Kiddushin 3:1
What is the status of a betrothal?
讛讗讜诪专 诇讞讘专讜 爪讗 讜拽讚砖 诇讬 讗砖讛 驻诇讜谞讬转 讜讛诇讱 讜拽讚砖讛 诇注爪诪讜, 诪拽讚砖转. 讜讻谉 讛讗讜诪专 诇讗砖讛 讛专讬 讗转 诪拽讚砖转 诇讬 诇讗讞专 砖诇砖讬诐 讬讜诐 讜讘讗 讗讞专 讜拽讚砖讛 讘转讜讱 砖诇砖讬诐 讬讜诐, 诪拽讚砖转 诇砖谞讬. 讘转 讬砖专讗诇 诇讻讛谉, 转讗讻诇 讘转专讜诪讛. 诪注讻砖讬讜 讜诇讗讞专 砖诇砖讬诐 讬讜诐 讜讘讗 讗讞专 讜拽讚砖讛 讘转讜讱 砖诇砖讬诐 讬讜诐, 诪拽讚砖转 讜讗讬谞讛 诪拽讚砖转. 讘转 讬砖专讗诇 诇讻讛谉 讗讜 讘转 讻讛谉 诇讬砖专讗诇, 诇讗 转讗讻诇 讘转专讜诪讛.
If a man says to his companion, 淕o [as my agent] and betroth me that woman as my wife,� but he [the companion] went and betrothed her for himself, she is betrothed [to the companion]. Similarly, if a man says to a woman, 淵ou are betrothed to me thirty days from now,� and another man comes and betroths her within the thirty days, she is betrothed to the second man.
If an Israelite woman [is betrothed] to a kohen, she may eat tithes. If he [i.e., the kohen] said to her, 淸You are betrothed to me] from now and after thirty days,� and another man comes and betroths her within the thirty days, then she is betrothed and not betrothed [i.e., her status is in doubt, and she needs a get from each of them]. In such a case, if she was an Israelite girl betrothed to a kohen, or a kohen girl betrothed to an Israelite, she may not eat tithes [out of doubt].
Comments
This tractate deals with many complications regarding marriage arrangements. In ancient Jewish society, the betrothal stage was separate from the marriage ceremony, yet betrothal itself effected a change in legal status between the man and woman. The use of agents, stipulations, and ambiguous declarations could all complicate matters. It was obviously essential to clarify the status of a relationship攚as the couple betrothed or not? The issue of eating tithes is a convenient marker of the transition of a woman from her birth family to her husband family. In the last case, her doubtful status prevents her from eating tithes, whether she was from a kohen family marrying out or from an Israelite family marrying in.
Question
If you were trying to teach this mishnah, how would you dramatize it and make it accessible?
