Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Daf Yomi: the next tractate

MICHAEL SATLOW: A Detached Kiddushin. The historical context within which to read the Talmudic discussions of kiddushin. (TheGemara.com).
Abstract: In antiquity, marriage by Jews and non-Jews alike was a natural process, not defined solely by a single legal moment. Through the requirement of kiddushin, the rabbis revived an ancient institution known in the bible as Erusin (אירוסין), imbuing it with a binding legal significance despite apparent public disinterest. How should we understand the rise of rabbinic kiddushin? What exactly did the rabbis have to gain in its establishment?