Ketubot 107: Who sustains the wife who stays home while her husband is overseas?

If a husband goes oversees, the rabbis seem to assume that he has provided for his wife while he is gone.  At the very least, there should be enough in the home to provide for her sustenance for at least three months.  Interestingly, a grown woman is thought to need more than her own earnings to sustain herself, while a minor girl might be supported by her own earnings.  Is this because the court or the family might step in to assist a minor wife?  Or because a minor wife has fewer needs?  

The rabbis return to the question of whether a woman is to take one or two oaths regarding her sustenance while her husband has been away overseas.  They consider the words of the husband and the words of the wife.  They consider whether or not there were witnesses to the couple's agreement before the husband left on his trip.  They speak of the timing of the wife's claims - and whether or not she makes a formal claim through the court system.  Their approach seems to be fair and balanced; they are looking for the truth.

The rabbis are concerned with related details.  Each variation on the case at hand helps us understand some of the dynamics of relationships in ancient Jewish settings.  What if the couple goes overseas together and the woman claims that her husband died?  What if that husband in fact gave his wife a bundle of money to sustain herself before he left?  What if the wife was a minor and could not be expected to accept a bundle of money?  What if a woman has already relinquished her right to sustenance because she said to her new husband, "I will not be sustained by you and I will not work" [give you my earnings]?

Rav Zevid then introduces a number of statements concerning the status of vessels that are glazed differently; some are said to absorb liquids and others are not.  There is no commentary provided on why this observation is placed at this point in the Gemara.

A new Mishna ends our daf: if a man goes overseas and someone else takes it upon himself to sustain the man's wife, Chanan says that that money is not reimbursed.   The High Priests disagree: he swears  how much he is owed and that money is repaid to him.  Two other rabbis join in this discussion, one agreeing with the High Priests and one agreeing with Chanan.