Ketubot 69: Women & Money: Dowry, Support, Sustenance, and Inheritance

Both yesterday's daf (Ketubot 68) and today's daf are focused on women's financial rights.  The guidelines are quite complex and layered in a number of "if...then"s.  The tension between sisters, between sisters and brothers, and between fathers and their children are front and centre.

The rabbis want to understand when women are entitled to which forms of sustenance and support.  Just because one form of acquisition is expected does not necessarily mean that a woman will receive those funds.  One of the basic understandings is that women receive one tenth of their father's estate through inheritance. The oldest daughter receives one tenth of the full estate, the younger daughter one tenth of the remaining estate, and so on. However, daughters might choose to equalize their inheritance later in time.  Of course this could lead to great conflict.

Brothers might attempt to hold onto their sisters' funds.  They could use legal loopholes to do so, for sustenance and support are different categories of payment, and these men could limit her access to certain types of funds.  There are different guidelines to address support and sustenance regarding funds from real estate, movable property and dowry. 

We learn more Ilfa, Rabbi Yochanan's colleague to left Torah study to pursue trade.  A new Mishna asks about the different rights afforded to a minor girl compare with those of an adult woman when it comes to the sale through a third party of fields transferred to her by her father.

Ilfa was insulted with Rabbi Yochanan was appointed to rosh yeshiva.  He tied himself to the mast of a ship and said that he would be able to resolve any dispute between Rabbi Chiyya and Rabbi Oshaya.  If he failed, he said, he would fall from the mast and drown.  An older man taught him of a father who, on his deathbed, give a shekel to my sons each week.  The rabbis assessed what this might mean.  They said that if the father said "only" a shekel, then only a shekel should be given. If he spoke of inheritors should the sons, die, then they should be given only a shekel each week as well.  Rabbi Ilfa announced that this was the baraita of Rabbi Meir, teaching us that we must follow the instructions of those who are [almost] dead.  This helps us to better understand laws of inheritance.  It also kept Ilfa on the mast and out of the water.