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Controllin g Passions- Mixed Results 97

and difficult legal encounter. Secondly, the entire matter became much more difficult and therefore expensive. The possibility that such a suit would be brought was diminished.

When we proceed with this discussion to the Talmud Bavili, we see that the hahamim allowed the evidence of the sheets but did not consider this sufficient and demanded further proof from witnesses or a statement from the bride(or her family) that the signs of virginity may have been lacking as she had been injured by a piece of wood, but nevertheless she was a virgin. R. Eliezer b. Jacob, however, insisted that the biblical verses be followed and that the parents of the bride preserve the sheet from the bridal night, which was sufficient evidence to settle the matter and to clear the bride. The burden of proof fell on the groom who had to bring solid evidence through witnesses. The proviso was also made that if he influenced such witnesses, hired them, or in any other way induced them to testify falsely, he was punished through a fine of double the usual amount paid out in a ketubah for a virgin(Mekhiltah. Deut. 22.29; B. Ket. 10a; 29b; 30b; J. Ket. 27d). In other words, it took the entire matter to be less about virginity and more about money and so made the effort more expensive.

Doubt, uncertainty, a sense of betrayal or cupidity, whatever the reason, the groom’s fine was stipulated as double the normal mohar(normally 50 shekel in the Bible and 200 zuzim in the Talmud ) stipulated in the ketubah. These discussions considered virginity lost before and after erusin as did the Mishnah, something that the biblical Statement did not take into account, but the Talmud went one step further and stated that the loss of virginity has to take place in the period between her being in the state of a katanah(3-12) and na-ara (12-12 ¥), and after that she became a bogeret(adult woman)— in other words in that six-month interval. According to the talmudic discussion, a young woman who lost her virginity while a katana, however this occurred, and who was not yet formally engaged could not be punished(Lev. 22.15). As the period between her state as a