Overview
After discussing a daughter’s right to support (mezonot) in Chapter 19, the Rambam now discusses a separate institution:
Parnasah – a financial provision given to a daughter when she marries.
This is not ongoing support. Rather, it is money or property given to help establish her marriage.
The chapter deals with:
- The source of a daughter’s marriage portion
- How much she receives
- The famous rule of Isur Nechasim (one-tenth of the estate)
- Priority between parnasah and other claims
- When the right is lost
- The rights of minor and adult daughters
- The Mitzvah to Help a Daughter Marry
The Sages instructed that a person should provide part of his assets to his daughter when she marries.
This is called:
Parnasah
Its purpose is to help her enter marriage honorably.
- Minimum Obligation of a Father
If a father marries off his daughter without specifying an amount:
He must at least provide:
Basic clothing and necessities appropriate for even the poorest Jewish bride.
- An Wealthy Father Must Give More
If the father is wealthy:
He should provide:
According to his wealth.
Chazal did not intend that the daughter of a wealthy man enter marriage like the daughter of a pauper.
- Clothing Is Given Before Marriage
If a father obligated himself to provide clothing:
The husband cannot say:
“When she comes to my house, I will buy her clothing.”
The Rambam rules:
She must be clothed while still in her father’s house.
- Father Died Before Marrying Off His Daughter
When the father dies leaving a daughter,
Beit Din attempts to estimate:
What he would have wanted to give her.
This is called:
Umdena (evaluation of intent).
- How Is His Intent Estimated?
The court examines:
- His financial dealings
- His social standing
- His generosity
- His friends and associates
- What he gave other daughters
All these factors help determine what he likely intended.
- When We Cannot Estimate
If no reliable estimate is possible:
The daughter receives:
One-tenth of the estate.
This is the famous rule of:
Issur Nechasim (a tenth of the assets).
- Multiple Daughters
Suppose several daughters remain unmarried.
Each daughter receives:
One-tenth of what remains at the time she marries.
Example:
Estate = 1,000
First daughter:
- Receives 100
Remaining = 900
Second daughter:
- Receives 90
Remaining = 810
Third daughter:
- Receives 81
And so forth.
- If They Marry Simultaneously
If several daughters marry at once:
The calculation is still performed successively:
- First receives one-tenth
- Second receives one-tenth of what remains
- Third receives one-tenth of what remains
Afterward:
The daughters equalize among themselves.
This prevents advantage based merely on order.
- Parnasah Is Not a Tenai Ketubah
A crucial distinction.
Unlike:
- Mezonot Banot
- Ketubat Benin Dichrin
Parnasah is not one of the automatic conditions of the Ketubah.
It is a separate Rabbinic institution.
- Practical Consequence
Since it is not a Tenai Ketubah:
The daughter generally collects it only from:
Real estate (karka).
Not from movable assets under the original halachic framework.
- Rental Income Counts
The daughter can collect the tenth from:
Income generated by the land.
Since that income stems from real property.
- The Daughter Is Like a Creditor
The Rambam compares her status regarding parnasah to:
A creditor.
Therefore:
She collects from:
Beinonit (average-quality land),
which is the normal collection standard for debts.
- Collecting from Heirs
If the brothers die:
She may collect from their heirs.
But then she is treated like anyone collecting from orphans.
Therefore:
- She collects from inferior land (zibburit)
- She must swear
- Sold Property
If the brothers sold inherited land:
The daughter may pursue the purchasers.
Why?
Because her right resembles a debt secured by the estate.
- No Sons in the Estate
Suppose the father leaves only daughters.
The Rambam rules:
They inherit equally.
One daughter does not first take parnasah and then divide the remainder.
Parnasah exists only where brothers inherit and sisters need funds for marriage.
- Two Daughters and One Son
A striking case:
- One daughter already collected her tenth.
- Before the second collects, the son dies.
- The sisters inherit everything.
The second daughter no longer receives a special tenth.
Instead:
They inherit equally.
The first daughter keeps what she already collected.
- A Father May Cancel Parnasah
Unlike the support obligations discussed in Chapter 19:
If a father says:
“Do not provide parnasah for my daughters from my estate,”
the Rambam rules:
We listen to him.
Because parnasah is not one of the fixed Tenai Ketubah.
- Widow’s Support Comes First
If the estate is limited and contains:
- A widow
- A daughter entitled to parnasah
The widow’s support takes precedence.
The estate is primarily obligated to maintain the widow.
- A Married Daughter Does Not Collect
If the daughter already married before collecting parnasah:
Her right may be lost.
Likewise:
If she dies after marriage,
her husband does not inherit an uncollected parnasah claim.
- Orphaned Minor Daughter
A minor daughter married off by:
- Her mother
- Her brothers
may later, when mature, demand the proper parnasah.
Even if they already gave her money.
Why?
Because a minor cannot waive her rights effectively.
- Failure to Protest
An adult daughter who marries without requesting parnasah:
Loses her claim.
The Rambam treats her silence as waiver.
Exception
If she protested at marriage:
She preserves her right.
Then she may collect later.
- A Bogeret Living at Home
If an adult unmarried daughter remains in her brothers’ house:
Her silence normally waives the claim if support has stopped.
But if the brothers continue supporting her voluntarily,
the Rambam allows her to say:
“I did not demand parnasah because they were still caring for me.”
Her rights remain intact.
- Money Left in Trust
Suppose a father instructed before death:
“Give my daughter specific funds to buy property.”
If the daughter becomes fully married and legally independent:
She may direct the funds elsewhere.
However:
- An arusah cannot.
- A minor cannot.
In those cases the trustee follows the father’s instructions exactly.
Key Halachic Principles
| Topic | Rambam’s Ruling |
| Parnasah | Marriage provision for a daughter |
| Default amount | One-tenth of estate |
| Based on father’s intent | Preferred over automatic tenth |
| Multiple daughters | Each takes a tenth of what remains |
| Simultaneous marriages | Calculate successively, then equalize |
| Status | Similar to a creditor |
| Collects from buyers | Yes |
| Tenai Ketubah? | No |
| Father may cancel it? | Yes |
| Widow vs Parnasah | Widow comes first |
| Adult daughter marrying silently | Loses claim |
| Minor daughter | Can later recover proper amount |
Chapter Theme
Chapter 20 focuses on Parnasat HaBanot, the Rabbinic obligation to provide a daughter with financial resources for marriage. Unlike the support rights of Chapter 19, this is not a condition of the Ketubah but an independent enactment designed to ensure that daughters enter marriage with dignity and appropriate resources. The chapter balances the daughter’s needs, the father’s presumed intentions, and the rights of heirs and widows.