Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer Siman 98

Siman 98

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 אִם פְּטָרָהּ הַבַּעַל מִשְּׁבוּעָה, גּוֹבָה כְּתֻבָּתָהּ בְּלֹא שְׁבוּעָה. וּכְפִי לְשׁוֹן הַפִּטּוּר הִיא נִפְטֶרֶת. כֵּיצַד, כָּתַב: נֶדֶר וּשְׁבוּעָה אֵין לִי עָלַיִךְ, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַשְׁבִּיעָהּ שׁוּם שְׁבוּעָה; אֲבָל מַשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ, אִם גֵּרְשָׁהּ וּמֵתָה יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ נִשְׁבָּעִים שְׁבוּעַת הַיּוֹרְשִׁים; וְאֶת הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ, כְּגוֹן אִם מָכְרָה כְּתֻבָּתָהּ לַאֲחֵרִים וְנִתְגָּרְשָׁה וּמֵתָה, וְהַלָּקוֹחוֹת תּוֹבְעִים כְּתֻבָּתָהּ, נִשְׁבָּעִים: שֶׁלֹּא פְּקָדַתְנוּ. וְאִם הִיא עֲדַיִן קַיֶּמֶת, לֹא יִגְבּוּ הַלָּקוֹחוֹת אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן תִּשָּׁבַע הִיא שֶׁלֹּא נִפְרְעָה. הַגָּה: וְעַיֵּן לְקַמָּן סִימָן ק"ה. פָּטַר אִשְׁתּוֹ בִּשְׁעַת מִיתָתוֹ מִן הַשְּׁבוּעָה, נוֹטֶלֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ בְּלֹא שְׁבוּעָה. אֲבָל אִם רָאוּ אוֹתָהּ אַחַר כָּךְ מַּפְסֶדֶּת הַנְּכָסִים, צְרִיכָה לִשָּׁבַע (מָרְדְּכַי סוֹף הַכּוֹתֵב). וְאִם יֵשׁ עֵדִים שֶׁהִפְסִידָה אוֹ נָתְנָה לַאֲחֵרִים, אוֹ שֶׁהִיא מוֹדָה, צְרִיכָה לְשַׁלֵּם וְאֵינָהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר שֶׁבַּעֲלָהּ צִוָּה לָהּ כָּךְ (תְּשׁוּבַת הָרֹא"שׁ כְּלָל נ'). אֲבָל אִם עֲשָׂאָהּ נֶאֱמָן בְּפֵרוּשׁ עַל כָּל דָּבָר כִּשְׁנֵי עֵדִים, נֶאֱמֶנֶת (סְבָרַת הָרַב):
1 If the husband exempted her from taking an oath [to collect her Ketubah] she may collect without an oath. The nature of the exemption is dependent on the language he used when exempting her. For example, if he wrote, "I have no vow or oath against you," he cannot force her take any oath, but he can force her heirs - if he divorced her and she died, the heirs must take the 'vow of heirs'. [Also] anyone who comes with her permission, such as a case in which she sold her Ketubah to others and she was divorced and subsequently died, and the purchasers claim the Ketubah, they must swear, for his command did not apply to them. If she is still alive the purchasers cannot collect unless she swears that she was not repaid. Rema: See (Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 105). If he exempted his wife from swearing when he died, she may collect her Ketubah without swearing. But if [the members of the court] see after this that she is destroying the property, she must swear. If there are witnesses that attest that she destroyed [the property] or gave it away, or if she admits to having done so, she must repay [the estate] and she is not believed to say that her husband ordered her to do so. If [her husband] gave her the power to be believed as two witnesses, she is trusted.
ב וּמַשְׁבִּיעִין גַּם כֵּן יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ וְהַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ אִם פָּגְמוּ הַכְּתֻבָּה אוֹ אִם נַעֲשׂוּ אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס, וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם נָתַן לָהּ רְשׁוּת לְמַנּוֹת אַפּוֹטְרוֹפּוֹס:
2 We also require her heirs to take an oath, and anyone else who comes in her stead, if there is some defect in the Ketubah ot if there is a custodian. This is true even if [her husband] gave her authority to appoint a custodian.
ג כָּתַב לָהּ: "נֶדֶר וּשְׁבוּעָה אֵין לִי עָלַיִךְ וְעַל יוֹרְשַׁיִךְ וְעַל הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתֵךְ", אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַשְׁבִּיעַה לֹא אוֹתָהּ וְלֹא יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ וְלֹא אֶת הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ שׁוּם שְׁבוּעָה. אֲבָל יוֹרְשָׁיו וְהַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ, כְּגוֹן לָקוֹחוֹת שֶׁקָּנוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, מַשְׁבִּיעִים אוֹתָהּ וְאֶת יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ וְאֶת הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ, כְּגוֹן אִם נִתְגָּרְשָׁה וּמֵתָה; אֲבָל אִם נִתְאַלְמְנָה וּמֵתָה קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּעָה, אֵין יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ וְלֹא הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ גּוֹבִין כְּתֻבָּתָהּ:
3 If he wrote, "I have no vow or oath against you or your inheritors or all those who come with your permission," he may not force any oath on her or her inheritors or those who come with her permission. But his inheritors and those who come with his permission, such as buyers who acquired it from him, they can force an oath on her and her inheritors and those who come with her permission, such as if she were divorced or died. But if she was widowed and died before taking the oath, neither her inheritors nor those who come with her permission may collect her Ketubah.
ד כָּתַב לָהּ: "נֶדֶר וּשְׁבוּעָה אֵין לִי וּלְיוֹרְשַׁי וְלֹא לַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתִי לֹא עָלַיִךְ וְלֹא עַל יוֹרְשַׁיִךְ וְלֹא עַל הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתֵךְ", אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַשְׁבִּיעַ לֹא הוּא וְלֹא יוֹרְשָׁיו וְלֹא הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ לֹא אוֹתָהּ וְלֹא יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ וְלֹא הַבָּאִים בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ. וַאֲפִלּוּ פָּגְמָה הִיא אוֹ הַיּוֹרְשִׁים כְּתֻבָּתָהּ אוֹ יוֹרְשִׁים מִן הַיּוֹרְשִׁים. אֲבָל אִם נַעֲשֵׂית אֶפִּטְרוֹפְּסִית לְאַחַר מִיתַת הַבַּעַל, לָזֶה אֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל הַפְּטוּר. אֲבָל לְאֶפִּטְרוֹפְּסוּת שֶׁנַּעֲשֵׂית בְּחַיֵּי בַּעֲלָהּ, מוֹעִיל, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ עַל יְדֵי גִּלְגּוּל אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַשְׁבִּיעָהּ. וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ לֹא פְּטָרָהּ אֵין הַיּוֹרְשִׁים יְכוֹלִים לְהַשְׁבִּיעָהּ עַל אֶפִּטְרוֹפְּסוּת שֶׁנַּעֲשֵׂית בְּחַיֵּי בַּעֲלָהּ:
4 If he wrote for her, "I and my inheritors and those who come with my permission have no vow or oath against you or your inheritors or those who come with your permission," neither he nor his inheritors nor those who come with his permission may force an oath on her or her inheritors or those who come with her permission. This is even if she or the inheritors of her Ketubah or the inheritors of the inheritors are damaged. However, if she was made a guardian after the death of her husband, the exemption is not effective on this. However, for a guardianship that began during the lifetime of the husband, it is effective, as she cannot be made to swear even by way of another oath. There is one who says that even if he did not exempt her, the inheritors cannot force an oath on the guardianship that began during the lifetime of the husband.
ה עַל מַה שֶּׁמָּכְרָה בֵּין מִיתָה לִקְבוּרָה, לְצֹרֶךְ קְבוּרָה, אֵין מַשְׁבִּיעִין אוֹתָהּ אֲפִלּוּ עַל יְדֵי גִּלְגּוּל:
5 Regarding that which she sold between death [of her husband] and burial, for the purpose of burial, we do not force an oath on her even by way of another oath that she must take.
ו כָּתַב: "דְּלָא נֶדֶר דְּלָא שְׁבוּעָה", אֲפִלּוּ אָמַר: "מִנִּכְסֵי אִלֵּין", הַיּוֹרְשִׁים מַשְׁבִּיעִין אוֹתָהּ, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן פְּטָרָהּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ מֵהַיּוֹרְשִׁים:
6 If he wrote "without a vow, without an oath;" even if he wrote "from these assets," the inheritors may require an oath from her, unless he explicitly exempted her from the inheritors.
ז אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֶאֱמִינָהּ עַל יוֹרְשָׁיו וְעַל הַבָּאִים מִכֹּחוֹ, אֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל לִגְבּוֹת מֵהַלָּקוֹחוֹת בְּלֹא שְׁבוּעָה. הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּגַם לְגַבֵּי יוֹרְשָׁיו אֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל פִּטּוּר וְנֶאֱמָנוּת שֶׁהֶאֱמִין לָהּ, אֲפִלּוּ פְּטָרָהּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ לְגַבֵּי יוֹרְשָׁיו (ר"ח ר"י וְהָרֹא"שׁ). וְדַוְקָא כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהִיא קַיֶּמֶת, אֲבָל אִם מֵתָה, אוֹ אֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לִשָּׁבַע, יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ אוֹ הִיא נוֹטְלִין כְּתֻבָּתָהּ כָּךְ בְּלֹא שְׁבוּעָה (רִיבָ"שׁ סִימָן קס"ט וּבְסִימָן ק"ח). וְנִרְאֶה לִי דְּכֵן רָאוּי לְהוֹרוֹת:
7 Even if he trusted her vis-a-vis his inheritors and his proxies, it is not effective to collect from purchasers without an oath. Rema: Some say that his exemption and the credibility that he extended to her are not even effective vis-a-vis his inheritors, even if he explicitly exempted her with regard to his inheritors (R. Hananel, R"i, Ro"sh). This is specifically when she is alive, but if she has died, or is unable to swear, she or her inheritors collect her dower without an oath (Rivash nos. 169 and 108). It seems to me that is is proper to rule accordingly.
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