1,498. One Dinar Out of a Hundred

Hilchos Ishus 7:16

Let’s say that a man tells a friend, “If your wife should give birth to a girl, then the girl is consecrated to me through this object.” Such a statement is immaterial. However, if the friend’s wife is already pregnant and it’s obvious that there’s a fetus, then it is a valid kiddushin. The Rambam cautions that in such a case, the man must consecrate the girl again after she is born in order to remove any questions about her marital arrangement.

Hilchos Ishus 7:17

Let’s say that a man tells a woman that she is consecrated to him through 100 dinar, and he gives her at least one dinar. In such a case, she is consecrated as long as he gives her the full amount. This is like saying, “You are consecrated to me through this dinar on the condition that I give you 100 dinar.” Marriage is effected when he gives her the one dinar. This is the case when he says “through 100 dinar” without specifying particular coins. If he specifies that she is consecrated “through these 100 dinar” and he starts counting them into her hand, then she is not consecrated until he has given her all of them. In this scenario, either of them can back out until he has given her the last dinar. Similarly, if one of the coins is found to be underweight or was made of brass, marriage is not effected. When one of the coins is inferior, if it would grudgingly be accepted, marriage is effected so long as he exchanges it. If the coin would not be accepted, then marriage is not effected.