Kesubos 54a

כתובות נ״ד ע״א

Ketubot 54a

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Topic

A daughter's and a widow's rights to support from the estate, how a widow loses that support, local customs, and whether a widow's clothes count against her כתובה

Overview

The amud opens with a chain of questions about whether a daughter gets מזונות from her father's estate when her mother's כתובה is missing or not yet in force: a penalized mother, an ארוסה, and an אנוסה. All three end in תיקו. Next the גמרא turns to the widow's clause in the משנה. רב יוסף teaches that 'my house' does not include a hut, but she still keeps her support. Several אמוראים then list ways a widow loses support, such as agreeing to remarry, being unfaithful, or making herself up. The הלכה follows none of them. It follows שמואל: she loses support when she claims her כתובה in בית דין. רב and שמואל argue over whether the custom of יהודה or of גליל is the הלכה, and a story with רב נחמן shows that a woman follows her husband's place. They also argue whether a widow's clothes are appraised against her כתובה. רב נחמן and later רבינא rule like רב. The amud ends with cases about a father's instructions for his daughter's dowry, and the last case continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (38)

1. QuestionTwo sides of the penalized-mother question, left unresolved
2. Questionרבא asks about the daughter of a betrothed woman
3. QuestionTwo sides of רבא's question, left unresolved
4. Questionרב פפא asks about the daughter of a woman who was raped
5. RejectionNo question according to רבי יוסי son of רבי יהודה
6. QuestionThe question is really according to the רבנן
7. QuestionTwo sides of the אנוסה question, left unresolved
8. StatementA real house, not a hut, but she still gets support
9. Statementמר בר רב אשי: no support either
10. ConclusionThe הלכה does not follow מר בר רב אשי
11. StatementA widow who agrees to remarry loses support
12. QuestionDoes refusing always keep her support?
13. ResponseIt depends on why she refused
14. StatementAn unfaithful widow loses support
15. StatementA widow who makes herself up loses support
16. StatementHow the two rulings about losing support relate
17. ConclusionThe final ruling: claiming her כתובה in court ends support
18. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to say claiming does not end support
19. ResolutionThe difference is court versus outside court
20. Statementרב and שמואל argue over whose custom is the הלכה
21. StatementWhich regions follow רב and which follow שמואל
22. StatementA woman from מחוזא married into נהרדעא comes to רב נחמן
23. Statementרב נחמן first rules by her hometown
24. ChallengeBut she married into נהרדעא
25. Resolutionרב נחמן agrees: then נהרדעא's practice applies
26. QuestionHow far does נהרדעא extend
27. ResponseWherever נהרדעא's קב measure is used
28. StatementIs a widow's clothing counted against her כתובה
29. StatementFor a hired worker, the opinions are reversed
30. Statementרב כהנא's version: no switch for a hired worker
31. Statementרב נחמן rules like רב despite a משנה that seems to follow שמואל
32. Challengeרבא asks why the הלכה is not like the משנה
33. ResolutionA careful reading shows the משנה fits רב
34. ResolutionThe reason: he gave her the clothes so she would stay with him
35. StatementA widow sues the orphans and wears all her clothes to court
36. Conclusionרבינא rules like רב: the clothes she wears are appraised
37. StatementThe dowry got cheaper: the savings go to the orphans
38. StatementOpening of another case about a man's will