TalmuDigest

For the week ending 22 November 2008 / 24 Heshvan 5769

Kiddushin 49 - 55

by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach zt'l
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  • When what was given for kiddushin is superior to what was promised
  • How different characteristics were acquired by different nations
  • When a condition regarding a sale was not actually expressed by the seller
  • When a place is designated for an agent to effect kiddushin or divorce
  • Deception on the part of the woman receiving kiddushin regarding her vows or her physical flaws
  • Kiddushin with less than a perutah followed by gifts
  • Kiddushin made simultaneously with two women, one of which kiddushin cannot take effect
  • Kiddushin which cannot lead to marital relations
  • What we can learn from the case of the man who made kiddushin with five women with their own fruit
  • Making kiddushin with stolen property
  • A kohen making kiddushin with his sacrificial portion
  • Making kiddushin with Sanctuary property
  • When one becomes liable for me'ilah re Sanctuary property
  • Kiddushin with ma'aser sheini (second tithe) produce
  • When does the sanctity of Sanctuary property become removed

The Showbread Glutton

During the forty years that Shimon Hatzadik served as kohen gadol there was a blessing in the lechem hapanim showbreads which the kohanim divided up to eat after they were removed from a week's stay on the Sanctuary table. Each kohen managed to receive a kazayit measure of the holy bread, which more than satisfied him.

After his passing there was a shrinking of the breads, which meant that each kohen would receive only a tiny portion. The dignified kohanim therefore withdrew from the division while the gluttons grabbed the portions of others.

One kohen who thus grabbed another's portion was derisively called a thief for the rest of his life.

Rashi points out that this gemara is not in conflict with the gemara (Succah 56a) which states that the kohanim entering the Sanctuary for their week's duty divided the breads due to them in the northern part of the Sanctuary. The gemara refers to the era of Shimon Hatzadik, when the division amongst all the kohanim left each of them with a proper amount and there was no cause for any grabbing.

  • Kidushin 53a

What the Sages Say

"There is a consensus that a woman whose suitor turned out to be of a higher family status than how he presented himself can invalidate the kiddushin because she can say that she does not desire a shoe too big for her foot."

  • The Sage Ulla - Kiddushin 49a

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