The Nature Of Kinyan Kiddushin

לרפואת ר' מרדכי דוד בן קריינא בתוך שח"י

How does one understand the act of kiddushei isha. This question was the topic of much discussion among our rabbis. The Rogochover presented the question as follows: Does the קנין of the אשה create an איסור or does the איסור create the קנין. Where does it start - with the קנין or with the איסור?

Tosfos in Nedarim [6b] asks why the gemara entertains the possiblity that there is יד לקידושין [i.e. a partial lashon is effective]. What is the basis for such a premise? Tosfos answers that קידושין is like הקדש and just as we say יש יד להקדש so too we can say the same about kiddushin. This would indicate that kiddushin starts with איסור [as hekdesh] and the קנין stems from the איסור.

Another proof is the gemara [Kiddushin 7a] that suggests that if one marries "half" a woman, the kiddushin should spread to the rest of her just as it does when one is מקדיש part of a קרבן. So we see that fundamentally we are dealing with איסור.

Another proof - the language of the gemara in explaining what the lashon of kiddushin means - דאסר לה אכולי עלמא כהקדש. Sounds more like איסור than קנין - no?

Kinyan and Issur don't always go together. A yevama who is waiting for her late husband's brother to perform yibbum has an איסור on her but no קנין [if you say אין זיקה]. When a חרש marries a חרשת, according to the Yerushalmi [Yevamos 7/4] there is no kinyan but only an איסור דרבנן.

Moreinu HaRav Shimon Shkop ztz"l [Nedarim simman aleph in a footnote] writes that fundamentally, kiddushin is a יחוד or קנין and the איסור is an outgrowth.

Rav Elchonon [kovetz shiurim kiddushin 53] writes that it depends: If one uses a lashon of kiddushin then we are dealing with איסור that develops a קנין. But if the man uses a different lashon [מאורסת etc.] then it starts with the קנין that evolves into an איסור as well.

Or maybe the two elements take effect simultaneously? See Rav Amiel [Middos 8/40] and Zecher Yitzchok [from Rav Itzele Ponivitcher ztz"l 1/23 and 2/48]