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Can the Sages change their decree about wedding days when a gentile ruler threatens to assault Jewish brides? The Gemara (גמרא) explores whether preserving rabbinic authority requires martyrdom, but concludes the rabbis themselves can modify their takana. The discussion reveals fundamental tensions between different types of obligations and levels of tznius.
The shiur analyzes a complex passage in Kesubos 3b dealing with a fundamental question about the nature of rabbinic authority and the obligation of martyrdom. The Gemara (גמרא) presents a case where gentile authorities decree that any Jewish bride married on Wednesday must first submit to the ruler - creating a direct conflict with the rabbinic decree that weddings should occur on Wednesdays. The question becomes: should Jews be willing to die rather than violate the rabbinic decree? Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the seeming contradiction between general principles of martyrdom during times of religious persecution (shas hashmad) and the Gemara's casual assumption that the rabbinic decree can simply be changed. Normally, when gentiles attempt to uproot Jewish practices - even minor customs - the law requires martyrdom rather than compliance. Yet here the Gemara suggests the solution is for the Sages themselves to change their wedding day decree.
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Kesubos 3b
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