levi loses nothing and yet, through the comparison with the guarantor and the Canaanite slave, Leah is betrothed to Levi. From the guarantor we learn that a person can give a guarantee without acquiring anything. And from the slave we learn that a person can acquire without giving anything. Thus a woman can be betrothed without receiving anything and a man can betroth without giving anything.

You should note what an incredible jurist Rava must have been. From two totally different cases, the guarantor and the slave, he derives two highly abstract principles, and then applies them to the case of betrothal.