אבן העזר ק״אEven HaEzer 101

Se’if 1א׳

אַלְמָנָה, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁשְּׁטַר כְּתֻבָּה בְּיָדָהּ, גּוֹבָה לְעוֹלָם, בֵּין אִם נוֹתְנִים לָהּ מְזוֹנוֹת בְּבֵית אָבִיהָ אוֹ בְּבֵית בַּעֲלָהּ, וְנִשְׁבַּעַת אֲפִלּוּ לְאַחַר שֶׁנִּשֵּׂאת. אֲפִלּוּ עָבְרָה עָלֶיהָ שְׁמִטָּה, אֵינָהּ נִשְׁמֶטֶת, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן פָּגְמָה אוֹתָהּ, שֶׁגָּבְתָה מִקְצָת אוֹ שֶׁזָּקְפָה בְּמִלְוֶה. וְאִם אֵין כְּתֻבָּתָהּ בְּיָדָהּ וּבָאָה לִגְבּוֹת בִּתְנַאי בֵּית דִּין בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין כּוֹתְבִים, אִם נוֹתְנִים לָהּ מְזוֹנוֹת בְּבֵית אָבִיהָ אוֹ שֶׁנִּשֵּׂאת לְאַחֵר (מָרְדְּכַי סוֹף פֶּרֶק הַנּוֹשֵׂא), אֵינָהּ גּוֹבָה אֶלָּא עַד סוֹף עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה. אֲבָל שָׁתְקָה עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה וְלֹא תָּבְעָה, מָחֲלָה. וְאִם תָּבְעָה תּוֹךְ עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים, מוֹנִין לָהּ עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים מִיּוֹם שֶׁתָּבְעָה. וְכֵן יוֹרְשֶׁיהָ צְרִיכִים לִתְבֹּעַ תּוֹךְ עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים לְמִיתָתָהּ, וְאִם שָׁתְקוּ יוֹתֵר מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה, מָחֲלוּ. וְכָל שֶׁזָּכְרָה וְאָמְרָה שֶׁמַּה שֶּׁשּׁוֹתֶקֶת לָאו מִשּׁוּם מְחִילָה, הָוֵי כְּתָבְעָה (הָרַ"ן פֶּרֶק הַנּוֹשֵׂא):

A widow, as long as the Ketuba is in her possession, [is able to] collect [the money due to her] forever, whether she is supported in her father's house or her [new] husband's house, and she is assured [this] even after she remarries. Even if seven years have passed, [the money] is not withheld [from her], so long as she does not render it defective, i.e. she collects some, or she uses it as collateral for a loan. And if the Ketuba is not in her possession, and she comes to collect with a claim to the court in a place where they do not write, [debts such as these into the public record] if she is supported in her father's house, (Rem''a: or she remarried (Mordechai, the end of Chapter 'HaNose')) she does not collect until the end of a twenty-five year period. But if she remains quiet for twenty-five years and does not make a claim, she forgives [the debt]. And if she makes a claim within twenty-five years [of her previous husband's death], the twenty-five year period [she must wait to collect the debt] is counted from the day she [initially] makes her claim. Additionally, her heirs need to make the claim within twenty-five years of her death, and if they remain silent longer than twenty-five years, they forgive [the debt]. (Rem''a: And any [woman] who remembers and says that the silence was not due to forgiveness [of the loan], it is as if she made a claim (Ran, Chapter 'HaNose')

Se’if 2ב׳

אֲפִלּוּ אִם נִזּוֹנֵית בְּבֵית אָבִיהָ, אִם הַיּוֹרְשִׁים מְכַבְּדִים אוֹתָהּ שֶׁמּוֹלִיכִים לָהּ מְזוֹנוֹתֶיהָ בְּעַצְמָם, אֵין שְׁתִיקָתָהּ מְחִילָה, שֶׁמִּפְּנֵי הַבּוּשָׁה שָׁתְקָה וְלֹא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמָּחֲלָה:

Even if she is given food from her father's house, if the heirs honor her by sending her food themselves, her silence is not considered forgiving the debt, [for we suspect] that her silence was due to shame and not because she forgave it.

Se’if 3ג׳

נְדוּנְיָא לְעוֹלָם אֵינָהּ מוֹחֶלֶת, אֲפִלּוּ שָׁהֲתָה כַּמָּה שָׁנִים:

The dowry is never forgiven, even if she postponed [collection] for several years.