Pesachim 87 - A woman in her husband's house

Everyone who participates in a Seder should be registered for the Passover sacrifice beforehand. Sometimes, one may even be registered for two lambs. How?

Consider a woman who has recently married and lives with her husband in his house. She did not say whose sacrifice she wanted to eat, but we can assume she will eat her husband's lamb. So, if her father also slaughtered a sacrifice for her, she would eat her husband's one. However, if she goes back home for the first Seder (as was often the custom) and her husband and father slaughter a lamb, she eats whichever she chooses. 

The last rule sounds strange. It tells us that the wife's later decision affects the earlier sacrifice. This is called retroactive designation, and it is usually not allowed. It's like saying that this is what she wanted all along - even if she did not know it. So the Talmud changes the circumstances and says, "You know when she chose it? - Before the slaughter!"

By association, the Talmud talks about God's love for the Israeli nation as for a beloved.

Art: A young married couple by Jacob Jordaens