[Avodah] erusin/m'ureset (from areivim)

[Saul Mashbaum]

I mentioned on areivim that the modern Hebrew term for "engaged" is
m'uras/m'ureset/m'urasim.
The very fact tht the term applies to the groom , or to the couple, clearly
illustrates that it describes a status different than kiddushin.
Regarding the kallah,  the context normally makes it perfectly clear whether
the term meureset refers to engagement or kiddushin.

However, his situation could theoretically lead to some halachic problems,
in the spirit of a comment by RZS.

Let's say that a chatan said to the kallah, under the chuppa, "harei at
*meureset*
li b'tabbat zu....". This is a valid lashon of kiddushin, as is explicit in
Even HaEzer 27;1. In chu"l, I see no reason to doubt that the woman is
m'kudeshet.
In Israel, since meureset means different things in different contexts, as
above, it's not so clear to me. I am highly inclined to believe that in this
case, since the context (under the chuppa) very clearly demonstrates that
the chattan's intention is for  kiddushin, not the less binding status of
"engagement", that the women is m'kudeshet. This case seems to me to be no
worse no worse than "haya m'deber ima b'shkei kiddushin, v'natan la stam"

A much harder question is if , *outside* the the framework of a wedding
ceremony, someone in Israel were to say to a woman, while giving her an
object of value, "harei at meureset li b'tabbat zu....". . Is the colloquial
meaning of "meureset" in Israel able to nullify a halachicly valid lashon of
kiddushin, in the case where the context is not clear? The M'chaber cited
above seems to indicate that a valid lashon of kiddushin is always
effective, even if not fully understood by the woman, but in this case,
where colloquially "m'ureset" means "*not* m'kudeshet", possibly the term
"meureset" is invalid for kiddushin.
In this case I am inclined to believe that such a woman, if she agrees to
what the man proposes, is safek m'kudeshet, although here case too, in chu"l
she would be vadai m'kudeshet, since meureset means *only* m'kudeshet.


Saul Mashbaum
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