Kiddushin 7b: Rashi's Understanding of Smichas Daas in Kiddushei Shevach (Part 1)

This shiur delivers an intricate analysis of Kiddushin 7b, focusing on the machlokes between Rabba and Rav Yosef regarding whether kiddushin performed with an object of uncertain value requires shuma (evaluation) beforehand. Rabbi Zweig opens by outlining a series of fundamental difficulties in Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation, including: what is the chiddush of the Gemara (גמרא)'s ruling, why is there a lack of smichas daas (reliance/mental commitment) when the object turns out to be worth exactly what was stated, why does Rashi require explicit language of "kol duhu" (whatever it's worth), and why does Rashi switch from treating kiddushin as performed with the object itself to treating it as performed with monetary value? The shiur's core thesis is that Rashi understands the Gemara in a fundamentally opposite way from the Rambam (רמב"ם) and most Rishonim. According to the standard reading, the concern is that the object may be worth *less* than stated, undermining the woman's commitment. Rashi, however, holds that the concern is that she thinks it's worth *more*. This reading is grounded in a fundamental insight into the unique nature of kiddushin: unlike a commercial transaction (mekach u'memkar), where buyer and seller are adversarial and each tries to minimize cost or maximize gain, kiddushin is a context of generosity and good faith. A groom giving a gift understates rather than overstates its value—like giving something from Tiffany's without mentioning the price tag. Therefore, when he says "worth fifty," she naturally assumes he is being modest and the item is worth far more—perhaps five thousand. This is a rational expectation in the kiddushin context, and it creates a fundamental lack of smichas daas.