If one forbids his wife by vow from cohabitation [as when he says: "Let the enjoyment of your cohabitation be forbidden to me" (But if he says: "The enjoyment of my cohabitation is forbidden to you," she is not forbidden, for he is obligated to her, it being written (Exodus 21:10): "…and her (conjugal) time he shall not withhold")] — Beth Shammai say: Two weeks. [If he vowed thus, he must wait two weeks (before resuming relations); for thus do we find with a woman who gave birth to a female, that she is unclean for two weeks.] Beth Hillel say: One week. [For thus do we find with respect to a niddah, that she is unclean for seven days; and we derive what is common (a man's becoming angry with his wife and forbidding her by vow) from what is common (niddah, which is a common occurrence) — as opposed to childbirth, which is not that common. And Beth Shammai hold that we derive something which he causes (the vow of the man, which causes her to desist), from something that he causes (childbirth, which comes through him) — as opposed to niddah, which comes of itself. If (he forbids her) more than one week according to Beth Hillel, or more than two weeks according to Beth Shammai, he must send her away and give her her kethubah — even if he were a camel driver, whose conjugal time is once in thirty days, or a mariner, whose conjugal time is once in six months.] Torah scholars may leave for Torah study without (their wives') permission for thirty days. [This Mishnah is in accordance with R. Eliezer. The rabbis differ with him, saying that he may do so for two or three years. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.] Workers may do so for one week. The conjugal time mentioned in the Torah: tayalin [who have neither work nor business], every day; workers, twice a week; donkey drivers [who bring bundles on camels from afar], once in thirty days; mariners [who set sail on the Mediterranean], once in six months. These are the words of R. Eliezer. [And if in the beginning one were a tradesman whose conjugal time is frequent, and he wished to change to an occupation whose conjugal time is infrequent, his wife can prevent him — except if he desired to study Torah, one's wife not being able to prevent her husband, who was a tayal or a worker from becoming a Torah scholar.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
המדיר את אשתו מתשמיש המטה – aa for example, that he said: the benefit of your sexual intercourse will be forbidden upon me, but the benefit of my sexual intercourse will be forbidden to you; he is not forbidden for he is subjugated to her, as it is written (Exodus 21:10): “he must not withhold her conjugal rights.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Introduction
This mishnah teaches that a husband has an obligation to have sexual relations with his wife. How frequently he is obligated depends on his job.
The idea that a husband has an obligation to periodically have relations with his wife is derived from Exodus 21:10 which states that if a man takes a second wife he cannot diminish from her three things: food, clothing or conjugal rights. With regard to our issue, if a man has two or more wives he must provide each one with their conjugal rights. You can imagine that this might have been one deterrent to the practice of polygyny (the proper term for the practice of men marrying more than one woman).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
ב"ש אומרים שתי שבתות – if he took a vow for two weeks, she should wait, for such as we found with a woman who gives birth to a female who is ritually impure for two weeks.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
A man forbade himself by vow from having intercourse with his wife: Beth Shammai says: two weeks; Beth Hillel says: one week. A man cannot make a vow to forbid upon his wife anything which he is mandated to give her by law. The man in this mishnah, perhaps in a fit of anger, forbade his wife from have sexual relations with him. This is not permitted and if he does not have his vow annulled (a process we will discuss in tractate Nedarim), he must divorce her and pay her the ketubah. However, he is not obligated to divorce her that very day; rather he is given a period to cool off and hopefully have his vow annulled. According to Beth Shammai he is given two weeks and according to Beth Hillel he is given only one week. After that length of time, he must divorce her and pay her the ketubah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
וב"ה אומרים שבת אחת – for such we have found with a menstruant woman who is ritually impure for seven [days] and we learn something that is frequent. The anger [that a person expresses] over his wife and takes a vow concerning her is something that is frequent, [which we learn] from the menstruant woman something that is frequent, to exclude giving birth which is not all that frequent. But the School of Shammai holds that we learn something that he caused to her. The vow of a man which he causes her to wait/delay from giving birth, which is upon his hand comes upon her, to exclude the menstruant woman that of its own comes to her. And more than one week according to the School of Hillel and two weeks according to the School of Shammai, he should divorce [her] and give [her] the Ketubah settlement, and even if he was a camel driver whose period is thirty days or a sailor whose period is sixth months.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Students may go away to study Torah, without the permission [of their wives for a period of] thirty days; workers for one week. Since a husband must have relations with his wife, he cannot be away from her for a long period of time. According to this section, a Torah scholar cannot leave his wife without her permission for longer than thirty days. A worker can be out of town for only one week. If either wish to remain away from their wives for a longer period of time, they must receive permission.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
התלמידים וכו' שלשים יום – and our Mishnah is according to Rabbi Eliezer and the Rabbis dispute it and state even two or three years, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
The times for conjugal duty prescribed in the torah are: For independent men, every day; For workers, twice a week; For donkey-drivers, once a week; For camel-drivers, once in thirty days; For sailors, once in six months. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. This section delineates how often in general a husband must be available to have relations with his wife. The frequency depends on his occupation. An independent man, meaning one who doesn’t work, must have relations with his wife every day. Note that this does not mean that he actually has to do so, but rather that if she so desires, he is obligated. He cannot claim that he is too busy to have sex with her. Workers must be available twice a week. The Talmud explains that this refers to workers who work in the city; those who work outside the city are obligated only once a week, as we learned in the previous clause. Donkey-drivers, who travel short distances must be available once a week. Camel-drivers who travel longer distances must be available once a month and finally, sailors who travel for long periods of time, need to return home once every six months. This all refers to situations where the wife has not given her husband permission. If she has given him permission, he may stay away longer. She might give him permission if, for instance, for the sake of supporting the family, the husband had to be away for a long period of time. However, it is her right to demand that he find work closer to home.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
הטיילים – who have no work nor business.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
החמרים – who go out to the villages to bring grain.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
הגמלים – who bring packages on the camels from a place far away.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
הספנים – who go on a voyage to the Great Sea (Mediterranean). He who his beginning was the master of a craft whose period [permitted before he must have sexual relations with his wife] is close and he requested to become the master of a craft whose period is further off, his wife waits for him, except for that of the study of Torah where the woman is unable to wait for her husband who was at leisure ora worker who does not become a Sage.
