Ketubot 100: Widows and Agents; Rights to One's Ketuba

Today's daf includes long arguments about the validity of a sale of property.  In some cases, an error in a sale will invalidate that sale.  In other circumstances, the error is ignored.  The rabbis' conversation is complex and challenging to wade through.  Some of their arguments are not intuitive; Torah law can be broken and yet sales can continue to be valid.  I do not have enough of a grasp on this text to paraphrase with any accuracy.

When a person dies, his property might be sold off by his widow or by the court.  There are rules in various communities that that clarify these differences.  In addition, some communities insist that an announcement is made before the sale of property or movable property (which would include the sale of slaves).  There are a number of reasons cited for ignoring the call for announcements.  When announcements disadvantage the selling process, they can be foregone.  This is particularly disturbing when we learn that people might not announce the sale of slaves, for the slave might try to escape upon hearing about his/her own sale.  Reading about slavery as a matter of fact is always jarring and upsetting.

We do hear interesting stories about the sale of movable property.  In one we learn that beer might be sold at a higher price at a busy market even if it is not a quality product.  We also learn about Ravina who wished to bring his wine to sell at the Market.  He was asked to bring along his nephew, little Ravina's wine as little Ravina's agent.  Though this went against convention, little Ravina's profits would likely be better if Ravina were to act as his agent with his best interests in mind.

Our daf introduces a new Mishna on who may not claim her ketuba.  We learn that a minor married off by her mother or siblings who then refuses her husband is not entitled to her ketuba.  As well, a woman in a secondary forbidden relationship and an aylonit are both not entitled to their ketubot.  However, the Mishna goes on to state that women in a number of different categories are indeed entitled to their ketubot.  The Gemara also points out that foreknowledge of a woman's status makes a difference.  One cannot keep a woman from her ketuba if knew of her status when they married.