Q&A: Annulment of Marriage by Rabbinic Power, Mistaken Transaction, and “She Would Not Have Betrothed Herself on That Understanding”
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Annulment of Marriage by Rabbinic Power, Mistaken Transaction, and “She Would Not Have Betrothed Herself on That Understanding”
Question
I wanted to ask: in cases where a woman is permitted to remarry because the marriage is treated as a mistaken transaction, or alternatively in cases of “the rabbis annulled it,” what is the law regarding the ketubah? And can the husband sue the woman retroactively for reimbursement of support payments?
Answer
I haven’t checked this now, but based on logic it seems to me that he cannot. She gave him consideration in exchange for the support, even if she received it. A marriage agreement is mutual.