Gittin, Daf Gimmel, Part 1

 

Introduction

The Talmud now asks about Rava (the messenger must make the declaration because it is difficult to find the witnesses who signed on the get) a similar question they asked about Rabbah according to his reasoning, why don t we require two messengers to bring the get? Why is one sufficient? Most of this piece is a repeat of things we read above, so if you want to recall, look back.

 

וּלְרָבָא דְּאָמַר לְפִי שֶׁאֵין עֵדִים מְצוּיִין לְקַיְּימוֹ לִיבְעֵי תְּרֵי מִידֵּי דְּהָוֵה אַקִּיּוּם שְׁטָרוֹת דְּעָלְמָא

עֵד אֶחָד נֶאֱמָן בְּאִיסּוּרִין

אֵימַר דְּאָמְרִינַן עֵד אֶחָד נֶאֱמָן בְּאִיסּוּרִין כְּגוֹן חֲתִיכָה סָפֵק שֶׁל חֵלֶב סָפֵק שֶׁל שׁוּמָּן דְּלָא אִיתַּחְזַק אִיסּוּרָא אֲבָל הָכָא אִיתַּחְזַק אִיסּוּרָא דְּאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ הָוֵי דָּבָר שֶׁבָּעֶרְוָה וְאֵין דָּבָר שֶׁבָּעֶרְוָה פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁנַיִם

 

To Rava who said that [the messenger must make the declaration] because witnesses are not around to uphold the document, he should require two [messengers] just as there are in all cases where a document needs to be upheld.

One witness is believed with regard to prohibitions.

Say that we say that one witness is sufficient in prohibitions in cases such a piece of meat and it is doubtful whether it is forbidden fat or permitted fat, where it has not yet been presumed to be prohibited. But here, where she was presumed to be prohibited as a married woman, this is an issue of sexual prohibitions, and matters of sexual prohibitions require two witnesses.

 

This section is the same as above with regard to Rabbah. The section ends not having resolved why Rava thinks one messenger is sufficient.

 

בְּדִין הוּא דִּבְקִיּוּם שְׁטָרוֹת נָמֵי לָא לִיבְעֵי כִּדְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ עֵדִים הַחֲתוּמִים עַל הַשְּׁטָר נַעֲשׂוּ כְּמִי שֶׁנֶּחְקְרָה עֵדוּתָן בְּבֵית דִּין וְרַבָּנַן הוּא דְּאַצְרוּךְ וְהָכָא מִשּׁוּם עִיגּוּנָא אַקִּילוּ בַּהּ רַבָּנַן

 

In principle, upholding a document would also not require two, as Resh Lakish said, for Resh Lakish said: The witnesses that are signed on a document are treated like witnesses whose testimony was examined by the court. But the rabbis required two [to uphold] the document. But in this case, due to the fear of making her into an agunah, the rabbis were lenient.

 

The Talmud explains that in principle, a document s validity could be upheld by only one witness, because there are already witnesses who are signed on the document. The rabbis, however, in general required two witnesses to testify in court that a document was valid. However, when it came to the get, they were lenient in order to make remarriage easier for the woman.

 

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

 

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

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.

 

This section is the same as we read above on Daf Bet.