מִי שֶׁיָּצָא הוּא וְאִשְׁתּוֹ לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם וּבָא הוּא וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבָנָיו וְאָמַר, אִשָּׁה שֶׁיָּצָאת עִמִּי לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם הֲרֵי הִיא זוֹ וְאֵלּוּ בָנֶיהָ, אֵין צָרִיךְ לְהָבִיא רְאָיָה, לֹא עַל הָאִשָּׁה וְלֹא עַל הַבָּנִים. מֵתָה וְאֵלּוּ בָנֶיהָ, מֵבִיא רְאָיָה עַל הַבָּנִים וְאֵינוֹ מֵבִיא רְאָיָה עַל הָאִשָּׁה:
If a man and his wife went abroad, and he returned with his wife and her children, and he said that this was the woman who went abroad with him and that these are her children, he need not bring proof [of pedigree] neither for the woman, [for he had already looked into her pedigree when he married her], nor for her children [small children, who "cling" to their mother]. If he said: "She died, and these are her children," he brings proof for the children, and he need not bring proof for the woman.
Tosefta Kiddushin
A man who went with his wife to the land beyond the sea, and he, his wife and his children came back, and he said: "The wife that went with me to the land beyond the sea—this is her and these are her children"—he needs to bring evidence neither about her nor about the children [to prove that they are his and hers]. "[The wife that went with me...] died, but here are her children"—he needs to bring evidence about the children but doesn't need to bring evidence about the wife. A woman/wife is believed when she says, "These are my children". (The following translated from the Ehrfurt manuscript:) A man is believed when he says: "The wife that I married in the land beyond the sea—this is her and these are her children"—he needs to bring evidence neither about the wife, nor about the children. "[I married a wife there but] she died, and these are her children"—he needs to bring evidence on both the wife and the children. A woman is believed when he says "These are my children."
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