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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:
Questi sono i lavori che una moglie esegue per suo marito: macina [con un piccolo mulino a mano. E se il mulino è grande, fa tutto il necessario per macinare, come mettere (il grano) nella tramoggia e raccogliere il pasto.], Cuoce, lava, cucina, nutre il bambino, fa il suo letto, e lei lavora in lana. Se ha portato a lui una schiava [cioè denaro o proprietà con cui comprare una schiava], non macina, non cuoce né lava. Due—non cucina né nutre suo figlio. Tre—non fa né il suo letto né lavora in lana. quattro— si siede su una cattedra [una poltrona e non fa commissioni per lui —nonostante ciò gli versa la tazza per lui, allarga il letto e si lava la faccia, le mani e i piedi. Poiché queste fatiche non sono eseguite da un'altra donna, ma dalla propria moglie.] R. Eliezer dice: Anche se ha portato a lui un centinaio di donne schiave, è costretta a lavorare in lana, perché l'ozio porta alla lussuria. R. Shimon b. Gamliel dice: Inoltre, uno che, per voto, proibisce a sua moglie di lavorare, deve mandarla via e darle la sua kethubah, poiché l'ozio porta allo shiamum [disorientamento. Il target di (Deuteronomio 28:28): "timhon levav" (confusione di cuore) è "sha'amimuth liba". R. Eliezer e R. Shimon b. Gamliel differirà rispetto a una donna che non è inattiva, ma che gioca—il fattore lussuria ottenendo; il fattore shiamum non si ottiene. Perché lo shiamum ottiene solo dove uno si siede e si chiede ed è completamente inattivo. L'halachah è conforme a 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