1,548. If the Husband Replies That He Left His Wife Food

Hilchos Ishus 12:20

Let’s say that a husband is preparing to depart on a journey and he tells his wife support herself using her own income. In such a case, she has no claim to collect funds for her maintenance upon his return. If she did not agree to this arrangement, she could have filed a claim or simply told him that her income is insufficient for her needs.

Hilchos Ishus 12:21

Let’s say that the woman went to court and was granted an award for her maintenance, so the court sold her husband's property and gave her the money, or she sold the property herself, and then the husband returned and said that he left food for her. In such a case, she must take an oath while holding a holy object (like a Torah) to the effect that he did not in fact leave food for her. Let’s say that the wife neither takes her claim to court nor sells the husband’s property, choosing instead to wait for her husband’s return. If he claims that he left her food and she claims that he didn’t, requiring her to borrow money to feed herself, then he must take an oath of rabbinic nature that he left food for her, after which he would not be held liable and she must repay the loan.