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Why does the Mishna need two cases about a woman's credibility regarding intimate relations? The Rambam (רמב"ם)'s psak differs from the Gemara (גמרא)'s two suggested explanations, creating a significant interpretive challenge. The shiur develops that the Rambam reads both cases as establishing credibility for Rabbi Gamaliel — the first to permit the mother to marry a kohen, the second to permit her unborn daughter.
This shiur examines the complex sugya in Kesubos 13a regarding the credibility of a woman's testimony about her intimate relations, focusing particularly on the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s unique interpretation that differs from both major explanations offered in the Gemara (גמרא). The Gemara presents two cases: a woman seen in seclusion (medaberet) and a pregnant woman (muberet), both claiming their relations were with a kosher man. The Gemara asks why two cases are needed and offers two explanations. According to Ziri, the first case involves actual seclusion (nisterah) while the second involves actual relations (nivlah). According to Rav Assi, both cases involve actual relations, but the second case teaches that we also permit her daughter (chad lach shebo, chad lach shebita).
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Kesubos 13a
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