Nedarim 91 - Siyum Masechet Nedarim - January 24, 2 Shvat

Siyum Masechet Nedarim is sponsored by Sharona Shuster in memory of her father Eliyahu Chaim ben Harav Ephraim and mother-in-law Devorah bat Yisroel. “Both of whom have a legacy of Torah and Mitzvot among their children and grandchildren. And to my husband who believed in me and encouraged me to learn with Hadran. Also a mazel tov to Hadran community.” Siyum Masechet Nedarim is sponsored by Miriam Kerzner (sister) and her children Lana and Sheldon and Jamie and Elayne Greenstone (wife) in honor of Barry (Dov) Greenstone. "With great determination, at the age of 15 in 1957 finished Masechet Nedarim with his Rebbi, Rabbi Herzl Kaplan, z"l at the Hebrew Theological College (Skokie)." Rav Papa said that Rava would quiz them on the following question: Does the wife of a kohen who is raped and must get divorced, receive her ketuba money or not? The answer is clear from our Mishna that she does. If a woman says in court that her husband divorced her, Rav Hamnuna says she is believed because a woman wouldn’t have the audacity to lie in front of her husband if it wasn’t true as he would know she is lying. Rava thinks that a woman is believed as in our Mishna, in a case where she says she is raped as it is humiliating for her to say that and therefore she would only say it if it were true. However, regarding divorce, that is not humiliating and therefore she is not believed. A question is raised against Rav from the case in our Mishna where a woman claims “heaven is between you and me” and was originally believed which seems to indicate she is believed even if she says something that doesn't humiliate her, as the issue is with her husband and not her. This difficulty is resolved as the language she uses clearly indicates that she is uncomfortable talking about this and therefore it is humiliating to her. A question is raised against Rav Hamnuna from the case in our Mishna where a woman claims “heaven is between you and me” according to the later ruling that she is not believed. According to Rav Hamnuna, if this is something he knows about as well, how could she have the audacity to lie to him about it? To answer the question, they assume that the wife thinks that the husband may not know whether or not he is at fault. Two stories are told of women married to kohanim who claimed that they accidentally may have had relations with another man and yet Rav Nachman ruled that they are not to be believed and the husbands do not need to divorce their wives. Two stories are told of men who found another man in their house alone with their wives and based on the details of what happened when they arrived home, Rava ruled in both cases that the women could stay married to their husbands.