1,613. Collecting from Movable Property

Hilchos Ishus 18:12

The Gaonim instituted that a woman could collect her kesubah, and everything she’s entitled to because of conditions in her kesubah, from the movable property. Because of this, a woman may receive her maintenance from movable property. Nevertheless, if her husband left movable property and she didn’t claim it, the heirs get it and they must provide the widow’s maintenance. She cannot prevent them from taking possession of the property by asking that it be held in escrow in order to draw her maintenance from it, even if her husband expressly stipulated that she could draw her maintenance from this particular property. This is the universal practice in all courts.

Hilchos Ishus 18:13

If the widow’s husband left real estate, then she can prevent the heirs from selling it but if they do sell it, she cannot retrieve it from the buyers. This is because a man’s widow and his daughters can only draw their maintenance from the property that still remains in his estate.