Commentaire sur Ketoubot 5:5
אֵלּוּ מְלָאכוֹת שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה עוֹשָׂה לְבַעְלָהּ, טוֹחֶנֶת, וְאוֹפָה, וּמְכַבֶּסֶת, מְבַשֶּׁלֶת, וּמֵנִיקָה אֶת בְּנָהּ, מַצַּעַת לוֹ הַמִּטָּה, וְעוֹשָׂה בַצֶּמֶר. הִכְנִיסָה לוֹ שִׁפְחָה אַחַת, לֹא טוֹחֶנֶת, וְלֹא אוֹפָה וְלֹא מְכַבֶּסֶת. שְׁתַּיִם, אֵינָהּ מְבַשֶּׁלֶת וְאֵינָהּ מֵנִיקָה אֶת בְּנָהּ. שָׁלֹשׁ, אֵינָהּ מַצַּעַת לוֹ הַמִּטָּה וְאֵינָהּ עוֹשָׂה בַצֶּמֶר. אַרְבָּעָה, יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּקַּתֶּדְרָא. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אֲפִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָה לוֹ מֵאָה שְׁפָחוֹת, כּוֹפָהּ לַעֲשׂוֹת בַּצֶּמֶר, שֶׁהַבַּטָּלָה מְבִיאָה לִידֵי זִמָּה. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, אַף הַמַּדִּיר אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת מְלָאכָה, יוֹצִיא וְיִתֵּן כְּתֻבָּתָהּ, שֶׁהַבַּטָּלָה מְבִיאָה לִידֵי שִׁעֲמוּם:
Ce sont les travaux qu'une femme accomplit pour son mari: elle broie [avec un petit moulin à main. Et si le moulin est grand, elle fait tout ce qui est nécessaire pour le broyage, comme placer (le grain) dans la trémie et ramasser le repas.], Elle cuit, elle lave, elle cuisine, elle allaite son enfant, elle fait son lit, et elle travaille la laine. Si elle lui a apporté une esclave [c'est-à-dire, de l'argent ou des biens avec lesquels acheter une esclave], elle ne broie pas, ne cuit ni ne lave. Deux—elle ne cuisine ni n'allaite son enfant. Trois—elle ne fait pas son lit ni ne travaille la laine. Quatre— elle est assise sur un cathedra [un fauteuil, et elle ne fait pas de courses pour lui —malgré cela, elle lui verse sa coupe, étend son lit, lave son visage, ses mains et ses pieds. Car ces travaux ne sont pas accomplis par une autre femme, mais par sa propre femme.] R. Eliezer dit: Même si elle lui a amené cent esclaves, elle est obligée de travailler la laine, car l'oisiveté conduit à la luxure. R. Shimon n. Gamliel dit: Aussi, celui qui, par vœu, interdit à sa femme de travailler, doit la renvoyer et lui donner sa kethubah, car l'oisiveté conduit au shiamum [désorientation. Le targum de (Deutéronome 28:28): «timhon levav» (confusion du cœur) est «sha'amimuth liba». R. Eliezer et R. Shimon b. Gamliel différera par rapport à une femme qui n'est pas oisive, mais qui joue à des jeux—le facteur de luxure obtenant; le facteur shiamum n'obtient pas. Car le shiamum n'obtient que là où l'on s'assoit et se demande et est complètement oisif. La halakha est conforme à R. Eliezer.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Grinding,
Baking,
If she brought one slave-woman into the marriage she need not grind or bake or wash.
Washing,
Rabbi Eliezer says: even if she brought him a hundred slave-women he may compel her to work in wool; for idleness leads to unchastity.
Cooking,
Nursing her child,
Preparing his bed,
And working in wool. [If she brought] two slave-women, she need not cook or nurse her child. If three, she need not prepare his bed or work in wool. If four, she may lounge in an easy chair. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says: if a man forbade his wife under a vow to do any work he must divorce her and give her kethubah to her for idleness leads to insanity.
Yesterday’s mishnah mentioned that a husband has a right to his wife’s handiwork. Our mishnah delineates other obligations that the wife has to her husband. Note that although the Mishnaic portrayal of marriage was not equal, meaning men and women did not perform the same functions, there is reciprocity. A husband must financially support the woman (among other responsibilities) and a woman must give her handiwork to her husband and perform daily chores around the house.
Section one: This section lists the basic categories of work that a wife must perform for her husband. Note that nursing was considered “work” and not primarily an opportunity for a woman to “bond” with her child. Our mishnah assumes that women would prefer to pay a wet-nurse to nurse their child. The Talmud states that this list contains only the broad categories of work but that there are other things that a wife must do for her husband.
Section two: If a woman brings slaves as dowry into the marriage, she is no longer responsible for all of the work. The more slaves she brings into the marriage, the less she is obligated to work.
Section three: Rabbi Eliezer disagrees with the previous statement, that if a wife brings four slaves into a marriage she may sit around and do nothing. A husband can always force his wife to make wool, an easy task but one that would keep her busy, for too much idle time may lead her to unchastity. We can note that this mishnah espouses what many Americans hold as an ideal: work and keeping busy not only provides for oneself, but also protects one from trouble.
While Rabbi Eliezer says that a husband can force a wife to work, Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says that a husband cannot prevent a wife from performing work. A husband cannot take a vow prohibiting his wife from working for such idleness might lead her to being insanely bored. A rich husband might want his wife to sit around all day and do nothing, just so that everyone can see what a rich man he is and that his wife need not work. In order to protect the woman, Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says that a husband does not have such a right