Bava Metzia 17b

בבא מציעא י״ז ע״ב

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Topic

רבי יוחנן's rule that a court arrangement counts like a document in hand, tested through the משנה of a גט without a כתובה and the case of a widow from betrothal (אלמנה מן האירוסין).

Overview

This amud opens with the end of a ruling by רבי יוחנן: someone who says 'I already paid' a court-based obligation is not believed, because whatever the court arranges counts as if the other side holds a שטר. רבי חייא בר אבא says this is already taught in the משנה that a woman with only a גט collects her כתובה. רבי יוחנן answers that the idea was hidden there until he lifted the 'shard' and showed the 'pearl.' אביי first rejects the proof: the משנה may deal with a place where no כתובה is written, so the גט itself serves as the כתובה. Then אביי takes this back. If a woman could collect only with a document, how would an אלמנה מן האירוסין ever collect? The heirs could always say 'we paid,' and the חכמים' arrangement would be useless. מר קשישא challenges this: how do we know an אלמנה מן האירוסין gets a כתובה at all? A משנה that says she 'collects everything' may refer only to a case where the husband wrote her a כתובה. On that reading the משנה is still not stating the obvious, because it comes to reject רבי אלעזר בן עזריה. The גמרא then starts to show that the word 'everything' supports this reading, and the argument continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (13)

1. StatementA claim of 'I paid' is not accepted for court-based obligations
2. ChallengeIsn't this already taught in our משנה?
3. ResolutionWithout me, you wouldn't have found the pearl
4. Rejectionאביי: The משנה is no proof at all
5. Challengeאביי takes back his objection by asking about a widow from betrothal
6. RejectionWitnesses to the husband's death are not enough
7. ChallengeOtherwise the Sages' arrangement would be useless
8. ChallengeHow do we know a widow from betrothal gets a כתובה at all?
9. ProofA suggested source from a משנה
10. RejectionPerhaps the משנה is only where he wrote her a כתובה
11. ChallengeWhy would the משנה teach something so obvious?
12. ResolutionThe משנה is teaching against רבי אלעזר בן עזריה
13. ProofThe words 'she collects everything' support the written-כתובה reading