KESUBOS - 050a – נערה שנתפתתה – פרק רביעי – כתובות, נ ע”א

and you compelled them to support him.^[1]

ועשיתינהו - I compelled them by force; and because I took trouble for him to go beyond the letter of the law, he cherishes me.

Granted if you say it is not the law — that is why you compelled them; but if you say it is the law, need you compel them?

ואי דינא הוא - there is no kindness here for which to be grateful, for he is bound to judge truthfully.

Rabbi Ila said: In Usha they enacted:^[2] one who distributes should not distribute more than a fifth.

המבזבז - to the poor.

מחומש - of his property, so that he will not come to need other people.

It was also taught so: One who distributes should not distribute more than a fifth, lest he come to need other people.

And there was an incident with one who sought to distribute more than a fifth, and his colleague did not let him. And who was it? Rabbi Yeshevav. And some say: Rabbi Yeshevav, and his colleague did not let him — and who was it? Rabbi Akiva.

Rav Nachman said, and some say Rav Acha bar Yaakov: What is the verse? (Bereishis 28:22) And of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You.

עשר אעשרנו - two tenths make a fifth.

But the second tenth is not like the first tenth!

והא לא דמי בתרא לקמא - for when you take the first, nine remain; and when you take again, their tenth is not like the first, and there is no fifth in the two of them.

Rav Ashi said: I will tithe it — the second like the first.

אעשרנו - since it is not written I will tithe, tithe for You, this is what it means: I will tithe it like the first — that is, the second tenth will be like the first.

Rav Shimi bar Ashi said: And these teachings diminish as they go; and your mnemonic: minors, wrote, distributed.

שמועות הללו - of Rabbi Ila regarding the enactments of Usha.

מתמעטות והולכות - in the number of Amoraim: the first, Rabbi Ila said in the name of Reish Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina; the second, Rabbi Ila said in the name of Reish Lakish; the third, Rabbi Ila alone.

וסימניך - in the order of the halachos, and by it you will know the order of their diminishing.

קטנים כתבו ובזבזו - his sons and daughters when they are minors; one who writes over his property; one who distributes should not distribute — and from now on you will not confuse which has three, which two and which one.

Rav Yitzchak said: In Usha they enacted that a person should coax his son until twelve years; from then on he may come down on him harshly.

מגלגל עם בנו - if he refuses to learn, he should coax him gently and with soft words.

יורד עמו לחייו - to discipline him with the strap and with lack of bread.

Is that so? But Rav said to Rav Shmuel bar Shilas: Under the age of six, do not accept; at six, accept him and stuff him like an ox!

רב שמואל בר שילת - he was a teacher of children.

וספי ליה כי תורא - stuff him with Torah, as you stuff an ox and cram it with food.

Yes, stuff him like an ox; but he does not come down on him harshly until after twelve years.

And if you wish, say: It is not difficult — this is for Scripture, this is for Mishnah.

For Abaye said: Em told me:^[3] at six for Scripture, at ten for Mishnah, at thirteen for a full fast of twenty-four hours, and for a girl, at twelve.

לתעניתא מעת לעת - to fast the whole day; and training for hours is two years before that, as we say in Yoma (82a).

ובתינוקת - for she develops strength sooner, since she does not tire her strength in Torah study. And twelve that it says means the twelfth year itself; for at twelve years and one day it is a Torah obligation, for she has two hairs and is subject to punishment, and we would not need to learn it from Abaye's nurse.

Abaye said: Em told me: A child of six whom a scorpion stung on the day he completes six — he does not live.

לא חיי - unless with a tested remedy.

What is his remedy?

The gall of a white kite in beer — rub him with it and give him to drink.

מררתא דדיה - the gall of a kite, called vautour.

נשפייה ונשקייה - rub him with it, and give him some of it to drink in beer.

A child of one year whom a hornet stung on the day he completes a year — he does not live.

What is his remedy?

The fibre of a palm in water — rub him with it and give him to drink.

אצותא דדיקלא - the fibre that grows around a date palm, like the tendril that wraps around the vine.

Rav Ketina said: Whoever enters his son before the age of six runs after him and does not reach him.

המכניס את בנו - to study Torah.

רץ אחריו - to feed him and keep him alive.

ואין מגיעו - he is in danger of dying from great weakness.

Some say: His colleagues run after him and do not reach him.

חביריו רצין אחריו - to be as sharp in Torah as he is.

And both are so: he is weak, and he learns.

And if you wish, say: This is for one who is frail, this for one who is healthy.

הא דכחיש - he should not enter him, for it is dangerous — perhaps he will weaken and die.

דבריא - he should enter him, because he becomes sharp.

Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina said: In Usha they enacted: a woman who sold her nichsei melog^[4] in her husband's lifetime and died — the husband takes them back from the buyers.

שמכרה בנכסי מלוג - the principal.

הבעל מוציא - for the Rabbis made him like a buyer, and he is the first buyer.

Rav Yitzchak bar Yosef found Rabbi Abahu standing in the crowd of Usha. He said to him: Who is the master of the teaching of Usha?

[באוכלוסא - a gathering of people.

He said to him: Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina. He learned it from him forty times, and it seemed to him as though it lay in his pocket.

תנא מיניה - Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina is its master.

(Tehillim 106:3) Fortunate are those who keep justice, who do charity at all times — but is it possible to do charity at all times?

Our Rabbis in Yavneh expounded, and some say it was Rabbi Eliezer: This is one who feeds his sons and daughters when they are small.

זה הזן בניו ובנותיו קטנים - for they are on him constantly day and night, and it is charity, since he is not obligated toward them.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: This is one who raises an orphan boy and an orphan girl in his home and marries them off.

(Tehillim 112:3) Wealth and riches are in his house, and his charity endures forever —

הון ועושר בביתו - for the money is not used up, and nevertheless his charity endures forever.

Rav Huna and Rav Chisda: one said, This is one who learns Torah and teaches it; and one said, This is one who writes Torah, Prophets and Writings and lends them to others.

זה הלומד תורה ומלמדה - it is fulfilled in him: here is wealth and riches in his house, and his charity endures forever, because he took trouble to teach students.

זה הכותב כו' - the books remain his, they are not used up, and his charity endures forever.

(Tehillim 128:6) And see children of your children, peace upon Israel —

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Since there are children to your children, there is peace upon Israel, for it will not come to chalitzah and yibum.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: Since there are children to your children, there is peace upon the judges of Israel, for it will not come to quarrels:

לאינצויי - who is closer and comes first in inheritance.

This exposition Rabbi Elazar expounded before the Sages, etc.:^[5]

Tosafos

עשיתיינהו בעי - This term compelled must mean with words, like that case later (53a): my entering — that is compelling. And now it is well that he said need you compel them; for if it were the law, why would he compel them with words? He should have lashed them and forced them until they supported him. And so Rabbeinu Tam explained. However, we do find compelling not with words, such as we compel only for unfit women (later, 77a).

אל יבזבז יותר מחומש - The Yerushalmi explains that the first time he may distribute a fifth, and from then on, each and every year, he gives a fifth of the profit.

שיהא אדם מגלגל עם בנו עד י"ב שנה - And what we learned in tractate Avos (chapter 5), at ten for Mishnah, does not mean he comes down on him harshly, but only to coax him.

וספי ליה כי תורא - But he does not come down on him harshly until twelve years; and what we learned in tractate Avos, at five years for Scripture, means to coax him and not to stuff him.

בר שית למקרא - This means six years and one day, like at ten for Mishnah, which is ten years and one day, like that of tractate Avos, where it is ten years and one day, like at thirteen for mitzvos. And now this at six for Scripture is not like at ten for Mishnah, for at six for Scripture means to stuff him like an ox, and at ten for Mishnah not to stuff him but to coax him until twelve years.

ובת תריסר לתעניתא - The Kuntres explained: the twelfth year, on account of training. And to the Ri it seems that it means twelve years and one day, like at ten as I explained, and it teaches us that we do not hold of a rabbinic completion, like Rabbi Yehudah in the last perek of Yoma (82a). And what the Kuntres also explained, for a girl, that she develops strength sooner — he did not need to explain so; rather, her training is a year before her maturity, that is, twelve years and one day, like a boy whose training is a year before his maturity.

ומאי אסותיה - Rabbeinu Tam explained: so that it should not sting him; but it does not seem right to explain after it stung him, for it said he does not live, which implies that no remedy helps him.

הבעל מוציא מיד הלקוחות - According to Rabbi Yochanan, who says that ownership of the fruits is like ownership of the body, the enactment of Usha is not needed, but only according to Reish Lakish; and according to Reish Lakish it concludes it in perek HaChovel (Bava Kamma 88b). Alternatively, it is needed even for Rabbi Yochanan, for example where one gives a gift to his wife, which she acquired, and the husband does not eat the fruits; or where he wrote her: I have no claim to the fruits of your property. But one cannot say where he wrote her: I have no claim to your property or its fruits — for we learned in perek HaKosev (later, 83a) that if she sold or gave it, it stands.

Notes

1. 1. Continues from [Kesubos 49b], on a father's obligation to support his children.
2. 2. Usha — a town in the Galil where the Sanhedrin sat after the Destruction; these enactments were made there.
3. 3. Em — the woman who raised Abaye, whose father and mother died in his childhood.
4. 4. Nichsei melog — the wife's property whose principal remains hers while the husband eats the fruits.
5. 5. The passage continues on [Kesubos 50b].