Mishnah
Mishnah

Commentaire sur Édouyot 1:12

אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁחָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמָּאי. הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁבָּאָה מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם וְאָמְרָה מֵת בַּעְלִי, תִּנָּשֵׂא. מֵת בַּעְלִי, תִּתְיַבֵּם. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, לֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ אֶלָּא בְּבָאָה מִן הַקָּצִיר בִּלְבָד. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, אַחַת הַבָּאָה מִן הַקָּצִיר וְאַחַת הַבָּאָה מִן הַזֵּיתִים וְאַחַת הַבָּאָה מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם, לֹא דִבְּרוּ בַקָּצִיר אֶלָּא בַהֹוֶה. חָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּבֵית שַׁמָּאי. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, תִּנָּשֵׂא וְתִטֹּל כְּתֻבָּתָהּ. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, תִּנָּשֵׂא וְלֹא תִטֹּל כְּתֻבָּתָהּ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, הִתַּרְתֶּם אֶת הָעֶרְוָה הַחֲמוּרָה, לֹא תַתִּירוּ אֶת הַמָּמוֹן הַקָּל. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית הִלֵּל, מָצִינוּ שֶׁאֵין הָאַחִים נִכְנָסִין לַנַּחֲלָה עַל פִּיהָ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, וַהֲלֹא מִסֵּפֶר כְּתֻבָּתָהּ נִלְמֹד, שֶׁהוּא כוֹתֵב לָהּ, שֶׁאִם תִּנָּשְׂאִי לְאַחֵר, תִּטְּלִי מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב לִיךְ. חָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמָּאי:

Ce sont les cas où Beth Hillel a annulé (leur décision) pour enseigner conformément à Beth Shammai: Si une femme venait de l'étranger et disait: «Mon mari est mort», elle peut se remarier; «mon mari est mort», elle peut célébrer un mariage en lévirat. Et Beth Hillel a dit: Nous n'avons entendu (qu'elle est autorisée à se remarier) sauf quand elle est venue de la moisson de blé) [comme dans l'événement qui s'est produit, où les hommes sont allés récolter le blé, et un serpent a mordu et tué l'un d'eux , et sa femme vint et en informa Beth-Din, sur quoi ils envoyèrent et trouvèrent que son récit était correct. Et ils ne l'ont permis que dans des circonstances similaires; mais on ne la croyait pas (pour témoigner) de ce qui s'était passé à l'étranger.] (À ceci,) Beth Shammai leur dit: (Elle peut se remarier) si elle venait de la récolte du blé ou de la récolte des olives, et de l'étranger. Les sages ont déclaré "récolte de blé" uniquement en ce que c'était le cas, [mais il en va de même pour tous les endroits]—sur quoi Beth Hillel s'est rétractée (leur décision) pour gouverner selon Beth Shammai. Beth Shammai dit: Elle se marie et elle prend sa kethubah (paiement). Beth Hillel dit: elle se marie, mais ne prend pas sa kethubah—sur quoi Beth Shammai leur dit: Vous avez permis une ervah (c'est-à-dire le remariage), qui est plus stricte, et vous n'avez pas permis l'argent, qui est moins strict! Beth Hillel a répondu: Nous avons constaté que ses frères n'entrent pas dans l'héritage [de son mari] par son témoignage, [il est écrit (Deutéronome 19:15): "Par parole de deux témoins, etc.", mais vis-à-vis -vis son mariage, les rabbins ont été indulgents, de sorte qu'elle ne reste pas une agunah.] Beth Shammai a répondu: Mais ne devrions-nous pas apprendre (la décision) du rouleau de sa kethubah [c'est-à-dire, de la formule de l'acte de kethubah], où il lui écrit: "Si vous en épousez une autre, prenez ce qui vous est écrit" [et elle s'est remariée, c'est pourquoi elle devrait prendre sa kethubah (paiement)!]— sur quoi Beth Hillel s'est rétractée (leur décision) pour gouverner selon Beth Shammai.

Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot

אלא בבאה מן הקציר – like the event that took place that some people went to harvest wheat and a snake bit one of them and he died, and she came and announced in the Jewish court, and they sent out and found that it was according to her words. But they did not permit it (i.e., for her to re-marry), other than it was an example that the matter be something that is close by, but [if she is coming] from abroad, she is not believed.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot

Introduction Mishnah twelve begins a series of mishnayoth in which Beth Hillel and Beth Shammai initially disagree, until Beth Hillel changes their minds and teaches according to the opinion of Beth Shammai. Aside from the specific content of these mishnayoth, Beth Hillel’s willingness to admit that their rivals, Beth Shammai were correct, and even to subsequently teach their opinions, teaches a lesson of humility for all generations. Beth Hillel did not allow their personal glory to supersede their search for truth; when they recognized their own mistakes, they admitted them and changed their opinions accordingly.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot

אלא בהווה – it was an event that took place such as it was, and the same law applies to the rest of the places.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot

Our mishnah discusses a woman who returns from overseas and claims that her husband has died. The woman cannot bring any documentation to her husband’s death, and therefore the issue arises, is she to be believed? If she is believed, then there are four consequences to her statement discussed by our mishnah: 1) she may remarry, as a widow; 2) if the husband did not have children, she must be married to the husband’s brother (levirate marriage) or have him perform halitzah, the release from levirate marriage; 3) she may collect her kethubah, her marriage document which is paid upon death of the husband or divorce; 4) the husband’s brothers or other inheritors would divide his estate.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot

שאין האחים נכנסין – to the inheritance of her husband, for the All-Merciful said (Deuteronomy 19:15): “A case can be valid only on the testimony of two witnesses or more,” and concerning her marriage they (i.e. the Rabbis) were lenient because of her disability to remarry (see Yevamot 88a – as regards testimony to her husband’s death to prevent the eventuality of “widowhood in life.”).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot

These are subjects concerning which Beth Hillel changed their mind and taught according to the opinion of Beth Shammai:
A woman who came from overseas and said: “My husband died” may be married again; “My husband died [without children]” she must be married by her husband’s brother (the. But Beth Hillel says: “We have heard so only in the case of one who came from the harvesting.” Beth Shammai said to them: “It is the same thing in the case of one who came from the harvesting or who came from the olive-picking or who came from overseas; they mentioned harvesting only because that is how it happened.” Then Beth Hillel changed their mind and taught according to Beth Shammai. According to Beth Shammai she is believed and may remarry. If the husband had no children she must either undergo levirate marriage or halitzah. Beth Hillel responds that the precedent for this law was a case where a woman had gone harvesting with her husband and she returned claiming that he had died. In such a case we don’t suspect that the woman would lie, for if she did her husband would return and contradict her. Since “harvesting” is close to the city, if the husband was alive he would return. However, if she was returning from abroad, she is not believed, for the husband may still be alive and she might lie assuming that he will not turn up. Beth Shammai responds that she is always believed, no matter where she had been. The case of “harvesting” was how the event really happened, but the Rabbis would have allowed her to remarry under any circumstance. In other words, from where she was returning is immaterial. Beth Hillel accepted Beth Shammai’s opinion and taught according to them.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot

מפני כתובתה – from the formulation that they established to write in the document of the marriage contract/Ketubah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot

Beth Shammai says: “She may be married again and take her kethubah payment.” Beth Shammai further stated that this woman may not only remarry but may collect her marriage payment from her husband’s estate. Beth Hillel responded to Beth Shammai that although she may remarry, we do not allow her to collect the money, lest the husband is still alive. Beth Shammai then raised a difficulty with Beth Hillel’s opinion: generally speaking the law is more strict with regards to issues of personal status than with issues of money. If you are going to allow her to remarry, as we have already done, for which there are serious consequences (if it turned out that her husband had not died), all the more so should she collect the kethubah payment, for which there are not such serious consequences (at worst she will have to pay it back). Beth Hillel responded that with regards to monetary results of the alleged death, the brothers do not share in his inheritance. In other words, Beth Hillel brings proof from another area of law that with regards to monetary issues, this man’s death is not considered confirmed. To this Beth Shammai responds that we can learn that she collects her kethubah payment from the language written in the kethubah itself. The kethubah states that if she remarries, she may collect her kethubah payment. From this wording Beth Shammai concludes that any time she is allowed to remarry, she may collect her kethubah. Beth Hillel thereby accepted Beth Shammai’s point and taught according to them.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot

כשתנשאי לאחר – for behold she is married and afterwards can take [the monies] of her Ketubah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot

Questions for Further Thought:
• What does Beth Shammai hold with regards to the division of the allegedly dead husband’s estate: do the brothers divide the inheritance? If they do not inherit, why not? Why would Beth Shammai on the one hand believe the woman enough to allow her to remarry, but not in order to allow the dead husband’s brothers to inherit?
• In all of these cases why do you think Beth Hillel changed their minds?
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