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Can a woman be mekudeshes when a man provides a benefit she didn't explicitly request, or when he fulfills an obligation he already owes? The shiur explores the Gemara (גמרא)'s cases—from saving her from a dog to giving to a pauper she supports—to map the boundaries between genuine acceptance, urgent need, and mere repetition of one's original position.
This shiur analyzes Kiddushin 8b-9a, focusing on several cases where the Gemara (גמרא) questions whether a woman is mekudeshes when a man provides a benefit under ambiguous circumstances. The central tension is whether the woman's response constitutes genuine acceptance of kiddushin or merely reflects her original need or rejection. The Gemara discusses a case where a mad dog is chasing a woman and a man offers kiddushin by saving her. Rashi (רש"י) explains that since she is in mortal danger (zachiv deraisa), there is a question whether she truly accepts kiddushin or is simply focused on being saved. Rabbi Zweig explores multiple ways to read this case: Did she explicitly tell him to give the kikkar to the dog? Is this her dog or a random dog chasing her? The Rambam (רמב"ם) learns that if she tells him to give it to "the dog" (without specifying), there is a safek whether she meant her own dog (making it like a gift to herself, which would be kiddushin) or the dog chasing her (which might just be self-preservation).
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Kiddushin 8b-9a
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