Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer Siman 105

Siman 105

Presented here for study, not as a practical ruling. The Shulchan Aruch rules by Sephardi custom, the Rema's glosses by Ashkenazi custom, and the Kitzur follows Ashkenazi custom. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.

א יְכוֹלָה אִשָּׁה לִמְכֹּר כְּתֻבָּתָהּ אוֹ לִתְּנָהּ לַאֲחֵרִים, בֵּין כֻּלָּהּ בֵּין מִקְצָתָהּ, וְהַלּוֹקֵחַ וְהַמְקַבֵּל עוֹמְדִים בִּמְקוֹמָהּ, שֶׁאִם תִּתְאַלְמֵן אוֹ תִּתְגָּרֵשׁ יִקְּחוּ הֵם כְּתֻבָּתָהּ, וְאִם תָּמוּת בְּחַיֵּי הַבַּעַל אֵין לָהֶם כְּלוּם. וְאִם מָכְרָה לְבַעֲלָהּ, הַמֶּכֶר מֶכֶר וְאָסוּר לְהַשְׁהוֹתָהּ אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יִכְתֹּב לָהּ אַחֶרֶת בְּעִקַּר הַכְּתֻבָּה:
1 A woman is allowed to sell or give to others her marriage contract whether it is all of it or just part of it. The buyer or the receiver take her place that if she should become a widow or a divorcee they get to receive her marriage contract. But if she should die during the lifetime of her husband then they get nothing. If she sold it to her husband, the sale is a sale and there cannot be a delay unless he would write her another one that would be in the spirit of the marriage contract.
ב הַמּוֹכֶרֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ לַאֲחֵרִים וּמֵת הַבַּעַל בְּחַיֶּיהָ, אִם מֵתָה קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּעָה עַל כְּתֻבָּתָהּ אֵין לַלּוֹקֵחַ וְלַמְקַבֵּל כְּלוּם. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, כְּשֶׁנִּתְאַלְמְנָה וּמֵתָה, שֶׁהִיא לֹא הָיְתָה יְכוֹלָה לִפָּרַע מִן הַיְתוֹמִים אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבוּעָה. אֲבָל אִם נִתְגָּרְשָׁה וּמֵתָה, לָקוֹחוֹת נִשְׁבָּעִים שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁלֹּא פְּקָדַתְנוּ, וְנוֹטְלִים. וְדַוְקָא שֶׁמֵּתָה, אֲבָל אִם הִיא בַּחַיִּים צְרִיכָה לִשָּׁבַע שֶׁלֹּא נִפְרְעָה, וְאִם אֵינָהּ רוֹצָה לִשָּׁבַע יַפְסִידוּ הַלָּקוֹחוֹת. וְאִם אָמְרָה שֶׁנִּפְרְעָה אַחַר שֶׁמָּכְרָה, נֶאֱמֶנֶת, בְּמִגּוֹ שֶׁאִם הָיְתָה רוֹצָה לִמְחֹל. אֲבָל אִם אָמְרָה שֶׁנִּפְרְעָה קֹדֶם הַמֶּכֶר, אֵינָהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת:
2 The woman who sells her ketubbah to others and her husband dies in her lifetime, if she died before she swore regarding her ketubbah, the one who bought it and the one who accepted it [do not receive] anything. Regarding what are we speaking? When she is widowed and she died, [in the case] when she was not able to pay [off the debt] from [being upon] the orphans except by oath. But if she was divorced and she died, the purchasers swear an oath that they have not left an order, and they take. And specifically when she died, but if she is alive, she needs to swear that it will be paid, and if she does not want to swear, the purchasers will lose [their money]. If she said that she will be paid after she sells [her ketubbah], she is believed, because if she had wanted to forgive [the debt]. But if she said that it will be paid before the sale, she is not believed.
ג מִי שֶׁמֵּת וְהִנִּיחַ בָּנִים וְאַלְמָנָה, וּמֵתָה הָאַלְמָנָה קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּעָה עַל הַכְּתֻבָּה, הַבְּכוֹר נוֹטֵל פִּי שְׁנַיִם:
3 The one who died and leaves children and a widow [behind], and the widow died before she swore [an oath] regarding the ketubbah, the first born takes two times [as much].
ד הַמּוֹכֶרֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ, בֵּין לְבַעֲלָהּ בֵּין לַאֲחֵרִים, לֹא הִפְסִידָה שׁוּם דָּבָר מִתְּנָאֵי כְּתֻבָּתָה. אֲבָל הַמּוֹחֶלֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ לְבַעֲלָהּ, אִבְּדָה כָּל תְּנָאֵי כְּתֻבָּה. הַגָּה: וַאֲפִלּוּ נְדוּנְיָתָהּ הִפְסִידָה, אִם אֵינָהּ בְּעַיִן (רִיבָ"שׁ סִימָן קמ"ט בְּשֵׁם הָרַמְבַּ"ן וְהָרַשְׁבָּ"א). וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּלֹא הִפְסִידָה נְדוּנְיָתָהּ אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן אָמְרָה: כָּל מַה שֶּׁבַּשְּׁטָר מָחוּל לְךְ (מהרי"ו סִימָן י"ט):
4 The one who sells her ketubbah, either to her husband or to others, she does not lose anything from the conditions of the ketubbah. But the one who forgives her ketubbah to her husband [so that he does not have to pay], she loses all of the conditions of the ketubbah. Ribash: And even her dowry is lost, if she is not visable. Mahariv: And there are those who say that her dowry is not lost except if she said so: All that is in the document is forgiven to you.
ה הַמּוֹחֶלֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ אֵינָהּ צְרִיכָה לֹא קִנְיָן וְלֹא עֵדִים, וְהוּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁהַדַּעַת סוֹמֶכֶת עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא יִהְיוּ דִּבְרֵי שְׂחוֹק וְהִתּוּל אוֹ דִּבְרֵי תֵּימָה, אֶלָּא בְּדַעַת נְכוֹנָה. הַגָּה: אֲנָסָהּ לִמְחֹל, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהָיָה מִתְקוֹטֵט עִמָּהּ תָּמִיד וּמָחֲלָה לוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁתֵּשֵׁב עִמּוֹ בְּשַׁלְוָה, מְחִילָתָהּ בְּטֵלָה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא מָסְרָה מוֹדָעָה (תְּשׁוּבַת הָרַשְׁבָּ"א סִימָן תתפ"ג):
5 One who gives up her marriage contract does not need to effect a transaction and does not need witnesses, as long as her words can be relied upon, and they are not words of jest and jeering or words of astonishment, but rather have the proper mindset. Rema: For example, if he had been constantly quarreling with her and she gave up her marriage contract to him so that he might dwell with her in harmony, her absolution is nullified even though she did not claim that it was forced (Responsa of the Rashb"a #883).
ו הַמּוֹכֵר שְׁטָר חוֹב לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וְחָזַר וּמְחָלוֹ לוֹ, מָחוּל. וַאֲפִלּוּ יוֹרֵשׁ מוֹחֵל. לְפִיכָךְ, מָכְרָה כְּתֻבָּתָהּ וּמֵת הַבַּעַל וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵתָה, בְּנָהּ יָכוֹל לִמְחֹל וְהַמֶּכֶר בָּטֵל. וַאֲפִלּוּ אֵין לָהּ יוֹרֵשׁ אַחֵר אֶלָּא זֶה הַבֵּן וְנִמְצָא פִּרְעוֹן הַכְּתֻבָּה עָלָיו, יָכוֹל לִמְחֹל לְעַצְמוֹ כְּדֵי לְבַטֵּל הַמִּקָּח, וְיוֹרֵשׁ הַכְּתֻבָּה:
6 One who sells a debt document to his fellow, and then he goes back and forgives the debt, it is forgiven. And even the inheritor may forgive. Therefore, if she sells her ketubah and her husband dies and then she dies, her son can forgive the debt, and the sale will be invalid. And even if she has no inheritor except for this son, and it turns out that he has to pay her the ketubah, he can forgive it for himself in order to annul the sale and then he inherits the ketubah.
ז מִי שֶׁמָּכַר בְּחַיֵּי אָבִיו כְּתֻבַּת אִמּוֹ שֶׁאִם יָמוּת אָבִיו וְאַחַר כָּךְ תָּמוּת אִמּוֹ וְיִירַשׁ הוּא אֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַלּוֹקֵחַ עוֹמֵד בִּמְקוֹמוֹ לִגְבּוֹתָהּ, וְהִתְנָה שֶׁאִם תְּעַרְעֵר אִמּוֹ עַל הַמֶּכֶר שֶׁלֹּא יְסַלְּקֶנּוּ מֵעִרְעוּר, וּמֵתָה וְלֹא עִרְעֲרָהּ, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לוֹמַר: אֲנִי בִּמְקוֹם אִמִּי וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהִיא יְכוֹלָה לְעַרְעֵר עַל הַמְּקָּח גַּם אֲנִי מְעַרְעֵר וַאֲבַטְּלֶנּוּ, שֶׁעִרְעוּר שֶׁל עַצְמוֹ קִבֵּל עָלָיו וַדַּאי:
7 If, in the life of his father, a man sold the ketuba of his mother, so that in the circumstance that his father died first, and then his mother died, and he would consequentially inherit his mother's ketuba, and the purchaser would stand in his place to collect the ketuba from the estate, and he made a condition that if his mother complained about the sale, that [the purchaser] would not remove her from her complaint; and she subsequently died without having complained about the sale; the son may not say, "I stand in the place of my mother, and just like she could have complained about the transaction, I can also complain about the transaction and hereby abrogate it," for he has definitely relinquished his own right to complain.
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