The second of the two judges promulgating decrees was Admon. However, some of his seven decrees were hotly contested. Here is one example.
By Torah law, when a man dies, only his sons get a portion of his inheritance, not his daughters. The Sages changed this in favor of the daughters: if there is enough money in the estate, the daughters are supported until they marry or grow up, and the sons divide the rest of the inheritance; but if there is not enough money, then the daughters are supported from whatever there is, and the sons can go begging.
Admon argued: just because they are males, they should lose all? Instead, divide the estate equally! – but the Sages still did not agree, and their logic was that the boys could look for sustenance easier than the girls.
Another example is if the bride's father promised money to his son-in-law as dowry but defaulted, the son-in-law can insist on his rights and say that he is not marrying until the promise is paid – or until the bride's hair turns white.
Admon suggested that the bride should argue thus: “I could understand this if it was I who promised the money, but it is my father, so what am I to do?” She can then force the groom to either marry her or write her a Get releasing her. This reasoning of Admon was accepted.
Art: The young bride by John Phillip
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