Ketubot 63a — the Talmud in English

Until how long ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

does she speak of herself as a living widow [until when do you conduct yourself as a living widow]!?

—until when will you behave like a living widow!?

She said to him

Rabbi Akiva’s wife to that elder:

If only he would obey me,

if Rabbi Akiva, my husband, had listened to me, he would have

sat another twelve years

he would have remained there another twelve years.

Rabbi Akiva said,

when he heard her words: If so,

I am acting with permission [I am acting with my wife’s permission]—

—I am acting with my wife’s permission—

He went back, went, and sat another twelve years in the house of study [Rabbi Akiva returned and sat another twelve years in the academy].

Rabbi Akiva returned and sat for another twelve years in the academy.

When he came, he brought with him twenty-four thousand students [When Rabbi Akiva returned home after those twelve years, he brought with him to his city twenty-four thousand students].

When Rabbi Akiva returned home after those twelve years, he brought twenty-four thousand students with him to his city.

His wife heard; she was going out to meet him [When his wife heard of his arrival, she went out to meet him].

When his wife heard that he had arrived, she went out to meet him.

Her neighbors said to her [her neighbors]:

her neighbors:

Borrow clothing and dress and cover yourself [Borrow clothes for yourself, put them on, and cover yourself with them], so that you would not be disgraced by your poor clothing.

so that you would not be embarrassed by your poor clothing.

She said to them,

Rabbi Akiva’s wife to her neighbors:

“The righteous person knows the soul of his animal,”

he recognizes that I have nothing, and I do not need to adorn myself before him.

When she reached him, she fell on her face and was kissing his feet [When she reached Rabbi Akiva, she fell on her face and kissed Rabbi Akiva’s feet]—

When she reached Rabbi Akiva, she fell on her face and kissed his feet—

His attendants were pushing her away [Rabbi Akiva’s attendants were pushing her away].

Rabbi Akiva’s attendants were pushing her away.

He said to them,

Rabbi Akiva to his attendants:

Leave her [leave her alone], for the study of Torah

leave her alone, because the Torah learning

of mine

and the study of Torah

of yours—

it is hers!

The Torah that I studied, and the Torah that you studied, is through her; for had she not sent me to study, I would not have merited studying and teaching.

Ben Kalba Savua heard,

Ben Kalba Savua,

her father,

of Rabbi Akiva’s wife,

that a great man had come to the city [that a great man had arrived in the city], and he did not know that he was his son-in-law—

but he did not know that it was his son-in-law—

Ben Kalba Savua said [Ben Kalba Savua, who regretted his vow without knowing that this was his son-in-law]:

Ben Kalba Savua, who regretted his vow without knowing that this was his son-in-law,

I will go to him; perhaps he will annul my vow [I will go to him; perhaps he will release me from my vow] by which I excluded my daughter from my property.

I vowed that my daughter would receive no benefit from my property.

Ben Kalba Savua came

Ben Kalba Savua

to him,

Rabbi Akiva, and asked him to release him from his vow.

Rabbi Akiva said to him,

Rabbi Akiva to his father-in-law:

On the basis of a great man—

did you make your vow? If you had known that your son-in-law would become a great man, would you have made the vow?

Had you known that your son-in-law would become a great man, would you have made the vow?

Ben Kalba Savua said to him,

Ben Kalba Savua to Rabbi Akiva:

Even

if he had known that my son-in-law knew

one halakha,

I would not have excluded my daughter.

Rabbi Akiva said to him,

Rabbi Akiva to his father-in-law:

It is I,

your son-in-law! And he released him from his vow.

Ben Kalba Savua fell

Ben Kalba Savua

on his face and kissed him

Rabbi Akiva

on his feet [he fell on his face and kissed Rabbi Akiva’s feet],

he fell on his face and kissed Rabbi Akiva’s feet,

and gave him half of his property [he gave him half of his property].

he gave him half of his property.

And the Gemara adds and relates:

Also

Rabbi Akiva’s daughter did this for Ben Azzai [Also Rabbi Akiva’s daughter, who had become betrothed]

to Ben Azzai, did this for him], for she had been betrothed to him on condition that he study Torah in the academy without her father’s knowledge.

And this is what people say [and this is what people say]:

and this is what people say:

A ewe—

goes after a ewe [the young ewe follows its mother].

the young sheep follows its mother.

According to the deeds of its mother—

so the deeds of the daughter [as the deeds of her mother, so are the deeds of her daughter].

as the mother acts, so acts her daughter.

Rav Yosef, Rava’s son, his father sent him [his father sent him] after his marriage

his father sent him after his marriage

to the house of study

to the academy

before Rav Yosef.

They allotted him

the bride’s family to be

six years [six years]

in the academy.

When it was three years [after three years],

after three years,

the eve of Yom Kippur arrived [when the eve of Yom Kippur arrived].

when the eve of Yom Kippur arrived.

Rav Yosef, Rava’s son, said:

Rav Yosef, the son of Rava:

I will go and see the people of my household [I will go home to see the members of my household].

I will go home to see the members of my household.

When

his father heard

that his son had come,

he took a weapon and went out to meet him [he took a weapon and went out to meet him] as though he had come to fight with him, and

as though he had come to fight him, and

said to him:

Were you reminded of

your mate!?

Some say

that he said this

to him: Were you reminded of

Have you

your dove

!?

They became estranged

The two became embroiled in that quarrel, and

Rava did not

Rava, the father,

break his fast,

[he ate the meal terminating his eating],

and Rav Yosef did not

Rav Yosef, the son,

break his fast.

Mishna:

A wife who rebels against her husband [against her husband], and in the Gemara it will be explained whether the rebellion was abstaining from marital relations or refusing to perform work—

that is, against her husband; the Gemara will explain whether the rebellion consists of refusing marital relations or refusing to perform work—

Her marriage settlement is reduced by seven dinars in

each

every week [week] that she remains in her rebellion, one dinar per day. And afterward he gives her a bill of divorce, and she leaves without a marriage settlement.

that she continues in her rebellion, one dinar per day. Afterward, he gives her a bill of divorce, and she leaves without her marriage contract.

Rabbi Judah says:

Her marriage settlement is reduced by no more than

seven trapaikins [their value will be explained in the Gemara] every week, one trapaikin per day.

each week, one terafik per day.

Until when [until how much]

to what extent

does he reduce it?—

Until it corresponds to her marriage settlement.

Until he causes her entire marriage settlement to be lost, but he does not take from his wife’s property.

Rabbi Yosei

disagrees and

says:

He continually reduces it,

and he even collects from her property,

until

even

if an inheritance should fall to her from elsewhere,

the husband’s right is to

collect from it,

all the time of her rebellion, according to the measure that we taught above.

And likewise, one who rebels against his wife: three dinars are added to her marriage settlement in

each

every week [half a dinar per day, and nothing is added for the Sabbath]. And they become a debt upon him, when he becomes obligated to give her the entire marriage settlement.

half a dinar per day, and nothing is added for the week itself. These amounts become a debt upon him when he becomes obligated to give her the full amount of her marriage contract.

Rabbi Judah says: three trapaikins

alone are added to her, half a trapaikin per day.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: a wife who rebels against her husband.

And we raised the question:

Against what does she rebel,

against work or against marital relations?

Rav Huna said:

A rebel

against marital relations.

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Hanina said:

A rebel

against work.

We learned

in our Mishna:

“And likewise, one who rebels against his wife.”

This implies that his rebellion is similar to hers. And if so, this can be challenged—

It is understandable according to the one who says

that the rebellion is

against marital relations; it is well [it is satisfactory], for the husband’s rebellion too is against marital relations.

because the husband’s rebellion is also against marital relations.

But according to the one who says

that the rebellion is

against work,

there is a difficulty:

Does he

[is it so that]

have an obligation to her—the husband to his wife, to perform work for her, such that it can be said that if he does not perform work he rebels against his wife!?

that the husband is obligated to his wife to perform work for her, so that if he does not work he is considered to be rebelling against his wife!?

And we answer:

Yes,

there can be rebellion by the husband in refraining from performing work to which he is obligated in order to support his wife,

when

the husband

says

to his wife:

“I will not sustain, and I will not support!” [According to Rashi, however, the husband’s rebellion is in the payment of the obligation of sustenance, which he must give her in exchange for her work; and with regard to sustenance the husband is obligated].

According to Rashi, however, the husband’s rebellion consists of failing to pay the support that he must give her in return for her work; a husband is obligated to provide support.

And the Gemara is astonished: But a husband who says, “I will not sustain and I will not support,” cannot delay the divorce and add to her marriage settlement!

But

indeed

Rav said: One who says, “I will not sustain, and I will not support”—

he must divorce her and give her the marriage settlement!?

And we answer:

But

why,

is it not necessary to consult with him [is there no need to deliberate with the husband]? For even according to Rav, they do not immediately compel him to divorce her; rather, they persuade him to sustain and support her, and during this time, when they urge him to retract, they add to her every week according to the measure stated in our Mishna.

Is he not first given an opportunity to reconsider? For even according to Rav, he is not immediately compelled to divorce her. Rather, he is persuaded to sustain and support her, and during this period, while they urge him to change his mind, the amount stated in our Mishna is added to her marriage contract each week.

He raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina, who interprets “a rebel” as one who rebels against work, from what we learned in a beraita:

against Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, who explains “rebellious” as referring to work, from what we learned in a beraita, a tannaitic source not included in the Mishna:

For it was taught:

It is the same for me

whether she is a rebel while

betrothed,

rebelling by refusing to marry,

and it is the same for me whether she is a rebel while

it is the same to me whether she is rebellious when she is

married, and even

if she was rebellious while

menstruating, and even

if she rebelled while

ill,

and even a levirate widow, who does not wish to undergo levirate marriage—all these are included in “a rebel.”

who does not wish to enter levirate marriage—all of these are included in the category of “rebellious.”

And this is difficult:

It is understandable according to the one who says that a rebel

that a rebellious wife is

against marital relations

she is,

for this is why it teaches that even a

that even a woman who is

sick

woman, if she rebels, is included as a rebel, since she is able to endure marital relations.