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Text Excerpt
מקיש קודמי הויה שניה לקודמי הויה ראשונה. מה קודמי הויה ראשונה — אב מיפר לחודיה, אף קודמי הויה שניה — אב מיפר לחודיה.
This verse juxtaposes the vows preceding her second instance of being betrothed, i.e., those that she took after her first husband’s death but before her second betrothal, to those vows preceding her first instance of being betrothed. Just as with regard to the vows preceding her first instance of being betrothed, her father nullifies them on his own, so too, with regard to those vows preceding her second instance of being betrothed, her father nullifies them on his own.
אימא הני מילי בנדרים שלא נראו לארוס. אבל בנדרים שנראו לארוס — לא מצי מיפר אב!
The Talmud asks: Say that this halakha that the father nullifies vows on his own after the death of the betrothed applies only to vows that were not disclosed to the betrothed, i.e., those that he did not have the opportunity to either ratify or nullify, but with regard to vows that were disclosed to the betrothed, the father cannot nullify them on his own.
אי בנדרים שלא נראו לארוס — מ״בנעריה בית אביה״ נפקא.
The Talmud answers: If the verse is referring only to vows that were not disclosed to the betrothed, it would be unnecessary to teach that halakha, as that is derived from the words “being in her youth, in her father’s house” (Numbers 30:17). As long as the young woman is in her father’s house, even after the death of her betrothed, her father has the authority to nullify her vows.
בזה יפה כח האב מכח הבעל כו׳. היכי דמי?
§ The Mishnah states: In this matter, the power of the father is enhanced relative to the power of the husband. In another matter, the power of the husband is enhanced relative to the power of the father, as the husband nullifies vows during the woman’s adulthood, whereas the father does not nullify vows during her adulthood. The Talmud asks: What are the circumstances under which a husband can nullify his adult wife’s vows?