Click here for audio

פרק ד משנה ט
מי שנתן רשות לשלוחו

One who empowers his agent

 לקדש את בתו

to betroth his daughter [to someone else]

והלך הוא וקדשה

and [himself] goes and betroths her [to someone else]

אם שלו קדמו קדושיו קדושין

if his [betrothal] was earlier, his betrothal is [a valid] betrothal,

ואם של שלוחו קדמו קדושיו קדושין

and if his agent's [betrothal] was earlier, his [agent's] betrothal is [a valid] betrothal,

ואם אינו ידוע

and if it is not known [which one was first]

שניהם נותנים גט

both [purported husbands] give a get,

ואם רצו

and if they want,

אחד נותן גט ואחד כונס

one can give a get and one can marry her;

וכן האשה

And similarly a woman

שנתנה רשות לשלוחה לקדשה

who empowered her agent to accept betrothal on her behalf

והלכה וקדשה את עצמה

and she went and accepted betrothal herself,

אם שלה קדמו קדושיה קדושין

if hers  was earlier, her betrothal is [a valid] betrothal,

ואם של שלוחה קדמו קדושיו קדושין

and if her agent's [betrothal] was earlier, her [agent's] betrothal is [a valid] betrothal,

ואם אינו ידוע

and if it is not known [which one was first]

שניהם נותנים לה גט

both [purported husbands] give a get,

ואם רצו

and if they want,

אחד נותן לה גט ואחד כונס

one can give a get and one can marry her.

   
פרק ד משנה י
מי שיצא הוא ואשתו

One who goes with his wife

למדינת הים

overseas

 ובא הוא ואשתו ובניו ואמר

and he and his wife return and he says

אשה שיצאת עימי למדינת הים

"the wife that left with me to overseas

הרי היא זו

this is her,

ואלו בניה

and these are her [our] children,"

אינו צריך להביא ראיה

he does not need to bring any proof [of their genealogical purity],

לא על האשה

neither for the wife,

ולא על הבנים

nor for the children;

מתה ואלו בניה

[if upon return he says that] "She died, and these are her children"

מביא ראיה על הבנים

he must bring proof [of their genealogical purity]

ואינו מביא ראיה על האשה

but he does not have to bring proof regarding the wife.

   

NOTES

 

משנה ט

It was necessary for this mishna to address both cases, despite their similarities.  If it had only addressed the case of a father's שליח, one might think that a woman, who is presumably not as well positioned as a man to investigate the background of a prospective husband, is different, and did not might have meant to have the betrothal she entered into subject to any her agent made.  On the other hand, if only the scenario with a woman was mentioned, one might think that a father is different, as he just wants his daughter to be betrothed without as much regard to who she was betrothed to, and so a father may be willing to have his betrothal subordinate to any his agent obtained.

 

משנה י

מי שיצא הוא ואשתו - This refers to a כהן whose wife had passed the background check described in the previous mishnas.

ולא על הבנים  - This is a case where the children were young, and clung to the wife, thus showing that she was their mother. 

 

Click here for the hebrew/english for פרק ד from emishna.com