Une femme s'acquiert de trois manières [Parce qu'une femme n'est fiancée qu'avec son consentement, il est enseigné: «Une femme est fiancée» plutôt que: «Un homme est fiancé». Et comme au début on enseigne: «Une femme est acquise», à la fin on enseigne: «Une yevamah est acquise», même si une yevamah est acquise par le yavam avec ou sans son consentement.], Et elle s'acquiert de deux manières. Elle est acquise par l'argent [Ceci est dérivé (par identité) "prendre" - "prendre" du champ d'Efron, il est écrit ici (Deutéronome 24: 1): "Si un homme prend une femme", et là (Genèse 23: 3): "J'ai donné l'argent pour le champ; prenez-le-moi."], Par écrit, [comme quand il lui écrit sur papier ou sur un éclat, même si cela ne vaut pas une p'rutah: «Votre fille est fiancée (mekudesheth) à moi», «Votre fille est fiancée (me'ureseth) à moi», «Votre fille me sera comme épouse», et la lui donne en présence de témoins. Ceci est dérivé de (Deutéronome 24: 2): "Et elle sortira… et elle sera." Tout comme sortir est avec un bref, à savoir. (Ibid. 1): "Et il lui écrira un bref de divorce," ainsi "être" est avec un bref.], Et par cohabitation [cohabitant avec elle en présence de témoins aux fins de fiançailles, à savoir. (Ibid.): "Si un homme prend une femme et cohabite avec elle, etc." Et bien qu'il n'y ait pas de fiançailles dans la Torah plus explicite que celle de la cohabitation, les sages ont déclaré que si quelqu'un se fiance par cohabitation, il doit recevoir des «coups de rébellion», afin que les enfants d'Israël ne soient pas promiscueux.] Par argent: Beth Shammai dit: avec un dinar ou avec la valeur d'un dinar. Beth Hillel dit: Avec une p'rutah [un demi "orge-maïs" d'argent] ou avec la valeur d'une p'rutah. Et combien coûte une p'rutah? Un huitième d'un issar italien.] Et elle s'acquiert avec un get et avec la mort de son mari. Un yevamah est acquis [par le yavam, pour être sa femme à tous égards,] par cohabitation. [Mais l'argent et les actes ne lui sont pas utiles par la loi de la Torah. Les sages, cependant, ont ordonné que ma'amar (le bouche à oreille) prévoie de l'interdire aux autres frères, mais de ne pas l'exempter de la chalitzah et de ne pas (lui permettre de) devenir impur pour elle], et elle s'acquiert avec chalitzah et avec la mort du yavam.
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
האשה נקנית – since a woman is not betrothed other than with her knowledge, it [the Mishnah] teaches, “a woman is acquired” and it does not teach, “the man purchases. And since the first part [of the Mishnah] teaches, “a woman is acquired,” the end [of the Mishnah] teaches, the widow of a brother who died without issue (i.e, “yevamah”), and even though the widow of a brother who died without issue is acquired by the brother of her deceased husband whether of her own knowledge or without her knowledge.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
Introduction
The first mishnah of Kiddushin teaches how a woman is “acquired” in marriage and how she “acquires” herself, that is to say, how she becomes free to marry another man. The mishnah also teaches how a “yevamah” is “acquired.” A “yevamah” is a woman whose husband has died without any children (see the intro to tractate Yevamoth). According to the Torah she must either marry her husband’s brother or perform halitzah, the release from the obligation to her brother-in-law.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
נקנית בכסף – We learn/derive [through an analogy – Gezarah Shavah – of the words] קיחה קיחה from the field of Ephron. It is written here (Deuteronomy 24:1): “A man takes a wife [and possesses her],” and it is written there (Genesis 23:13): “Let me pay the price of the land; accept it from me, [that I may bury my dead there].”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
A woman is acquired in three ways and acquires herself in two: She is acquired by money, by document, or by intercourse. “By money”: (1) Bet Shammai says: a denar or the equivalent of a denar; (2) Bet Hillel says: a perutah or the equivalent of a perutah. ( And how much is a perutah? ( An eighth of an Italian issar. A man can betroth his wife in any one of three ways. The first is by giving her a small amount of money and saying to her “Behold you are betrothed to me with this money.” Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debate how much money is needed to effect betrothal. What is crucial is that both a denar and a perutah are small amounts of money; a perutah is almost valueless. These are not representative of a woman’s true value, which is clearly much greater. Rather they are symbolic, especially in Bet Hillel’s opinion. To this day, nearly all betrothals are effected through money. Since the Middle Ages and perhaps earlier, Jews have used rings to effect betrothal. This custom was originally a Christian custom. In the Talmud rings are never used. The second way is for the husband to write her a document in which it is stated, “Behold you are betrothed to me.” This document is not to be confused with a ketubah, although some scholars posit that they are both derived from common origins and that originally they were written together. The thirds means of betrothal is sexual relations. This act must be done with the intent of betrothal. No one holds that casual intercourse can effect betrothal. The thornier problem is whether or not sexual relations between a couple “living together” can effect betrothal. Most modern halakhists rule that it does not, although there are some who hold that couples who live together with the intent to form a familial type of unit do require a get in order to separate.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
בשטר – such if he wrote it [his betrothal] on blank paper/parchment or on earthenware, and even though it does not have the value of a Perutah/penny [the words]: “your daughter is betrothed/[literally: sanctified] to me; [or] your daughter is betrothed to me; or your daughter is my wife in matrimony” and he gave it to her before witnesses, as we derive it as it is written (Deuteronomy 24:2): “she leaves [his household] and becomes [the wife of another man].” Just as leaving is with a document, as it is written (Deuteronomy 24:1): “he writes her a bill of divorcement,” so her become the wife [of another man] is with a document.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
And she acquires herself by divorce or by her husband's death. A woman becomes halakhically separated from her husband either by divorce or by death. Without one of the two, any relations that she has with another man will be considered adultery.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
ובביאה – He comes upon her [sexually] in front of witnesses for the purposes of betrothal/sanctification, as it is written (Deuteronomy 24:1): “A man takes a wife and possesses her,” and even though one does not have explicit “betrothal/sanctification” in the Torah greater than sanctification through coition (sexual connection), the Sages state that he who sanctifies [i.e., acquires his wife] through coition, we flog him as a punishment for disobedience (which is left to the discretion of the court) in order that Israelite men would not be promiscuous/lawless.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
A yevamah is acquired by intercourse. The dead husband’s brother-in-law “acquires” his brother’s widow through sexual intercourse. As we learned in Yevamot, the yevamah is not acquired by money, as a woman would be in cases of normal betrothal. However, the rabbis added on that before the couple has sexual relations, the yavam should perform an act of betrothal through money, as is done in normal cases. This act of betrothal does not have toraitic (deoraita) legal consequences.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
בפרוטה – which is one-half a barley of silver
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
And she acquires herself by halitzah or by the yavam’s death. The yevamah is free to marry another man if she performs halitzah with the yavam. Alternatively, if the yavam dies (in a situation where there is only one yavam) she also may marry anyone she so chooses. Note that once she is married she is considered a normal wife, and she “acquires” herself through the death of her husband or through divorce.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
היבמה נקנית – to be the wife of her deceased husband’s brother in all matters through coition, but [through] money [or] document are not effective for her from the Torah, but the Rabbis are those who decreed that word-of-mouth by the deceased husband’s brother makes her ineligible [to marry] the rest of the brothers, but not to exempt her from the ceremony of removing the shoe of her dead husband’s brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-11), nor to become defiled to her.