a woman on condition that he divorces another woman.” (1)

If someone were to say: His divorcing his wife serves her interest, in that she will have the husband to herself and be spared marital troubles; indeed, this may be dearer to her than a great deal of money.

The answer is that this interest is offset by the harm that befalls the first wife. The first wife preceded her and has a greater right to be protected from harm.

His statement, “and she is entitled to the bridal gift customarily given to a woman of her standing,” means that she is entitled to it if he makes the divorce of her co-wife her bridal gift. In determining the customary bridal gift, consideration must be given to age, beauty, social standing, refinement, and learning. Thus, one asks concerning a woman who resembles her in these respects: What was her bridal gift? If they say, for example, that her bridal gift was ten thousand, then she is entitled to ten thousand. Thus, every quality by which the bridal gift varies must be taken into account.

Should she be compared to her female relatives or to women generally?

The answer is that she should be compared to her female relatives, because this is closer to fairness. This is why we said that she should be comparable in social standing; and the people most closely similar to her are her relatives.

His statement, “Whenever the stipulated bridal gift is invalid, the customary bridal gift becomes due.”

This is a useful principle in this chapter: whenever the stipulated bridal gift is invalid, the customary bridal gift becomes due. Thus, if he makes the divorce of her co-wife her bridal gift, the stipulation is invalid, but she is entitled to the customary bridal gift. Likewise, if he makes pork meat her bridal gift, it is invalid.