Gittin, Daf Bet, Part 6

Introduction

Yesterday we learned that the rabbis were lenient and did not require two messengers to make the declaration. One was sufficient.

הַאי קוּלָּא הוּא חוּמְרָא הוּא דְּאִי מַצְרְכַתְּ לֵיהּ תְּרֵי לָא אָתֵי בַּעַל מְעַרְעֵר וּפָסֵיל לֵיהּ חַד אָתֵי בַּעַל וּמְעַרְעֵר וּפָסֵיל לֵיהּ

This is a leniency? It is a stringency. For if you required two messengers, then the husband could not come and protest against the get and disqualify it. But if you require one, the husband can come and disqualify it.

The Talmud points out that if two messengers came, then we would have full testimony that the get is valid. The husband would never be able to protest the validity of the get. This would be a leniency. But with just one witness, the husband might be able to protest, and therefore this is somewhat of a stringency. At least we can say that it does not automatically lead to good outcomes.

כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר מָר בִּפְנֵי כַּמָּה נוֹתְנוֹ לָהּ רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא חַד אָמַר בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם וְחַד אָמַר בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה מֵעִיקָּרָא מִידָּק דָּיֵיק וְלָא אָתֵי לְאוֹרוֹעֵי נַפְשֵׁיהּ

Since the master said: In front of how many [witnesses] does he give her the get? Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Hanina: One said in front of two and one said in front of three. So at the outset he (the messenger) will be careful and he will not act to his own detriment.

The Talmud answers that when the messenger delivers the get to the woman, he must do so in front of either two or three people (we will return to this source). Therefore, since there need to be at least two people, the messenger will from the outset make sure that the get is valid. The husband will not come to protest such a get, and Rashi adds that he will not even be allowed to protest. Thus one messenger is sufficient to protect her from a protested get.