Si elle a vendu sa kethubah [un manah, ou deux manah] ou une partie de celle-ci; si elle a donné sa kethubah ou une partie de celle-ci en gage; si elle a donné sa kethubah ou une partie de celle-ci à un autre comme cadeau, elle peut vendre le reste [l'addition] seulement en beth-din. [Notre Michna est en accord avec R. Shimon, qui dit qu'elle ne peut la vendre en dehors de Beth-Din, sauf pour la nourriture. Et celle-ci, puisqu'elle a recueilli une partie de sa kethubah ne reçoit aucune nourriture (de la propriété restante).] Et les sages disent: Elle peut vendre (sa kethubah) même quatre ou cinq fois [c'est-à-dire, en plusieurs versements, malgré laquelle elle peut vendre (sa kethubah) même quatre ou cinq fois [c'est-à-dire, en plusieurs versements, malgré lesquels elle peut vendre (la propriété) dans les intervalles pour la nourriture, n'ayant pas perdu son obligation d'être nourrie bien qu'elle ait collecté une partie de sa kethubah. ] Et elle vend (la propriété) pour la nourriture pas avant Beth-Din, et écrit [dans l'acte de vente]: "Je l'ai vendue pour la nourriture." Et une divorcée ne peut vendre (sa kethubah) qu'avant Beth-Din. [Pour la raison pour laquelle les rabbins ont dit qu'une veuve à la fois de fiançailles et de mariage ne vend sa kethubah pas avant Beth-Din, c'est qu'un homme ne souhaite pas que sa femme soit rabaissée dans Beth-Din. Mais puisque cette femme est divorcée, il n'a pas d'appréhension à cet égard. La halakha est en accord avec les sages, qu'une femme vend à la fois (pour recueillir) sa kéthubah et pour la nourriture, pas avant un beth-din d'experts. Et même si une partie de sa kethubah a été reçue, elle peut vendre (la propriété) pour la nourriture, jusqu'à ce qu'elle reçoive (le montant de) toute sa kethubah. Et quand elle vend, soit pour la kéthuba ou pour la nourriture, elle exige un serment, mais pas la proclamation (de la vente).]
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
מכרה כתובתה – a Maneh [out of] two hundred,
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Introduction
The first section of this mishnah is a continuation of Rabbi Shimon’s statement from yesterday’s mishnah. Rabbi Shimon limited the ability of a woman to sell her husband’s estate without permission from a court.
The remainder of the mishnah discusses other situations where a woman might have to sell her husband’s property in order to collect her ketubah or to provide maintenance for herself.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
she cannot sell the rest. The supplement [is not sold] other than in a Jewish court, and our Mishnah is according to Rabbi Shimon who said: she does not sell when not in a Jewish court other than for food, and this, since she has collected part of her Ketubah settlement, she lacks food/support.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
[A widow who] sold her ketubah or part of it; or pledged her ketubah or part of it; or gave it away to someone else or part of it, may not sell [her husband’s property] in order to receive the remainder of her ketubah except with [the permission of] a court. Rabbi Shimon holds that if in some way a woman has used up part of her ketubah, either by selling or giving it or part of it away, or by using it as collateral for a loan, she may not sell her husband’s property in order to collect the remainder without the permission of a court. This is because Rabbi Shimon holds that a woman who has already sold, given away or pledged even part of her ketubah, no longer receives maintenance from her husband’s estate and anyone who does not receive maintenance from her husband’s estate cannot sell except with the permission of a court.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
וחכמים אומרים מוכרת – for the Ketubah even for periods of time and even though this is the case, she sells it in the meanwhile for food/support that she has not lost her support/food and even though she collected part of her Ketubah settlement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
But the Sages say: she may sell [the land pledged for her kethubah] even in four or five installments. And [meanwhile] she may sell [of her husband’s estate to provide] for her maintenance without [the permission of] the court, and she writes, “I sold [the land to provide] for my maintenance”. The Sages hold that a woman can sell her husband’s property even in stages and that this does not cause her to lose her right to collect maintenance. If after she has sold part of the estate to collect her ketubah, she wants to sell part of the estate to provide maintenance for herself, she should write in the document that she sold this to collect maintenance. Then the proceeds of such a sale will not count as part of her ketubah. Note that this gives her a great deal of leeway; she can sell most of the ketubah and still receive maintenance money.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
וכותבת – in the document of sale that I sold them for food/support.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
A divorced woman must not sell [her husband’s property] except with [the permission of] the court. Although according to the Sages a widow may always sell her husband’s property in order to collect her ketubah, and she never needs the permission of a court, the divorcee always needs the permission of a court. The reason why a widow does not have to appear before the court is that we assume that the husband would not have wanted his widow to have to do so, for it is somewhat embarrassing to have to go to court to get money to pay for basic needs. However, a man who divorces his wife does not care if she is embarrassed to go to court. Therefore, if she wishes to collect her ketubah, she needs the court’s permission.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
וגרושה לא תמכור – her Ketubah other than before a Jewish court. What is the reason? The Rabbis stated that a widow whether from betrothal or from marriage sells not in the presence of a Jewish court because no man wants that his wife should be despised in a Jewish court and this is the case since she is a divorcee and he doesn’t care, but the Halakha is according to the Sages that a woman sells whether for her Ketubah settlement or for food/support not in the presence of the Jewish court of specialists and even if she had received part of her Ketubah settlement, she sells for food/support until she receives all of her Ketubah settlement and when she sells, whether for her Ketubah or for food/support, she needs an oath and does not require announcement.
