Ketubot 62b (סב:) — the Talmud in English

Rather,

all of them,

they said this concerning all those engaged in various occupations: If he imposed a vow upon his wife for more than one week, he must divorce her and give her the כתובה.

The Gemara asks:

But

the marital period of a sailor, which is once every

six months, he stated,

the tanna. If so, it is impossible to say that a sailor who imposed a vow upon his wife for one week must divorce her and give her the כתובה, since he has not canceled his marital period at all!?

The Gemara explains Abaye’s resolution. In his view, even if a husband is not required to visit his wife during the period for which he imposed the vow upon her, if he imposes a vow forbidding himself from marital relations with her, he must divorce her and give her the כתובה. Such a situation is worse for the woman than when the husband is away from home and therefore does not visit her. For if the husband does not visit her because he is away from home, the woman hopes that perhaps he will come and visit her; whereas now, when he has imposed the vow, he certainly will not visit her. This is analogous to the proverb:

One who

fasts and

has bread in his basket is not comparable to one who

fasts and

does not have bread in his basket.

Similarly, this woman whose husband has gone away is like one who has a husband, since perhaps he will come and visit her. But once he has imposed the vow upon her, she is like one who has no husband.

Rabba bar Rav Ḥanan

asked

Abaye:

If one married a woman while he was

a donkey driver,

whose marital period is once a week and whose earnings are meager, and

he became

someone who wished to change his occupation from donkey driver and become a

“camel driver”,

one who leads camels, whose marital period is once every thirty days but whose earnings are greater,

what

is the law? Is he permitted to do so, after he became obligated at the time of the marriage to the marital period of a donkey driver? Shall we say that a better livelihood is preferable for the woman, or is it preferable for her that the marital period occur more frequently?

He said to him,

Abaye said to Rabba bar Rav Ḥanan: He may not become a camel driver without his wife’s permission, because:

She prefers

the woman is satisfied with

a kav

of provisions alone,

and

provided that

“triviality”

is with her, that her husband be with her,

rather

than have

ten kav

of provisions

and abstinence

from her husband!

We learned in the Mishna: The marital period stated in the Torah—

that of sailors is once every six months; this is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer:

Rav Bruna said that Rav said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer

in everything that he stated in our Mishna.

Rav Adda bar Ahava said that Rav:

This

statement that we learned in our Mishna: Students may leave without permission for thirty days—

is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer

only.

But the Sages

disagree with him and

say: Students may leave to study Torah

even for

two or three years

without permission.

Rava said: The Sages relied

the students relied

on Rav Adda bar Ahava

to separate from their wives for two or three years—

and they performed an act that cost them their lives

and this deed cost them their lives]!

As in the case of Rav Reḥumei, who was frequently before Rava in Meḥoza

[he would regularly separate from his wife and stay with Rava in his city, Meḥoza].

He was accustomed

Rav Reḥumei

to come to his home every eve of Yom Kippur

[to come to his home every eve of Yom Kippur].

One day,

on the eve of Yom Kippur,

the teaching held him back,

Rav Reḥumei was drawn somewhat longer into his study and was delayed in setting out for home.

His wife was waiting

[his wife was waiting] and thinking to herself:

“Now he is coming; now he is coming”

[Now he is coming! Now he is coming!].

But in the end

he did not come

[Rav Reḥumei did not arrive].

She was distressed

[his wife was distressed], and

a tear fell

from her eye

[a tear fell from his wife’s eye].

He was sitting

Rav Reḥumei

in an upper story

[Rav Reḥumei was sitting in an upper story],

the upper story collapsed beneath him

of Rav Reḥumei [the upper story collapsed beneath him],

and his soul departed

[Rav Reḥumei died].

The Gemara discusses:

The marital period of Torah scholars—

when

is it?

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel:

The marital period of Torah scholars is once a week, and its time is

from Friday evening to Friday evening,

since it is a night of pleasure, cessation from labor, and bodily enjoyment!

The Gemara expounds this on the basis of the verse in Psalms: “Rather, his desire is in the Torah of the Lord, and he studies His Torah day and night. He shall be like a tree planted beside streams of water, which gives its fruit in its time”—

Rav Yehuda said, and some say Rav Huna,

[some say that Rav Huna expounded this],

and some say Rav Naḥman:

“Which gives its fruit in its time”—

this

is a

person who engages in marital relations from Friday evening to Friday evening.

Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya,

who was

his son-in-law

his son-in-law

of Rabbi Yannai, would go and sit in the house of study

[he would go to sit in the academy throughout the week].

And every Friday afternoon

[Friday evening]

he would come to his home

[he would return home every Friday evening].

And when he would come

[before he would come],

Rabbi Yannai would see

Rabbi Yannai

before him a pillar of fire

[Rabbi Yannai would see a pillar of fire],

[which would precede the arrival of his son-in-law].

One day, the teaching held Yehuda back

and he became absorbed in his study and did not go home at his appointed time.

When he did not see

Rabbi Yannai

that sign

Rabbi Yannai said to them,

to the members of his son-in-law’s household:

Turn over

turn over

his bed

of Yehuda, as mourners do, because he must certainly have died,

for if Yehuda were alive, he would not have canceled his marital period.

The statement

of Rabbi Yannai

was like “an error that proceeds from before the ruler”” ,

and his soul departed

[Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya, died].

Rabbi arranged a match for his son with the daughter of Rabbi Ḥiyya

[he betrothed his son to the daughter of Rabbi Ḥiyya].

When they came to write the כתובה

[when they came to write the כתובה],

the young woman died

[the young bride, daughter of Rabbi Ḥiyya, died].

Rabbi said:

And is it possible that

God forbid, there is some disqualification

[that there is some disqualification in this match]?

They sat and examined the families

[the parties sat to examine the family of the groom and the family of the bride], and they found that

Rabbi descended

[Rabbi’s ancestry was from]

Shephatiah, son of Abital

the wife of David, and therefore his son was of royal lineage,

whereas

if

Rabbi Ḥiyya descended

[his ancestry was from]

Shimei, brother of David—

And this was the disqualification: She was not of royal lineage and was not suitable for the son of a king.

Rabbi went

Rabbi,

he arranged a match for his son

[he betrothed his son, after his bride had died]

with the family of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra

[with the daughter of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra].

They stipulated for him

for Rabbi’s son

twelve years

to go to the house of study

[the bride’s family agreed with the groom that he was permitted to go to the academy for twelve years before marrying his bride].

Afterward,

They brought her before him

[they brought the bride before the groom], and because of his great affection for his bride,

he said to them

the groom said to the bride’s family:

Let it be

only

six years

[six years of my going to the academy before I marry her will suffice for me].

Again

they brought her before him

[they again brought her before him], and

he said to them

the groom:

I will marry her and then go

[I will first marry my bride and afterward go to the academy].

The groom was embarrassed

the groom

before his father

[the groom was embarrassed before Rabbi, his father, because he had changed his mind].

Rabbi said to him

Rabbi said to his son:

My son, you possess the understanding of your Creator

[the Holy One],

you possess it,

for He too initially intended to delay the time of His wedding with the Congregation of Israel, but then brought it closer out of His great affection for His bride, as:

Initially it is written

[at first it is written]:

“You shall bring them and plant them

[the children of Israel]

on the mountain of Your inheritance

[in the Land of Israel, and only afterward],

the place for Your dwelling

You made, Lord; the Sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands established”—

But ultimately it is written,

while Israel was still in the wilderness:

“And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them.”

Thus, the Holy One brought the time of His wedding with Israel closer out of His great affection for them.

And indeed Rabbi’s son married her, and

went,

he went after his wedding and

sat for twelve years in the house of study

[he sat in the academy for twelve years].

By the time he came, his wife had become incapable of bearing children

[by the time Rabbi’s son returned from the academy, his wife had become incapable of bearing children], as happens to women who sit for ten years without a husband.

Rabbi said: What shall we do,

what should his son do now?

If

we divorce her

his wife who had become incapable of bearing children, and he marries another in her place so that he will have children, then

people will say

the people:

“This unfortunate woman waited in vain

[waited] for her husband!

And if he does not divorce her, but

takes

a wife,

another woman

another woman in addition to her, then

people will say

the people:

This

woman whom he has now married is

his wife, and

whereas

this

woman whom he married first is

his prostitute!”

He prayed

Rabbi prayed

for

his daughter-in-law,

for mercy, and she was healed,

and recovered from her infertility.

Rabbi Ḥananya ben Ḥakhinai was going to the house of study

[he went to study in the academy]

at the end of the wedding celebration of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai

[at the end of the seven days of the wedding celebration for Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai].

He said to him,

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said to Rabbi Ḥananya ben Ḥakhinai:

Wait for me until I come with you

[wait for me until my wedding days are completed, and I will come with you].

He did not wait for him

[Rabbi Ḥananya ben Ḥakhinai did not comply with his request and did not delay].

He went,

Rabbi Ḥananya ben Ḥakhinai,

and sat for twelve years in the house of study

[he sat in the academy for twelve years].

By the time he came, the paths of the city had changed

[by the time Rabbi Ḥananya returned, the streets of the city had changed],

and he did not know

how

to go to his home

[he did not know which way to take to his home].

He went and sat on the bank of the river

[he went and sat on the riverbank],

and heard them calling to a certain young woman

[Rabbi Ḥananya heard them calling a certain young woman]:

“Daughter of Ḥakhinai, daughter of Ḥakhinai, fill your pitcher

and let us go”

[fill your vessel with water, and come, let us go].

He said,

Rabbi Ḥananya:

“From this we may infer that this young woman

is ours

it is my daughter [I understand that this is my daughter].

When his daughter went to her home,

he went after her

[Rabbi Ḥananya went after her].

His wife was sitting and sifting flour

[his wife was sitting at the entrance to her home and sifting flour].

She raised her eyes and saw him

[his wife raised her eyes and saw her husband],

her heart was moved,

[her heart saw him],

her soul departed.

It suddenly seemed to her that this was her husband, and her soul departed from her, and she died.

He said

Rabbi Ḥananya

before Him,

blessed be He:

“Master of the Universe: This unfortunate woman,

who agreed that I should go to the house of study for so long, is

this her reward,

that she died when I returned to her?

He requested

Rabbi Ḥananya

mercy for her

his wife,

and she lived.

Rabbi Ḥama bar Bisa went and sat for twelve years in the house of study

[after the birth of his son, he went to sit for twelve years in the house of study].

When he came

[when he returned home],

he said

Rabbi Ḥama to himself:

“I will not do as the son of Ḥakhinai did

[I will not act as the son of Ḥakhinai did], appearing suddenly before his wife!

Rather,

he entered and sat in the house of study

[he went to sit in the house of study in his city],

and sent word to his home

[Rabbi Ḥama sent word to his household that he had arrived].

Meanwhile,

Rabbi Oshaya, his son, came and sat before him

[Rabbi Oshaya, his son, came and sat before him], and they did not recognize one another.

He was asking him

Rabbi Oshaya was asking his father

a teaching

[he was asking him questions concerning Torah].

He saw

Rabbi Ḥama saw his son

that his teachings were sharp

[Rabbi Ḥama saw that he was sharp in halakha],

and he was distressed

[Rabbi Ḥama was distressed].

And

Rabbi Ḥama said

to himself:

“If I had been here, I would have had offspring such as this

[if I had remained here, I too would have had offspring like this], for I would have taught Torah to my son, whereas I left him alone when he was young.

Since Rabbi Ḥama had sent word of his arrival,

he entered his home

[he went to his home],

his son entered

[while he was sitting in his home, his son entered], the one who had spoken with him earlier, and Rabbi Ḥama still did not know that he was his son—

Rabbi Ḥama arose

Rabbi Ḥama

before him

before Rabbi Oshaya, his son.

He,

Rabbi Ḥama,

thought,

that Rabbi Oshaya had come

to ask him teachings

[he wished to ask him additional questions].

His wife said to him

[his wife said to Rabbi Ḥama]:

“Is there a father who stands before his son

[does a father stand before his son]!?

Rami bar Ḥama cited concerning him,

Rami bar Ḥama cited the verse concerning his son:

“The threefold cord shall not quickly be broken”—

this is Rabbi Oshaya, son of Rabbi Ḥama bar Bisa.

For Rabbi Oshaya was the third generation from Rabbi Bisa, succeeding his ancestors in wisdom: all three generations were sages—Rabbi Bisa, Rabbi Ḥama, and Rabbi Oshaya.

Rabbi Akiva was the shepherd of Ben Kalba Savua

Rabbi Akiva, before he learned Torah, tended the flocks of the man known as “Ben Kalba Savua”.

She saw that he was modest and of good character

She saw that Rabbi Akiva was modest and good.

She said to him

the daughter said to Rabbi Akiva:

If I become betrothed to you, will you go to the house of study

if I become betrothed to you, will you go to the academy to study

He said to her

Rabbi Akiva:

Yes,

indeed, I will go to study.

He betrothed her secretly and sent her away,

she became betrothed to him in secret—so that her father would not know—and sent him to study Torah.

When

her father heard

this,

he expelled her from his house

he drove her out of his house, and

he forbade her by vow to derive benefit from his property

he imposed a vow upon her forbidding her to derive benefit from his property.

He went and spent twelve years in the house of study

Rabbi Akiva went and spent twelve years in the academy.

When he came, he brought twelve thousand students with him

when Rabbi Akiva returned from the academy, he brought twelve thousand students with him to his city.

When he arrived at his house,

he heard an old man saying to her

he heard an old man saying to his wife: