Tuesday 4 August 2015

Nedarim 73: Deaf Nullification; Feeding One's Betrothed

If a husband has to hear the vow of his betrothed in order to nullify her vow, what does he do if he's deaf?  The rabbis consider this question.  They also consider the process of identifying a sota in order to understand whether or not a husband can nullify the vows of his two wives simultaneously.

A new Mishna asks whether a woman who is at the end of a long betrothal can be supported (fed) by her husband without the official marriage.  The Gemara examines this question and unpacks it, understanding that women must be under someone's authority - when can a betrothed nullify his betrothed's vows?

All of these questions allow us to see how important it was for the rabbis to diminish any grey areas regarding women - and all things, really.  G-d's word is thought of as perfection and thus if we cannot figure out how everything fits together, that is a problem with the human mind rather than a problem with G-d.

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