Gittin, Daf Het, Part 2

Introduction

Today s sugya offers another interpretation of the dispute between the two baraitot concerning a get written on a ship:

One tanna taught: One who brings a get written on a boat it is like he is bringing it in the land of Israel.

And the other baraita teaches: It is like he is bringing it outside of Israel.

Up until now, we had interpreting these baraitot as related to the dispute between R. Yehudah and the sages concerning a boat traveling on rivers inside of Israel. The Talmud now shifts the understanding to being a boat traveling on the Great Sea, the Mediterranean. The dispute is over whether the Great Sea, the Mediterranean, is considered to be part of Israel.

רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק אָמַר בִּנְהָרוֹת דְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא לָא פְּלִיגִי אֶלָּא כִּי פְּלִיגִי בַּיָּם הַגָּדוֹל דְּתַנְיָא אֵיזֶהוּ אֶרֶץ וְאֵיזֶהוּ חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ כֹּל שֶׁשּׁוֹפֵעַ וְיוֹרֵד מִטּוּרֵי אַמְנוֹן וְלִפְנִים אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִטּוּרֵי אַמְנוֹן וְלַחוּץ חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ

הַנִּסִּין שֶׁבַּיָּם רוֹאִין אוֹתָן כְּאִילּוּ חוּט מָתוּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם מִטּוּרֵי אַמְנוֹן עַד נַחַל מִצְרַיִם מִן הַחוּט וְלִפְנִים אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַחוּט וְלַחוּץ חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כֹּל שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲרֵי הוּא כְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וּגְבוּל יָם וְהָיָה לָכֶם הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל וּגְבוּל זֶה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם גְּבוּל יָם

וְהַנִּסִּין שֶׁבַּצְּדָדִין רוֹאִין אוֹתָן כְּאִילּוּ חוּט מָתוּחַ עֲלֵיהֶן מִקַּפְלוּרְיָא וְעַד יָם אוֹקְיָינוֹס וּמִנַּחַל מִצְרַיִם וְעַד יָם אוֹקְיָינוֹס מִן הַחוּט וְלִפְנִים אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַחוּט וְלַחוּץ חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ

Rav Nahman bar Yitzchak said: On rivers in the Land of Israel no one disagrees [that a get written there is considered as if it was written in Israel]. They disagree about a get written on the Great Sea, as it was taught: What is considered "the Land [of Israel]" and what is considered "outside the Land [of Israel]"? From the slopes of the Hills of Amnon and inwards is the "Land of Israel," from the Hills of Amnon to the outside is "outside the Land."

About the islands in the sea, one looks at them as if a string were drawn from the Hills of Amnon to the rivers of Egypt: from the string to the inside is the "Land of Israel," from the string to the outside is "outside the Land."

Rabbi Yehudah said, all that lies before the Land of Israel is like the Land of Israel since it is said: And for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border, this shall be your west border (Numbers 34:6). And as for the islands that are on the sides, it is as if a string were drawn from Kafluria to the Ocean, and from the River of Egypt until the Ocean, from the inside of the string is the "Land of Israel," and outside is "outside the Land."

The baraita brings in a dispute between R. Yehudah and the sages. Among a few disputes here, there is also a dispute between the rabbis and R. Yehudah over whether the Sea is part of Israel to R. Yehudah it is, based on his reading of the verse. To the other rabbis, it is not. Henceforth, to R. Yehudah, a get written on a boat in the sea counts as a get written in Israel. To the sages, it does not.

וְרַבָּנַן הַאי וּגְבוּל מַאי עָבְדִי לֵיהּ מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְנִסִּין וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה נִסִּין לָא צְרִיכִי קְרָא

And the rabbis, how do they understand, and for the western border ? They use it to refer to the islands.

And R. Yehudah the islands do not require a verse.

R. Yehudah uses the verse, And for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border, this shall be your west border to teach that the Land of Israel extends all the way to the Great Sea. Even the Sea is part of Israel. But how do the rabbis understand this verse? They read it as referring to the islands. These islands are part of Israel, even if the entire Sea does not. Rabbi Yehudah could respond that obviously the islands are part of Israel. The verse is needed to teach that the Sea is as well.