The Rights a Father Holds Over an Unmarried Daughter

The father has authority over his daughter regarding her betrothal, whether by money, by document, or by cohabitation; and he has rights to what she finds, to her labor, and to the annulment of her vows; and he receives her bill of divorce. From where do we learn betrothal by money? Scripture says, "she shall go free without payment, no money" (Exodus 21:11): there is no money for this master, but there is money for another master. And who is that? Her father. But say it is money for the woman herself. It is reasonable that when the Merciful One excluded payment in this case, it excluded a departure comparable to it. But the release from betrothal is not comparable to the case of the Hebrew maidservant: there she leaves the master's authority completely, whereas here she still lacks being brought under the marriage canopy. From the annulment of vows we learn that she leaves his authority, as we have taught: a betrothed young woman, her father and her husband annul her vows. Betrothal by document and by cohabitation, from where? Scripture says "and she departs and becomes another man's" (Deuteronomy 24:2-3): the modes of becoming a wife are compared to one another. He has rights to what she finds, on account of [preventing] enmity. To her labor, what is the reason? As it is written, "when a man sells his daughter as a maidservant": just as the labor of a maidservant belongs to her master, so too the labor of a daughter belongs to her father. But say this applies only to a minor, whom he can sell, while for a young woman, whom he cannot sell, her labor belongs to herself. A minor needs no verse: now that he may even sell her, need her labor be stated? Rather, the verse was needed for the young woman. The annulment of her vows, as it is written "in her youth, in her father's house." And he receives her bill of divorce, as it is written "and she departs and becomes" (Deuteronomy 24:2): the departure is compared to the becoming.