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Kesubos 12b

כתובות י״ב ע״ב

Ketubot 12b

Learn Kesubos 12b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Kesubos 12b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Higher כתובות for priestly and distinguished families, and the bride's claim about losing her virginity, tied to בָּרִי וְשֶׁמָּא

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an answer: the court raised the כתובה of a כהן's widow to two hundred, then lowered it again when men stopped marrying those widows. Next, רב יהודה in the name of שמואל rules that distinguished Israelite families may also demand a higher כתובה, like the כהנים. A ברייתא seems to limit this to marriages involving a כהן. The גמרא answers that the ברייתא uses a 'לא מבעיא' style and teaches the harder case. Then a new משנה brings a case: a husband finds his bride is not a virgin, she says it happened after betrothal, and he says before. רבן גמליאל believes her, and רבי יהושע requires proof. The גמרא connects this to a money argument, 'you owe me' against 'I don't know', where one side holds בָּרִי עָדִיף and the other holds that money stays with its owner. The גמרא suggests the two arguments are the same, but shows that רב נחמן can agree with רבן גמליאל because the bride had a מיגו or a חזקה. The amud ends as the גמרא begins a proof that רב נחמן follows רבן גמליאל, and that proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

כֵּיוָן דַּחֲזוֹ דִּמְזַלְזְלִי בְּהוּ,

Once they saw that they were treating them with disrespect,

תַּקִּינוּ לְהוּ מָאתַן.

they instituted for them two hundred.

כֵּיוָן דַּחֲזוֹ דְּקָא פָּרְשִׁין מִינַּיְיהוּ,

Once they saw that they were staying away from them,

דְּאָמְרִי: עַד דְּנָסְבִינַן אַלְמְנַת כֹּהֲנִים

as they said: Rather than marrying a widow of priests,

The steps (16)

  1. ResolutionWhy the widow's כתובה went up and then came back down
  2. StatementDistinguished Israelite families may also demand a higher כתובה
  3. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to limit the practice to marriages involving a כהן
  4. ResolutionThe ברייתא is teaching a bigger חידוש
  5. StatementThe case: a bride who is not a virgin, and two opposite claims
  6. StatementThe dispute: is the bride believed?
  7. StatementA money dispute: 'You owe me' versus 'I don't know'
  8. StatementThe reasons: certain beats unsure, or money stays with its owner
  9. Proofאביי: this is already שמואל's view
  10. ProofA stronger link: שמואל ruled like רבן גמליאל 'even in the first case'
  11. QuestionWhat does 'even in the first case' add?
  12. ResponseIn the first case, certain wins even against keeping money with its owner
  13. QuestionIs the money case the same argument as רבן גמליאל and רבי יהושע?
  14. Rejectionרב נחמן can agree with רבן גמליאל because the bride had a מיגו
  15. RejectionA second answer: the bride had a חזקה
  16. ProofIt makes sense that רב נחמן holds like רבן גמליאל