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When a man betroths a woman using language describing the essence of marriage rather than the mechanics of acquisition, is the kiddushin valid? The Gemara (גמרא) discusses three categories of formulations: those describing the act of acquisition, those describing its result, and those describing the divine purpose of marriage itself. The shiur develops a fundamental distinction between a safek in halacha (הלכה) (existential doubt) and a safek in metzius (factual uncertainty) to understand the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s approach.
The shiur analyzes a complex sugya in Kiddushin exploring what constitutes valid language for kiddushin. The Gemara (גמרא) presents multiple lists of formulations, some clearly valid and others whose status is uncertain. Rabbi Zweig develops a comprehensive framework for understanding the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s approach to this sugya, fundamentally different from Rashi (רש"י)'s reading. The Gemara discusses three categories of kiddushin formulations. The first category uses clear mechanics of acquisition: "Harei at mekudeshes li" (Behold you are betrothed to me) or "Harei at m'oreshes li" (Behold you are engaged to me). These are universally accepted as valid. The second category describes the result of kiddushin rather than the act itself: "Harei at ishti" (Behold you are my wife) or "Harei at arusasi" (Behold you are my betrothed). The Gemara establishes that even without describing the mechanics of acquisition, if one accurately describes the result, the kiddushin is valid. The third category uses language describing the divine purpose and essence of marriage as established with Adam and Chava: "miuchedes" (designated/special), "ezrosi" (my helpmate), "negdosi" (opposite me), and similar terms drawn from the creation narrative.
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Kiddushin 6a
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