Commentaire sur L’Exode 22:16

כמהר הבתולת AS THE MARRIAGE PRICE OF THE VIRGINS — which is limited to fifty shekels in the case of one who outrages a virgin, for it is said, (Deuteronomy 22:29) “Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 22:16:2; Ketubot 10a).

כמהר הבתולות, “according to the dowry customary for virgins.” Rabbi Yehudah hachassid concludes from this verse that we have a hint that the ketuvah, document of financial security given to a virgin by her bridegroom, at the wedding, in the event that she is divorced without having given cause, or is widowed, amounts to two hundred zuz. He based himself on the defective spelling of the word: כמהר which should have been spelled כמוהר, with the letter ו in the middle. As it is written it could serve as initials for the words כמה מהר הבתולות ר, “how much does the dowry of a virgin amount to? 200 (zuz)”

אם מאן ימאן אביה לתתה לו, if her father steadfastly refuses to let her be married to her seducer, her seducer must nonetheless pay the price paid for virgins who become married for the first time. That price is 50 shekel, and this is the reason why the word: ישקל “he must weigh it,” is used here. [We are familiar with this expression from when Avraham weighed the silver pieces to Efron in Genesis 23,16 in order to acquire Sarah’s burial plot, the cave and field of Machpelah. Ed.] This is also the amount of compensation paid for having raped a virgin. (Ketuvot 38)