1,473. Consecrating a Woman by Canceling a Debt

Hilchos Ishus 5:13

If a man consecrates a woman by canceling her debt, she is not consecrated. This is true even when the debt has a promissory note. Therefore, if the woman owed the man a dinar (a denomination of coin) and he says, “You are consecrated to me through the dinar that you owe me,” marriage is not effected. The reason a loan is extended is for the money to be spent; since she spent the money she borrowed, there is nothing currently available for her to benefit from. She has already spent and benefitted from the dinar that she borrowed.

Hilchos Ishus 5:14

Let’s say that the man extended a loan to the woman and is holding some collateral of hers. If he consecrates her using her debt and gives her back her collateral, then marriage is effected. This is because she derives the benefit of the collateral at that moment.