Kesubos 63a
כתובות ס״ג ע״א
Ketubot 63a
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Topic
The end of the רבי עקיבא story and related stories about wives and Torah learning, then the משנה and גמרא about a מורדת: what a rebelling spouse refuses and how the כתובה is adjusted.
Overview
The גמרא finishes the story of רבי עקיבא. He learns for twenty-four years, comes home with 24,000 students, and declares that all their Torah belongs to his wife. Her father, כלבא שבוע, has his vow cancelled and gives רבי עקיבא half his money, and רבי עקיבא's daughter does the same for בן עזאי. The גמרא then tells of רב יוסף בריה דרבא, who tried to leave his learning early to visit home on ערב יום כפור. A new משנה follows: a wife who rebels has her כתובה reduced every week, and a husband who rebels has his wife's כתובה increased every week. In the גמרא, רב הונא says the wife's rebellion means refusing relations, and רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא says it means refusing household work. Each view is challenged, the 'work' view from the rebelling husband and the 'relations' view from a ברייתא about a נדה, and each is defended. The amud ends as a second version of the ברייתא challenge, about a sick woman, begins to turn against the 'work' view. That challenge continues on the next amud.
Opening lines
קָא מִדַּבְּרַתְּ אַלְמְנוּת חַיִּים?!
Are you living as a widow while your husband is alive?!
אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: אִי לְדִידִי צָיֵית
She said to him: If he would listen to me,
יָתֵיב תְּרֵי סְרֵי שְׁנֵי אַחְרָינְיָי[תָא].
he would sit another twelve years.
אָמַר: בִּרְשׁוּת קָא עָבֵידְנָא.
He said: I am doing this with permission.
The steps (18)
- StatementThe wife answers an old man's taunt and רבי עקיבא stays twelve more years
- Statementרבי עקיבא returns and honors his wife in front of everyone
- StatementHer father's vow is annulled and he gives half his wealth
- ConclusionThe daughter follows in her mother's footsteps
- Statementרב יוסף son of רבא leaves his learning early and meets his angry father
- Statementמשנה: a rebelling wife's כתובה is reduced each week
- Statementמשנה: how long the reduction continues
- Statementמשנה: a rebelling husband has his wife's כתובה increased
- QuestionWhat exactly is the wife rebelling against?
- ResponseTwo answers: marital relations or household work
- ChallengeChallenge from the rebelling husband
- ResolutionThe husband refuses to support her
- ChallengeBut רב says such a husband must divorce right away
- ResolutionFirst the court tries to talk to him
- ChallengeA ברייתא: even a נדה can be a מורדת
- ChallengeHow can a נדה refuse relations?
- ResolutionBread in the basket
- ChallengeAnother version: the 'relations' view explains the sick woman