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Text Excerpt
אירכס כתובתה. אתו לקמיה דרב יוסף, אמר להו: הכי אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: זו דברי רבי מאיר.
Her marriage contract was lost, and the woman and her husband came before Rav Yosef to ask what they should do. He said to them: This is what Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: That ruling, that if someone reduces his wife’s marriage contract by even a small amount, their marriage amounts to licentious sex, is the statement of R' Meir. According to that opinion, the husband and wife were forbidden to each other because she was not in possession of a valid marriage contract.
אבל חכמים אומרים: משהא אדם את אשתו שתים ושלש שנים בלא כתובה. אמר ליה אביי: והא אמר רב נחמן אמר שמואל: הלכה כרבי מאיר בגזירותיו! אי הכי, זיל כתוב לה.
But the Rabbis say: Since the woman relies on the fact that she will eventually collect payment for her marriage contract, a man may maintain his wife for as long as two or 3 years without a written marriage contract. There is no urgent need to write a new one, since the husband’s obligation remains intact. Abaye said to him: But didn’t Rav Naḥman say that Shmuel said that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of R' Meir with regard to all of his decrees? Since R' Meir’s statement about marriage contracts was a form of decree, the halakha should be in accordance with his opinion. Rav Yosef responded: If so, go and write her a new marriage contract.
כי אתא רב דימי, אמר רבי שמעון בן פזי אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי משום בר קפרא: מחלוקת בתחלה, אבל בסוף — לדברי הכל אינה מוחלת. ורבי יוחנן אמר: בין בזו ובין בזו מחלוקת. אמר רבי אבהו: לדידי מיפרשא לי מיניה דרבי יוחנן דאנא ורבי יהושע בן לוי לא פליגינן אהדדי:
§ The Talmud relates that when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that R' Shimon ben Pazi said that R' Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of bar Kappara: This dispute between R' Yehuda and R' Yosei concerning whether one may make a verbal stipulation with a woman to reduce her marriage contract is referring only to the beginning of the process. But with regard to the end, all agree that she cannot waive her rights by verbal confirmation alone, and she must instead write a receipt. And R' Yoḥanan said: Both in this case and in that case there is a dispute. R' Abbahu said: This was explained to me personally by R' Yoḥanan himself, who said: R' Yehoshua ben Levi and I do not actually disagree with one another. We merely used different language to express the same halakha.