Talking Talmud
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Kiddushin 59: Underhanded Betrothal
October 11, 2023 17:36 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBA new chapter, and a new mishnah - when a man appoints an agent to betroth a woman on his behalf, and instead the agent betrothed her to himself. With examples and commentary, and some confusion.
Kiddushin 58: The Benefit of Terumah
October 10, 2023 19:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThe daf introduces a new concept of tovat hana and asks can one take a payment for a mitzvah?
Kiddushin 57: That Little Hebrew Word "Et"
October 09, 2023 07:50 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBOn the ox that is condemned to death - how do we know that its hide is prohibited from any benefit? As "et" was interpreted by the sages, including R. Akiva's famous inclusive interpretative approach. Also, sourcing the prohibition against benefitting from a nazir's hair or meat and milk cooked together.
Kiddushin 56: Holy Economics
October 08, 2023 21:43 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBMore on the second tithe, ma'aser sheni - as a paradigm of deconsecrating the produce, and redeeming it, eventually. For example, you can't (or shouldn't) use ma'aser sheni money to purchase an animal outside of Jerusalem. Also, a new mishnah, with prohibited items that cannot be used for kiddushin -- because they are prohibited for benefit (items that a user can't get any benefit from, without incurring a violation).
Kiddushin 55: When Animals Wandered the Jerusalem Countryside
October 07, 2023 22:44 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBMore on the dispute between R. Yehudah and R. Meir. With a mention of Shekalim - and how wandering animals are understood to have been designated for various sacrifices. Plus, the question of deconsecrating consecrated property, and if/when that is possible. Plus, the mechanism by which that deconsecrating worked.
Kiddushin 54: The Holy Stones of Jerusalem
October 06, 2023 05:37 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBMore on what can and cannot be used for betrothal, specifically among the sanctified property, specifically the garments of the kohanim - that have not worn out. And what about the worn out garments? When does me'ilah (misuse of consecrated property) kick in? Also, the question of whether the walls of Jerusalem are consecrated, and if so, does that mean stones loose from the wall are subject to me'ilah? With more dispute between R. Meir and R. Yehudah.
Kiddushin 53: Designated for God, and Not for Betrothal
October 05, 2023 10:41 - 17 minutes - 16.6 MBA long beraita that is brought into the discussion of when betrothal with a portion of some sanctified or dedicated portion works, or doesn't. Plus, how this parallel text to our Gemara is relevant to understand the differences of opinion. Also, more analysis of the cases of the mishnah - specifically, using the second tithe (maaser sheni) for betrothal. In contrast to other gifts to God/kohanim, which are effective for betrothal.
Kiddushin 52: The Vexatious Students of Rabbi Meir and Their Defense
October 04, 2023 05:15 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBA deep dive on 5 women, including 2 sisters, who are given a basket of figs as a means of betrothal. Rav taught 3 of the 4 halakhot that the specifics of the case teach. Note the chronological restructuring of the personalities here. Also, several cases of attempted betrothal where the ownership of the betrothal item is iffy, to say the least. Also, a new mishnah - on a kohen using kodshim as an item for kiddushin (the mishnah says no, with a dispute between R. Meir and R. Yehudah. Which lead...
Kiddushin 51: Consummating Betrothal
October 03, 2023 07:55 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBA dispute between Abaye and Rava, whether a betrothal works if there's no consummation with sexual intercourse. Plus, how is this impacted by an attempt betrothal of two woman who can't be "co-wives" to begin with. Also, explaining the rationale of both Abaye and Rava, including complicated cases of betrothal to support the rational of each.
Kiddushin 50: So Many Ways Kiddushin Doesn't Work
October 02, 2023 13:21 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBIf you think your positions in your mind without articulating them, then they don't count, even when it's a positive commitment. Also, 4 new mishnayot: betrothal via shaliach with conditions, like the location of betrothal. What if she has "vows," for example, as a lien, etc. She needed to be forthcoming monetarily. She needed to divulge any relevant details... or blemishes might be grounds for divorce (not as blemishes, but as undisclosed information). Plus, betrothal with less than the valu...
Kiddushin 49: If I Were a Rich Man
October 01, 2023 08:26 - 22 minutes - 21.2 MBA conditional kiddushin - where a statement is made as a prerequisite to the betrothal. With implications for lineage status (yuchasin). Plus, a rich man who claims to be poor and vice versa. Also, 10 measures of all kinds of things that were given to the world, where specific countries or entities got 9 of those measures (beautiful Jerusalem, for example). Plus, a mishnah, continuing the discussion of conditional betrothals, where the conditions are not met and the betrothals do not take eff...
Kiddushin 48: False Pretenses
September 30, 2023 20:42 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBA dispute on the question of whether kiddushin works via a loan, on an oral agreement. Plus, transferring the right if collection. Also, betrothal with a document - when does it work, and when not? All via beraitot trying to understand Rav's opinion on betrothal. Also, a new mishnah: a man who betroths a woman with a cup of wine, but it turns out to be honey, or other cases of mistaken identity, as it were - that betrothal does not take effect.
Kiddushin 47: How a Woman's Sensibility Affects Kiddushin
September 29, 2023 09:41 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBBetrothing with a loan does not work - but why not? What is the rationale for the mechanism not bringing about kiddushin? Perhaps the loan itself is never really considered owned by the borrower who would use it for kiddushin. Plus, how she feels about the sum total of the betrothal and the need to scrounge for it can have impact on whether the kiddushin takes effect. Also, Rav's view on the loan not working for betrothal. Plus, a disagreement over a loan that has not yet been spent. If it ha...
Kiddushin 46: The Amoraim Don't Understand the Mishnah!
September 28, 2023 11:48 - 16 minutes - 15.7 MBA new mishnah: a betrothal via a date (the fruit). But is it worth a perutah? Can the value of the individual dates accrue? What if she eats them as he gives them to her? How are we to make sense of this mishnah? Also, a gift to a sister is obviously collateral, a deposit. Why would he say "kiddushin" (in this case)? How did the sanctity of a kohen's food make a difference? What about the challah that is given as flour? How complicated can that flour be whether it's challah or not? Won't it g...
Kiddushin 45: A Glass of Wine, a Bundle of Vegetables, and the Marketplace
September 27, 2023 16:03 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBA couple of cases of betrothing a daughter - with a cup of wine, with a package of vegetables in the marketplace. And who's doing the betrothing? The father of the daughter to the father of a son is a complicated question. And the marketplace complicates matters because it (or the vegetables themselves) may be lacking in respect. Plus, when the mother and father of the daughter each want their daughter betrothed to a relative of each respective side. Also, terumah! Namely, how the minor might...
Kiddushin 44: Missing a Day in the Beit Midrash
September 26, 2023 07:10 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBOn the case of a father betrothing his daughter - a series of disputes on how this works. Which leads into a "reality" story account of the yelling in the beit midrash. Also, what about a minor who accepts kiddushin, not her father's doing? Plus, the complicated case of bringing a case before Shmuel and then Rav - when the get is needed, plus mi'un, where the action (or marriage, or betrothal) can be rejected.
Kiddushin 43: Is the Hitman Liable or Is the One Who Hires Him?
September 25, 2023 18:32 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBMore on the topic of sending an agent to do a sin - in this case, specifically, murder. With parallels to King David, in his efforts to hide his affair with Batsheva. Also, can a shaliach (agent) be a witness? Some key disputes flesh out the concerns.
Kiddushin 42: When Is an Agent Not an Agent? (For Sin)
September 24, 2023 05:36 - 19 minutes - 18 MBHow do we know shelichut (appointing an agent) works, with some pushback as to whether it should work at all. Plus, the idea of benefitting another person, and whether action taken on another's behalf is necessarily shelichut. Also, who is responsible for damages in the process of shelichut - the agent or the one who appoints an agent? Note the important principle that there's no agent for a sin, because the agent himself needs to heed God's instructions over and above those of the person who...
Kiddushin 41: Better Not to Be Alone
September 23, 2023 17:22 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBA new chapter, with a new mishnah: Both men and women can betroth/be betrothed directly or via an agent. With investigation of these cases. Plus, the famous pronouncement that marriage is better than being alone, with the halakhic ramifications. Plus, discussion of a father betrothing his young (but not too young) daughter. Also, a discussion of agency in the context of betrothal, though it begins with a return to the discussion of an agent for divorce.
Kiddushin 40: Torah Study vs. Doing Mitzvot
September 22, 2023 15:40 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBStarting with mitzvot that are done in this world, and the reward for them comes in the next world. Eg: Honoring your parents. Plus, the impact of how we handle our mitzvot in the environment around us, such as sending away the mother bird. Also, a new mishnah - those who learn Torah and refine their behavior won't come to sin too easily, while those who don't aren't even part of the community. Plus, another discussion of theodicy...
Kiddushin 39: Reward, Punishment, and the World to Come
September 21, 2023 04:10 - 23 minutes - 22.1 MBMore on the discussion of orlah outside of the land of Israel, with some sharp disagreement by the sages. Plus, according to those who say there is orlah outside of Israel, how should it be treated? Also, when a couple of sages spot someone planting kilayim - and how they react to him. Also, a new mishnah! On the value of doing mitzvot, including the rewards that are known for them. And the challenge of watching one who should be getting long life die in the process of doing those mitzvot - a...
Kiddushin 38: The Birthdays of the Righteous
September 20, 2023 04:19 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBThe Children of Israel were given several mitzvot at the time they entered the land, so the Gemara focuses on their experience just before this time. For example, how close to the land of Israel were they when they stopped eating the manna? It's not as obviously "40 years in the wilderness" as one might think. Plus, tracking the date via Moshe's death on the 7th of Adar. Plus, how it is known that he was born on the 7th of Adar too, and the righteous implications of that. Also, more on the mi...
Kiddushin 37: Settling the Land - with Mitzvot
September 19, 2023 04:04 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBMitzvot that depend on the land only apply in the land of Israel. Mitzvot that are not dependent on the land apply everywhere. But orlah and kilayim also apply everywhere. And R. Eliezer says "chadash" - and the question is whether he is being more machmir, in adding another mitzvah to the list, or swapping it out. What does "land-dependent" mean? Because not all of these mitzvot seem quite dependent on the land! Plus, a deep dive into R. Eliezer's position, and R. Akiva's question on him.
Kiddushin 36: Children of God
September 18, 2023 04:01 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBRava and Abaye on Isi's position regarding women not making bald spots on their heads. Plus, the Jewish people as treated like children, in their relationship with God, as compared to when the relationship is there, but the epithet is not (depending on their loyalty). Also, a new mishnah - on how women, for the most part, did not participate in the actions connected to offering sacrifices, except for that connected to sotah and a female nazir.
Kiddushin 35: The Bearded Lady
September 17, 2023 19:42 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBAnd now, sources for why women are obligated in negative commandments, including 3 verses that teach different component parts.
Kiddushin 34: The Path to Women's Exemptions
September 17, 2023 18:01 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBHow do we know that women are exempt from positive time-bound commandments? It's learned from tefillin, which is linked to learning Torah. Or tefillin could be linked to mezuzah - but that would make women obligated in tefillin! Also, delving into the mitzvah of Re'iyah, which is specifically for males - implying that women are obligated in other positive time-bound commandments. But maybe that's just Hakhel? Note that there's no middle ground between a women under her father's auspices or he...
Kiddushin 33: The Ear of Rabbi Yosef's Donkey
September 15, 2023 03:52 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBMore on giving honor - to Torah scholars. Standing before those who brought first fruits vs. Not standing before Torah scholars - what a difference a mitzvah makes. Plus, when scholars don't stand up for scholars, and the insult that can provide. Which R. Yehudah HaNasi takes more mildly than the scholars who are hot under the collar. Plus, why standing before another person honors that person. Also, a series of more complicated cases: what happens when the son, who should stand before his fa...
Kiddushin 32: "Sit, Sit, No Need to Stand"
September 14, 2023 03:32 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MBMore on kibud av va'em, honoring one's parents. How far must one go? What about correcting a parent's error? Plus, the example of the 4 deaths of the court. Also, several sages and the acts of honoring parents that each does, and whether one can forego the honor.
Kiddushin 31: The Poster Child for Honoring One's Parents
September 13, 2023 03:18 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBLots of nuggets of stories in this daf - beginning with defining the lengths one must go to fulfill the mitzvah of honoring one's parents. Dama ben Netina was just that considerate. Plus, the valuable red heifer. Also, the difference between being commanded for a mitzvah and being exempt, as per R. Yosef, who was blind. Also, the practices of several sages in terms of honoring their respective parents. [Who's Who: Rabbi Abahu] What about when one's parents honor their adult child, instead of ...
Kiddushin 30: Sink or Swim
September 12, 2023 17:34 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBThe Gemara shares some beautiful passages about the importance of reaching Torah to one’s children and how to teach. The daf also discusses why teaching a son a trade and to swim are an obligation for the father
Kiddushin 29: Teach Your Sons (er, no, not your daughters)
September 11, 2023 13:14 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBA doozy of a mishnah, especially with regard to gender wars. What mitzvot are women obligated in, and what mitzvot are they not obligated? With some specifics for men, boys, fathers for sons, sons for fathers. (How to swim, circumcision, etc.) And where do the mothers and daughters fit in? Plus, the rules regarding teaching Torah. (Where are the girls?) Also, the story of the demon in Abaye's beit midrash, and R. Acha bar Yaakov's vanquishing of it.
Kiddushin 28: Bartering vs. Purchasing
September 10, 2023 17:19 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBMore on devolving oaths - gigul shevuah. With various cases of swearing that one is not a slave... Also, defining halipin, exchange - what it is and what it is not.
Kiddushin 27: Agav Continued
September 09, 2023 20:32 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBCases of acquiring movable items along with land - from tithes of growing produce along with rent to several different kinds of documents - and whether the transaction is by virtue of the document, or after it. The Gemara then moves on to discuss how the concept of Gilgul Shevua is learned from Sotah.
Kiddushin 26: Agav
September 08, 2023 05:22 - 16 minutes - 15.6 MBThe daf has a Mishnah discussing how land and houses are. acquired. The Gemara introduces the concept of agav and how moveable property should be sold with land.
Kiddushin 25: Is Castration an Incapacitating, Go-Free Injury?
September 07, 2023 15:48 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MBThe elders in Nezonya did not show up to R. Hisda's shiur. R. Hamnuna goes to rebuke them. They complained that R. Hisda didn't answer their halakhic question - regarding the blemish of castration (whether it's go-free damage, or not). And then they're rude to R. Hamnuna. But the question is raised regarding overt injury as compared to hidden injury - including the tongue. Also, the kinyan of "meshichah," pulling, "mesirah," transfer, and "hagba'ah," - raising up. Regarding large animals, sma...
Kiddushin 24: An Eye for a Slave's Eye, a Tooth for a Slave's Tooth
September 06, 2023 18:32 - 14 minutes - 13.8 MBWays that Canaanite slaves go free. Including when a slave is injured seriously, permanently, in an external way, based on the biblical verses, but not only. Plus, the cases when, despite injury, the slave does not go free. Plus, lesser injuries. Plus, the case of the owner who is a doctor and inadvertently does harm to his own slave in the process of treatment. Also, does the slave who goes free need a "get shichrur," a bill of emancipation, on top of the injury in one of the 24 limbs listed.
Kiddushin 23: The Slave's Simultaneous Freedom and Ownership
September 05, 2023 21:07 - 15 minutes - 14 MBMore on slaves' emancipation - and how that works as a matter of transaction. Even if he's not cognizant of it, it's to his benefit - and actions in his own interest can be done without his knowledge. Also, the sages allow the slave to free himself with the money of others. Because otherwise, the funds are immediately acquired by the master when they arrive in the slave's possession. But can you give a gift to a slave with a condition removing the master's possibility of ownership? Of course,...
Kiddushin 22: There's Only One Master of the Universe
September 04, 2023 08:03 - 20 minutes - 19.6 MBMore on "retziyah" - and the obligation of a master to the slave's family. Plus, a description of piercing the slave's ear, and where the slave who adds to the time of service goes wrong. Also, switching to a Canaanite slave - what are the means of acquisition?
Kiddushin 21: Retziah
September 03, 2023 08:26 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBThe Gemara continues its discussion comparing the redemption of fields and houses during Yovel. The daf then shares a baraita that explains many of the halachot of retziah. Finally a discussion about the kohen who becomes a slave.
Kiddushin 20: When Poverty Happens to Good People
September 02, 2023 20:45 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBAbaye compares himself to Ben Azzai [brief recall of Who's Who]. How does one figure out the purchase price of redeeming a slave? Plus, treating a slave leniently. What about a Jew working for an idolater? Also, a mnemonic to help remember the cases of partial redemption.
Kiddushin 19: From Slavery to Marriage
September 01, 2023 10:06 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBCan a father tell his minor daughter to go accept her own betrothal that she isn't old enough to accept herself? Plus, the marriage that follows the time of a maidservant - to the master - and how that kiddushin can kick in, switching the relationship from marriage to slavery. With props to marriage over and above slavery, given the comparison.
Kiddushin 18: How to Read a Verse
August 31, 2023 04:47 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBRedeeming the maidservant against "his" will - but whose will? The master or the father? What about the strike against the family's good name in the servitude itself?! Plus, a maidservant isn't sold a second time. Also, she can't be sold to a second master - with interpretation of a phrase in the verse being essential.
Kiddushin 17: How to Calculate Severance
August 30, 2023 04:31 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBThe daf explores a few different opinions on how much severance must be paid to a freed slave.
Kiddushin 16: Severance Gifts
August 29, 2023 06:45 - 18 minutes - 17 MBGemara discussed some key differences between female and male Hebrew slaves. The daf also looks at which slaves are eligible for a severance gift and what might that teach us about biblical slavery.
Kiddushin 15: Cross-generational Talmudic Debate
August 28, 2023 13:06 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBMore on the gezerah shavah between "sachir" and "sachir," with regard to how this indentured fellow goes free - aside from the jubilee year, which is already specified in the verse. But Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi doesn't use this gezarah shavah, so why not? And why the disagreement over this? Plus, how does a gezarah shavah really work? How does one be freed from one owner only to be enslaved to the relatives who freed him?
Kiddushin 14: Protective Servitude?
August 27, 2023 06:59 - 18 minutes - 17.5 MBRecapping Yevamot, to explain the first mishnah of Kiddushin. With a deeper dive into the halitzah case on this daf - namely, how do we know she frees herself with halitzah? Plus, a story of R. Tarfon's beit din for a woman who comes for halitzah. Also, the economics of Jewish (Hebrew) slaves, usually as a matter of paying off debt. What about the sale of a female Hebrew slave? How does that compare to the acquisition of kiddushin?
Kiddushin 13: Could Women Have Known the Halakhot?
August 26, 2023 19:38 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MBMore cases of possible kiddushin. For example, betrothal with a mat of myrtle branches - to no response by the woman who takes the mat. Is that silence a matter of acquiescence or rejection? How would she knows the details of that kind of silence? Also, what about a designated sin-offering on the woman's behalf post childbirth? What if she dies in childbirth? Plus, what about a loan where the debtor dies - and whether the creditor can always collect the loan.
Kiddushin 12: When Is Less Than a Perutah Like a Perutah?
August 25, 2023 05:21 - 19 minutes - 18.6 MBHow much is a perutah actually worth? How do we define its value, given fluctuating currencies and given the different value of items in various places. Also, what happens when the value diminishes over time? Plus, how can some cases of actual effective kiddushin be valued at less than a perutah (Shmuel's opinion vs. that of R. Hisda). Plus, R. Hiya's wife's efforts to leave him.
Kiddushin 11: The Value of Money
August 24, 2023 11:21 - 19 minutes - 18 MBThe Gemara does a deep dive on Beit Shammai’s opinion that for Kiddushin to take place with money it must be at a value of at least a dinar. Several opinions are offered to help understand Beit Shammai’s reasoning.
Kiddushin 10: The Gemara Isn't Blushing
August 23, 2023 18:36 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBInvestigating the precise moment that sexual intercourse functions as betrothal. With practical implications. Also, a story of terumah and chuppah. [Who's Who: Yochanan Ben Bag Bag] Plus, the modesty of clear language and addressing difficult (sexual) topics directly.