Kesubos 87a

כתובות פ״ז ע״א

Ketubot 87a

Learn Kesubos 87a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Who may make a wife or widow swear when she collects her כתובה, and how the husband's waiver wording affects it

Overview

The גמרא asks which oath a husband meant when he wrote that he would not make his wife swear. רב יהודה says it is the oath about managing his property during his life. רבה בר אבוה says it is the oath of a woman who admits she took part of her כתובה. When רב מרדכי asks how a bride could know in advance that she would become a manager, רב אשי answers that רב יהודה's words really explain a different line of the משנה. That line says the heirs cannot make a widow swear about 'the past'. רב יהודה adds that they can make her swear about the time between death and burial, and רב מתנא disagrees. Next comes a debate about the husband's exact wording: 'not an oath', 'clear of oath', 'my property', 'these properties'. The הלכה follows אבא שאול בן אימא מרים: any wording frees her, but she must still swear when collecting from orphans. A new משנה then lists five cases where a woman collects her כתובה only with an oath, and explains each one.

Opening lines

The steps (21)

1. StatementThe oath was about managing his property during his life
2. StatementAnother view: the oath of a woman who took part of her כתובה
3. ChallengeHow would a bride know to ask about managing property?
4. Resolutionרב אשי: we teach it on a different line of the משנה
5. QuestionWhat does 'the past' refer to?
6. Responseרב יהודה: the past means managing during the husband's life
7. ResponseExcept the days between death and burial
8. StatementNo oath even between death and burial
9. ProofThe ruling of נהרדעא about urgent sales
10. Statementרבה's version of רבי חייא on the waiver wording
11. Statementרב יוסף's version of רבי חייא
12. Statementרבי זכאי: 'my property' versus 'these properties'
13. StatementAny wording frees her, but orphans still need an oath
14. StatementThe same teaching quoted as a ברייתא
15. ConclusionThe הלכה follows בן אימא מרים
16. StatementNew משנה: cases where she collects only with an oath
17. StatementWhat reducing her כתובה looks like
18. StatementOne witness says the כתובה was already paid
19. StatementCollecting from property the husband sold
20. StatementCollecting from the orphans
21. StatementCollecting while the husband is away