ואע"פ שיש רשות לאב לקדש בתו כשהיא קטנה וכשהיא נערה לכל מי שירצה אין ראוי לעשות כן אלא מצות חכמים שלא יקדש אדם את בתו כשהיא קטנה עד שתגדיל ותאמר בפלוני אני רוצה.
Even though a father has permission [from the Torah] to betroth his daughter while she is a minor to anyone that he wants, it is not right for him to do this. Rather, the sages have commanded that a man should not betroth his daughter while she is a minor. Rather, she must become an adult and say, “To so-and-so I wish to be married.”
[AJWS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What are the two factors that this text points to as being ethically problematic when a father betroths his daughter while she is still a minor?
2. Where in the world are women still denied agency over their own lives? How can we intervene?
3. What other social justice themes emerge from this text?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)