[Avodah] Deuteronomy 22:17

[Zev Sero]

On 25/8/21 8:00 am, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
> 
> Over Shabbos, I was wondering what Rashi (who says that there is no 
> actual physical sheet here) could mean on a practical level. How does 
> one bring witnesses to a person's virginity? Was she under constant 
> surveillance by kosher witnesses, who will testify that she never snuck 
> away to be with someone?

No such witnesses are required.  It's up to the husband to prove that 
she cheated on him, and that she did so after the kidushin, so he must 
have produced witnesses.  Without them he has no claim.  Therefore the 
"besulim" that the father must produce are witnesses who disprove the 
husband's witnesses.  They can be eidei hazama (at the time and place 
you claim to have seen this you were elsewhere), or eidei hakchasha 
(e.g. at the time and place you claim to have seen this *she* was 
elsewhere, or the alleged paramour was elsewhere, or we were there and 
saw that nothing happened, etc.)

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a healthy summer
zev at sero.name