- Methods through which a woman becomes acquired and acquires herself
The opening Mishnah states: האשה נקנית בשלש דרכים – A woman is acquired for marriage in three ways, וקונה את עצמה בשתי דרכים – and acquires herself (to remarry) in two ways. נקנית בכסף בשטר ובביאה – She is acquired with money, a document, or relations. Beis Shammai says that the minimum amount of money for kiddushin is a dinar or an item of equivalent value, and Beis Hillel says it is a perutah (the smallest unit of money) or its equivalent value. A perutah is valued at an eighth of an Italian issar. The Mishnah continues: וקונה את עצמה בגט ובמיתת הבעל – She acquires herself with a get, or with the husband’s death. היבמה נקנית בביאה – A yevamah is acquired by the yavam with relations, וקונה את עצמה בחליצה ובמיתת היבם – and she acquires herself to marry someone else with chalitzah, or with the yavam’s death.
- קיחה קיחה משדה עפרון, and the meaning of the word kiddushin
The Gemara wonders why the Mishnah uses the expression,”האשה נקנית”- a woman is acquired, whereas the first Mishnah of the second Perek says "האיש מקדש" – a man marries. It answers: משום דקא בעי למיתני כסף – Because it wants to mention “money” as a kiddushin method. That money can effect kiddushin can be derived from a gezeirah shavah of קיחה קיחה משדה עפרון – the words "קיחה" "קיחה" learned from the field of Efron: regarding kiddushin it says: "כי יקח איש אשה" – when a man will “take” a wife, and regarding purchasing Efron’s field, Avraham said: "נתתי כסף השדה קח ממני" – I have given the money of the field; “take” it from me. The Gemara then demonstrates that "קיחה" – taking is referred to as "קנין" – acquiring, which is why our Mishnah uses this term. The Gemara explains that the second Perek uses the term "מקדש" – marries, because the first Mishnah uses the Scriptural term describing marriage, and the later Mishnah uses the Rabbinical term for marriage, kiddushin. This term is explained: דאסר לה אכולי עלמא כהקדש - that by marrying her, he prohibits her to everyone like hekdesh.
- דרכו של איש לחזר על אשה ואין דרכה של אשה לחזר על איש
The Gemara explains that the Mishnah uses the feminine "שלש" and not the masculine "שלשה", because of the word "דרכים" – ways, which has a feminine usage (and women are the subject of our Mishnah). The Gemara persists, instead of using דרכים, requiring the feminine שלש, let it use the word דברים – things, which would allow the masculine שלשה (the more common usage)!? Two answers are given: (1) משום דקבעי למיתני ביאה – because [the Mishnah] wants to mention “relations” as a method of kiddushin, which a passuk describes as a “derech”: "ודרך גבר בעלמה כן דרך אשה מנאפת" – And the “way” of a man with a young woman, likewise is the “way” of an adulterous woman. (2) Alternatively, the Tanna is Rebbe Shimon, who explained why the Torah describes marriage with "כי יקח איש אשה" – when a man will take a woman, and not "כי תלקח אשה לאיש" – when a woman shall be taken by a man: מפני שדרכו של איש לחזר על אשה – because it is the way of a man to pursue a woman for marriage, ואין דרכה של אשה לחזר על איש – but it is not the way of a woman to pursue a man. משל לאדם שאבדה לו אבידה – This is analogous to a man who lost an item, מי חוזר על מי – Who searches after whom? בעל אבידה מחזר על אבידתו – The owner of the lost item searches after his item (therefore, a man searches for a woman, who was created from his bone). The Mishnah uses “way,” because the “way” of man is relevant to how kiddushin comes about. These answers are challenged on the next Daf, and a different answer is given.
