Gittin 35b

גיטין ל״ה ע״ב

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Topic

The widow's נדר for collecting her כתובה: רב הונא and רב נחמן on a remarried widow, and whether a vow must be spelled out to a חכם

Overview

The amud opens at the end of a proof from a court letter. In that letter, a woman collected her כתובה by taking a נדר, and the proof was that a divorcée can do this too. רב אשי pushes the proof away: she got her גט from her יבם, so she collected from a dead husband's estate, like any widow. The גמרא then returns to רבן גמליאל הזקן's enactment that a widow takes a נדר for the יתומים. רב הונא limits it to a widow who has not remarried. He explains that a husband cannot cancel vows made before the marriage, and a חכם will not release this נדר, because the vow must be spelled out to him. רב נחמן disagrees and says even a remarried widow vows, because the court has her vow in public, and a public vow cannot be cancelled. Two ברייתות are brought against רב הונא, and the גמרא ends up saying the two sides follow a dispute between תנאים about public vows. Finally, רב נחמן and רב פפא argue about whether a person must spell out his vow to a חכם. A challenge to רב נחמן from a כהן who vowed to leave forbidden wives is left for the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (19)

1. ProofThe end of the court letter used as a proof
2. Rejectionרב אשי says that woman had a divorce from her יבם
3. Statementרב הונא limits the נדר to a widow who has not remarried
4. ChallengeWhy not worry about a future husband too?
5. ResolutionA husband cannot cancel vows made before the marriage
6. ChallengeWhy not worry that a חכם will release her?
7. ResolutionA person must spell out the נדר to the חכם
8. Statementרב נחמן: even a remarried widow takes the vow
9. ChallengeBut her new husband will cancel the vow
10. ResolutionThe vow is taken in public
11. ChallengeA ברייתא implies a remarried widow vows
12. ResolutionShe vowed before remarrying
13. ChallengeA clearer ברייתא: she vows after remarrying
14. ResolutionA dispute between תנאים about public vows
15. QuestionMust a person spell out the vow for התרה?
16. Responseרב נחמן says no, רב פפא says yes
17. StatementWhy רב נחמן says no details are needed
18. StatementWhy רב פפא says details are needed
19. ChallengeA challenge from the priest who married forbidden women