Scope of 'Relatives' in a Charitable Bequest and Whether Wife's Kin Are Included

Description

The Chasam Sofer rules that while the Ritva defines 'relatives' as those disqualified from testimony, contextual reasoning may extend the scope to more distant kin when the size of the fund warrants it. He further rules unequivocally that when the deceased himself used the phrase 'my poor relatives,' only his own blood relatives are included and his wife's relatives have no share, distinguishing this from a prior case where guardians drafted the bequest on behalf of orphans — in which case maternal relatives were properly included.