Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Ketubot 85: Single Witnessing

jyungar September 29, 2022

For the source text click/tap here: Ketubot 85

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Our daf begins with a case that helps to explain whether property can be seized after someone has died.  

The Gemara wonders when one witness might be sufficient to affect the outcome of a case.  The first example is not only a single witness, but that witness is a woman.  Rav Chisda's daughter, Rava's wife - and Rava was the judge listening to her opinion.  

When questioned about valuing her words as an individual witness, Rava said that he knew her well and she would not lie; he did not know another Rabbi as well and he could not comfortably trust that single witness in a case.  Other examples of single witnesses are shared in the text.

We explore the hierarchy of witnesses vis a vis women  as well as the evolution of women learning talmud over the last decades. 

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​