Kesef Mina Lan: Who Receives Kiddushin Money – Father or Daughter?

This shiur offers a granular analysis of Kiddushin 3b, focusing on the fundamental question: why does a father—not the daughter herself—receive the money of kiddushin? The Gemara (גמרא) begins with the Mishna that states "bekesef, bishtar, uv'bi'ah," and then asks "kesef mina lan"—from where do we know the father is entitled to the money? The answer cited is from the pasuk dealing with an amah ivriyah (Jewish maidservant): "yotzei'ah chinam ein kesef"—she goes free without money. The Gemara darshens: ein kesef la'adon zeh (no money to this master), v'yesh kesef la'adon acher (but there is money to another master)—i.e., to the father when she is betrothed. Rabbi Zweig begins by examining Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary, which takes a strikingly different approach to each of the three modes of kiddushin. By kesef, Rashi writes "kesef yesh lo"—the father owns the money. By shtar, Rashi states "u'mekabel ha'shtar"—the father is the one who receives the shtar. By bi'ah, Rashi writes "al korcha lashen kiddushin be'od na'arah"—the father has the power to authorize bi'ah even against the daughter's will (al korcha) as long as she is a na'arah. The shiur wrestles with why Rashi articulates each kenyan differently. If all three involve the father's authority, why doesn't Rashi describe them uniformly? One possibility raised is that Rashi is highlighting three distinct chiddushim: (1) by kesef, the novelty is that the father ultimately owns the money even if the ma'aseh kiddushin is performed with the daughter; (2) by shtar, the chiddush is that the father himself must be mekabel the shtar—the ma'aseh kiddushin is conducted with him; and (3) by bi'ah, the chiddush is that the father's consent is required and can override the daughter's lack of consent (al korcha).