Ketubot 54b (נד:) — the Talmud in English

That man who said to them: four hundred zuz from the wine -

for his daughter

as part of her dowry.

In the end,

the price of the wine appreciated.

Rav Yosef said: The profit is for the orphans,

and we do not say that they must give her wine in the quantity that was worth four hundred zuz on the day of the will; rather, they should give her four hundred zuz from the proceeds of the sale of the wine.

A relative of Rabbi Yohanan had a father's wife who was depleting their resources through her maintenance

[as she ate excessively].

They came before Rabbi Yohanan.

He said to them: Go and tell him

your father to designate land for her

in the will of a person on his deathbed and in the presence of witnesses -

for

the purpose of

her maintenance,

perhaps she will agree to this, in which case they will no longer be obligated to provide her maintenance, for we learned that even with regard to the ketuba itself, if he wrote to his wife any amount of land, she forfeited her ketuba .

They came before Reish Lakish, and he said to them:

On the contrary, if he does this,

all the more so has he increased her maintenance,

for the designation of this land is only for an enhancement: if they give her only limited maintenance, she will take the addition from this land. Certainly, he did not intend to place this land under lien for her maintenance, since all his property is already under lien for that purpose.

They said to him: But Rabbi Yohanan did not say this?

He said to them: Go, give her

maintenance

or else -

I will bring Rabbi Yohanan out against you.

They came before Rabbi Yohanan. He said to them: What can I do, when someone my equal

[a person of my stature, who is fit to dispute me] -

disputes me. Rabbi Abbahu said: Rabbi Yohanan explained it to me personally:

If he

said

“This land”

is for maintenance -

then he

increased her maintenance .

But if he

said:

“This land”

is in lieu of maintenance -

he limited her maintenance,

for the expression “in lieu of maintenance” indicates that, in repayment of the maintenance debt that I owe you, this land shall be the repayment of my debt.

We have completed the chapter “A Young Woman Who Was Enticed.”

Mishna:

Even though they said

the Sages:

A virgin

does not

collect

more than

two hundred

zuz in her ketubah,

and a widow

does not collect more than

one maneh

(one hundred zuz).

Nevertheless,

if he wishes

the husband

to add

to her ketubah

even one hundred maneh,

which he will give her when he dies or divorces her—then he

may add.

And

if she was widowed or divorced either from the betrothal

[after the betrothal and before the marriage],

or from

[after]

the marriage,

then she

collects the entire amount

both the principal of the ketubah and the addition that he added to it from his own funds.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says:

If she was widowed or divorced

after the marriage,

then she

collects the entire amount.

But if she was widowed or divorced

after the betrothal: a virgin

does not

collect

more than

two hundred

zuz,

and

a

widow one maneh,

but they do not collect the addition.

And because

he did not write for her

the addition that he voluntarily added to it

except on the condition that he marry her,

and he did not marry her.

Rabbi Yehuda says:

If he wishes

the husband, and his wife wishes it as well, then the husband

writes a document for a virgin for two hundred, and she writes

to him in the language of a receipt:

“I have received one maneh from you,”

even though it turns out that he owes her only one maneh.

And

likewise, if the husband wishes and his wife wishes it as well, then the husband writes

for a widow

a document for

one maneh, and she writes: “I have received fifty zuz from you.”

Rabbi Meir

disagrees and

says:

Anyone who reduces a virgin’s ketubah below two hundred, or a widow’s below one maneh, has intercourse with her as a harlot.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: Even though they said that a virgin collects two hundred and a widow one maneh, if he wishes to add even one hundred maneh, he may add:

The Gemara is astonished:

Obviously,

what novelty is there in this? If he wishes to obligate himself to give her every fortune in the world, surely he can do so!

And we explain:

Lest you say: The Sages established a fixed amount

[they established a fixed amount] for the ketubah of a virgin, that it should be only two hundred, and for the ketubah of a widow, that it should be only one maneh—in order

not to embarrass one who has nothing

to add.

It teaches us this

that if he wishes to add, he may add!

We learned in the Mishna:

If he wishes to add

even one hundred maneh, he may add:

The Gemara infers:

“If he wished ‘to write’ for her”—

which implies that he gives it to her voluntarily, and that it does not bear the name ,

“ketubah”—

it does not teach this; rather, it says, “if he wishes

‘to add’”

which implies that what he gives voluntarily also bears the name “ketubah,” just as the principal does!

And our Mishna is found to

support

Rabbi Ivo in the name of

Rabbi Yannai!

For Rabbi Ivo said in the name of Rabbi Yannai:

The conditions of a ketubah

namely, the addition that he voluntarily stipulates to add to it

are considered like the ketubah!

And the Gemara explains:

What practical difference does this make?

a.

To one who sells

her “ketubah” without specification, for the conditions of the ketubah are also included in the sale.

b.

And to one who waives

her “ketubah” without specification, for everything is included in the waiver.

c.

And to a rebellious woman

against her husband [who refuses to obey him] from whose ketubah a certain amount is deducted each week. Rabbi Yannai teaches us that once the ketubah has been exhausted, deductions are also made from the conditions of the ketubah.

d.

And to one who has diminished

the addition, for example, she said: “I have already received part of it,” while her husband claims that she received the entirety of her ketubah; she may collect only by taking an oath, just as one who has diminished the principal of her ketubah.

e.

And

a widow who

claims

the addition to her ketubah in court, for she is not entitled to sustenance, just as a woman who claims the principal of her ketubah in court is not entitled to sustenance.

f.

And

a woman who

transgresses the religion

of Moses and the Jewish religion, who forfeits even the addition.