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Today's amazing gemara isn't from Daf-Yomi - we learned it when we were virtuously looking up cross-references, and it seemed interesting, and turned out to be really rather astounding.. Ketubot 60b.
We pick up in the middle of a discussion about nursing mothers. Our question is, if a nursing mother was widowed, how long must she wait before she remarries? Various opinions are cited - some say two years, some say one year, some say until the child is weaned. Some say she may remarry as soon as she gives her baby to a wet-nurse. And if the baby died, she can marry at once.
Now, we know from another historical tradition that generally, a woman who is divorced or widowed has to wait three months before remarrying. The idea is that if they turn out to be pregnant, we want to know who the father is. This also applies if there's really not very much chance she could be pregnant - if her husband was in prison, for instance, or if they were always fighting, or if she was menopausal or prepubescent. Why should this be? Rashi suggests that if she marries immediately and turns out to be pregnant, the new husband is going to be pissed off and might kill the baby. Of course, it could just be that it's easier to have a blanket rule which can apply to everyone.
We modify, and suggest that a fixed time-period be applied for the nursing mother also. For, if she gives it to a wet-nurse, what's to stop the wet-nurse giving it back? Worse, if she has to wait until the child is weaned, might she not rush to wean it, and damage its health thereby? And if she may remarry upon its death, could it not be that a woman would kill her baby in order to marry sooner?
Evidence is offered for this last. Mar bar Rav Ashi says he saw this happen once - a woman strangled her baby in order to remarry.
No, says the gemara, we can't assume that of everyone - normal women don't strangle their babies.
My comment: Aren't you glad we don't make preventative laws that assume you're likely to strangle your baby?
We pick up in the middle of a discussion about nursing mothers. Our question is, if a nursing mother was widowed, how long must she wait before she remarries? Various opinions are cited - some say two years, some say one year, some say until the child is weaned. Some say she may remarry as soon as she gives her baby to a wet-nurse. And if the baby died, she can marry at once.
Now, we know from another historical tradition that generally, a woman who is divorced or widowed has to wait three months before remarrying. The idea is that if they turn out to be pregnant, we want to know who the father is. This also applies if there's really not very much chance she could be pregnant - if her husband was in prison, for instance, or if they were always fighting, or if she was menopausal or prepubescent. Why should this be? Rashi suggests that if she marries immediately and turns out to be pregnant, the new husband is going to be pissed off and might kill the baby. Of course, it could just be that it's easier to have a blanket rule which can apply to everyone.
We modify, and suggest that a fixed time-period be applied for the nursing mother also. For, if she gives it to a wet-nurse, what's to stop the wet-nurse giving it back? Worse, if she has to wait until the child is weaned, might she not rush to wean it, and damage its health thereby? And if she may remarry upon its death, could it not be that a woman would kill her baby in order to marry sooner?
Evidence is offered for this last. Mar bar Rav Ashi says he saw this happen once - a woman strangled her baby in order to remarry.
No, says the gemara, we can't assume that of everyone - normal women don't strangle their babies.
My comment: Aren't you glad we don't make preventative laws that assume you're likely to strangle your baby?
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