Ketubot 54b — the Talmud in English

There was one who said to them: “Four hundred zuz from the wine” -

“for the daughter”

in her dowry.

In the end,

the wine became more expensive.

Rav Yosef said: “The profit is for the orphans,”

and we do not say that they must give her wine according to the amount it was worth on the day of the testament; rather, they shall give her four hundred zuz from the proceeds of the sale of the wine.

The relatives of Rabbi Yohanan had a father’s wife who was wasting sustenance [

for she was eating excessively ].

They came before Rabbi Yohanan.

He said to them: “Go and say to him

to your father, that he should designate land for her

in the testament of a dying man and in the presence of witnesses -

for

the purpose of

her sustenance,

perhaps she will agree to this, and then they will not be obligated in her sustenance, for even concerning the ketubah itself we learned: if he wrote for his wife any amount of land, she forfeited her ketubah” .

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

On the contrary, if he does so,

all the more so has he increased her sustenance,

for the designation of this land is only for an addition: if they give her restricted sustenance, she will take an addition from this land. For certainly he did not intend to lien this land for her sustenance, since all his assets are liened for this.

They said to him: “But did Rabbi Yohanan not say so?”

He said to them: “Go, give her

sustenance

! And if not,

I will remove Rabbi Yohanan from your ears.”

They came before Rabbi Yohanan. He said to them: “What shall I do? One who is opposite me [

a person of my stature, and worthy of disputing me ] -

disputes me. Rabbi Abbahu said: ‘It was explained to me personally by Rabbi Yohanan:

if he

said,

the husband: “This land is

for sustenance” -

then

he increased her sustenance .

But if he

said:

“This land is

with the sustenance” -

he fixed a limit for her sustenance,

for the expression “with the sustenance” implies: with a debt of sustenance that I have against you, that this land shall be repayment of my debt.”

We shall return to you, chapter “A Maiden Who Was Seduced.”

Mishna:

Even though they said

the Sages:

A virgin

does not

collect

except

two hundred

zuz in her ketuba,

and a widow

does not collect except

one hundred

[one hundred zuz].

Nevertheless,

if he wishes

the husband

to add

to her ketuba

even one hundred maneh,

that he should give them when he dies or divorces her—this is

he may add.

And if

she was widowed or divorced, whether from the betrothal

[after the betrothal and before the marriage],

whether from

[after]

the marriage,

this one

collects everything

both the principal of the ketuba and the addition that he added to her from his own property.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says:

She was widowed or divorced

from the marriage,

this one

collects everything.

But if she was widowed or divorced

from the betrothal: a virgin

does not

collect

except

two hundred

zuz,

and

a

widow, one hundred, but

they do not collect the addition.

And because

he did not write for her

the addition that he added to her of his own accord

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, then the husband

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

to him in the language of a receipt:

“I have received from you one hundred maneh”,

although it emerges that he owes her only one maneh.

And

so too, if the husband wishes and his wife wishes, then the husband writes

for a widow

a document of

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

Rabbi Meir

disputes this and

says:

Anyone who reduces a virgin from two hundred, or a widow from one maneh, this is a licentious intercourse.

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 the matter, that if he wishes to obligate himself to give her all the money in the world, he can do so?!

And we explain:

You might have said: The Sages made a fixed limit

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

not to shame one who does not have

to add.

This teaches us

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 deduces:

“He wished ‘to write’ for her”—

which implies that he gives it to her of his own accord, and there is no “ketuba” upon it—

is not taught; rather,

“he wished

‘to add’,”

which implies that the name “ketuba” applies also to what he gives of his own accord, just as it applies to the principal!

And our Mishna is found

to support

it

for Rabbi Aivu, who said in the name of Rabbi Yannai!

For Rabbi Aivu said in the name of Rabbi Yannai:

A condition of the ketuba

namely, the addition that he undertakes to add to her

is considered like a ketuba!

And the Gemara explains:

The practical difference is:

A.

For one who sells

her “ketuba” without specification, since the condition of the ketuba is also included in the sale.

B.

And for one who waives

her “ketuba” without specification, since everything is included in the waiver.

C.

And for a rebellious woman

against her husband [who refuses to obey him] from whose ketuba a certain sum is deducted each week; and Rabbi Yannai teaches us that if the ketuba has been exhausted, they also deduct from the conditions of the ketuba.

D.

And for one who diminishes

the addition, as when she says, “I have already received part of it,” and her husband claims that she received her entire ketuba, she may not collect except by oath, just as one who diminishes the principal of her ketuba.

E.

And

a widow

claiming

the addition to her ketuba in court, for she does not have support, just as one who claims the principal of her ketuba in court.

F.

And

a woman

who transgresses religious law,

the law of Moses and the law of Jewish women, for she forfeits even the addition.