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Week 63 - Monday - 5 February 2001

KETUBOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 8

If a man provides for his wife through a third party, he may not give her less than two kavs of wheat, or four kavs of barley. Rabbi Yose said, Barley was granted her only by Rabbi Yishmael, who was close to Edom. And he gives her half a kav of pulse and half a log of oil, and a kav of dried figs, or a maneh of pressed figs; and if he has none, he must provide in their stead produce from another place. And he must give her a bed, a mattress, and a mat. And he must give her a cap for her head, and girdle for her loins, and shoes from Festival to Festival, and clothing of fifty zuz from year to year, and they do not give her, either new in the summer, worn-out in the winter, but he gives her clothes of fifty zuz in the winter, and she covers herself in their outworn condition in the summer, and the worn-out ones are hers.

Kehati

If a man provides -- food -- for his wife -- i.e., he supports her, through a third party -- the husband does not eat with her, but gives her her maintenance and clothing requirements through another person, provided she agrees (Hameiri), he may not give her -- per week -- less than two kavs -- measures -- of wheat -- the volume of forty-eight eggs (a kav equals the volume of twenty-four eggs, c. two liters), which are sufficient for sixteen meals a week -- two meals each day for her needs, and the rest for guests and the poor, or four kavs of barley -- twice the amount of the wheat.

Rabbi Yose said, Barley -- twice the amount of wheat (Gemara), was granted her only by Rabbi Yishmael, who was close to -- the land of -- Edom -- where the barley was of inferior quality, but in other locations, where the barley is of better quality, he need not give her double, but according to the discretion of the Court.

And he gives her half a kav of pulse -- e.g., beans and peas, and half a log -- a liquid measure -- of oil -- for eating and lighting, and a kav of dried figs, or a maneh -- the weight of one hundred dinars (c. 400 grams) -- of pressed figs; which are sold by weight; and if he has none -- dried figs or pressed figs, he must provide in their stead produce from another place -- another type of fruit.

And he must give her a bed, a mattress -- a mat of bulrushes, and a mat -- of reeds, for lying down and sitting. And he must give her a cap -- a kerchief, for her head, and a girdle for her loins -- to wear while working, and -- new -- shoes from Festival to Festival, -- for each of the three Festivals, and -- new -- clothing -- to the value -- of fifty zuz from year to year -- each year,

And they do not give her, either new -- clothes, in the summer, -- because they are too warm, or worn-out -- clothes, in the winter -- because they do not keep her sufficiently warm, but he gives her clothes -- new clothes to the value of fifty zuz in the winter, and she covers herself in their outworn condition in the summer and the worn-out ones are hers -- even though he gives her new clothes for the winter, she need not return her old clothes to him because she covers herself with them during her unclean periods.

KETUBOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 9

He gives her a ma'ah of silver for her needs, and she eats with him from the nights of Shabbat to the nights of Shabbat. And if he does not give her a ma'ah of silver for her needs, her handiwork is hers. And what must she do for him? The weight of five selas of warp in Judea, which equals ten selas in Galilee; or the weight of ten selas of woof in Judea, which are twenty selas in Galilee. But if she was nursing, they decrease her handiwork and increase her maintenance. To what does this refer? To a poor person in Israel. But with a distinguished person -- everything is according to his honour.

Kehati

Our mishnah further elaborates on the laws of a husband's obligation to supply his wife's needs.

He -- the husband, gives her -- each week, a ma'ah of silver -- one sixth of a dinar of silver for her needs -- minor expenses, and -- even if he provides for his wife through a third person, as was taught in the preceding mishnah, she eats with him from the nights of Shabbat to the nights of Shabbat -- he must eat with her each Shabbat night. The Gemara quotes the following baraita: "Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, She eats with him on the nights of Shabbat and on Shabbat."

And if he does not give her a ma'ah of silver for her needs -- e.g., if his wife kept silent and did not claim the ma'ah, for he is not in a position to refuse (Tosefot Yom Tov) -- her -- the surplus of her -- handiwork is hers -- for the Sages enacted that this surplus belongs to her husband, in exchange for the ma'ah of silver that he gives her (as we learned in mishnah 4 of this chapter).

And what must she do for him -- what is the amount of the "handiwork," so that we may determine its surplus? When she weaves the thin (longitudinal) warp threads of wool, the amount of her handiwork is the weight of five selas of warp in Judea, which equals ten selas in Galilee -- the measures of weight in Judea were double those in Galilee; or -- when she weaves the (latitudinal) woof threads, (which being thicker require only half the work of warp threads), the amount of the work of her hands is the weight of ten selas of woof in Judea, which are twenty selas in Galilee -- this is the weekly amount (Tiferet Yisrael).

But if she was nursing -- during the suckling period, they decrease her handiwork -- and she need not do the above-mentioned amount, and increase her maintenance -- her husband must supplement the fixed amounts of maintenance specified in the preceding mishnah.

To what does this refer -- to whom do the fixed amounts of maintenance specified in the mishnah refer? To a poor person in Israel -- to a needy husband. But with -- a husband who is a distinguished person -- who is wealthy and has a respectable income, everything -- the allowance of a wife's maintenance, and other needs, is according to -- his wealth and -- his honour -- for the wife's standard of living rises with that of her husband's, as explained above (4:4).

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