Kesubos 5:8-9

Kesubos 5:8

If a man supports his wife through a third party, he may not send her less than two kav of wheat or four kav of barley. (A kav is about a liter and a half.) Rabbi Yosi says that the extra measures of barley were only assigned by Rabbi Yishmael, who lived near Edom (where the barley was inferior to other barley). He also gives her half a kav of beans, half a log of oil, a kav of dried figs and a maneh of pressed figs. (Half a log is about 15 fluid ounces, a maneh is about 14 ounces in weight.) If he has no figs, he must acquire some other kind of fruit for her. He must also provide her with a bed, a mattress, a mat, a headscarf, a belt, shoes at each Festival and 50 zuz worth of clothing each year. He should not give her new clothes in the summer (which would be too hot) or worn clothes in the winter (which would be too cold). Rather, he should give her 50 zuz worth of new clothes in the winter (when they will be warm), which she then wears in worn condition in the summer (when they will be cool). She gets to keep these worn garments in addition to the new ones she receives the following year.

Kesubos 5:9

He gives her a maah of silver (one-sixth of a dinar) for expenses and she eats with him on Friday nights. If he does not provide her with the maah of silver for expenses, she gets to keep her handiwork (to which he would otherwise be entitled). The handiwork she is expected to produce is five selas in weight of warp weaving in Judah, which is equal to ten selas in the Galilee (where they used different measures), or ten selas of woof weaving in Judah, which is equal to 20 selas in the Galilee. If she is nursing, less work is expected of her and more sustenance is provided to her. The amounts discussed in mishnayos 5:8 and 5:9 are the minimums, which are required of lower-income families. Families with more means are expected to provide commensurate with their abilities.