A free account is required to play audio and download files.
No community start suggestion yet.
Can a man betroth half a woman, reserving her without fully committing to marriage? The shiur analyzes the Gemara (גמרא)'s discussion of chatzi isha (partial betrothal) as a kinyan (acquisition/reservation) rather than full kiddushin. The key distinction: mo'ein havolech (sequential halves within one day) works because the kinyan "ripens" into full ishus, while shnei chatzayim (two simultaneous halves) attempts a double reservation without progression to marriage—both ultimately invalid but for different reasons.
The shiur opens by examining a difficult sugya in Kiddushin 7b concerning partial betrothal (chatzi isha). The Gemara (גמרא) asks whether a man who says "half of you is betrothed" on one day versus two days creates a difference in halachic status. The fundamental question is what the man is trying to accomplish with such strange language—what is going through his mind when he says he wants to betroth "half" a woman? Rabbi Zweig presents several major difficulties in the sugya. First, the Rambam (רמב"ם) switches the order of the cases from how they appear in the Gemara, bringing the case of chatzi pruta v'chatzi pruta (half a perutah now, half later) first, then the case of shnei chatzayim (two halves simultaneously). Second, the Raavad raises a kasha: if the first case (chatzi isha) doesn't work because of ein isha ruyah lishnayim (a woman cannot be married to two men), then shnei chatzayim b'vas achas (two halves given at once) should certainly work, since there's only one man involved. Third, the Beis Yosef asks: if the Rambam rules that shnei chatzayim is a safek mekudeshes (possibly betrothed), why doesn't it work automatically through hispashtus (extension)—since she agrees to the whole thing, and there's no daas acheres (competing intention) blocking it?
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Kiddushin 7b
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Gemara
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.
