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Kesubos 96b

כתובות צ״ו ע״ב

Ketubot 96b

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Topic

A widow who claims she was never given her מזונות (support) from her late husband's estate: who must bring proof, the widow or the יתומים?

Overview

This amud continues רבי יוחנן's question about a widow who says the heirs never gave her מזונות (support). Whose possession is the estate in? If it is the יתומים', the widow must bring proof. If it is the widow's, the יתומים must bring proof. The גמרא first brings a ברייתא taught by לוי. It says that before she remarries the יתומים must bring proof, and after she remarries she must. Then רב שימי בר אשי says the question matches a dispute between רבי יהודה and רבי יוסי. רבי יהודה says a widow selling estate property must write whether each sale was for מזונות or for her כתובה. רבי יוסי says she may write a plain sale. The גמרא rejects this link in two ways. רבי יהודה may only be giving good advice, as a משנה does, so that no one calls her a glutton. Or רבי יוסי may only be giving her freedom to choose later, like the creditor in אביי קשישא's parable of the dying man who said 'give 200 זוז to my creditor.'

Opening lines

נִכְסֵי בְּחֶזְקַת יַתְמֵי קָיְימִי

Does the property stand in the possession of the orphans

וְעַל אַלְמָנָה לְהָבִיא רְאָיָה,

and it is upon the widow to bring proof,

אוֹ דִלְמָא נִכְסֵי בְּחֶזְקַת אַלְמָנָה קָיְימִי,

or perhaps the property stands in the possession of the widow,

וְעַל הַיְּתוֹמִים לְהָבִיא רְאָיָה.

and it is upon the orphans to bring proof?

The steps (8)

  1. QuestionWhose possession is the property in?
  2. Proofלוי's ברייתא: it depends on whether she remarried
  3. Statementרב שימי בר אשי: this is a dispute between תנאים
  4. ProofMatching each תנא to one side of the question
  5. RejectionMaybe רבי יהודה is only giving good advice
  6. ProofProof that labeling can be just advice: the משנה about selling for food
  7. RejectionOr maybe everyone holds the property is in the יתומים' possession
  8. Statementאביי קשישא's parable of the dying man and his creditor