ואמאי וליהימניה לשליש מי קא נפיק גיטא מתותי ידיה דלהימניה
If the husband says [that he gave it to the depository] to divorce with, and the depository says [it was given] to divorce with, and the wife says, He gave it to me but it has been lost, R. Johanan says: This is a statement bearing on forbidden relationships, and a statement bearing on a forbidden relationship must be substantiated by not less than two witnesses. But why so? Why not believe the depository? — Is he able to produce the Get that we should believe him? Then let us believe the husband, in accordance with what R. Hiyya b. Abin said in the name of R. Johanan: If a husband says, I have divorced my wife, his word can be taken? — Does he here say, I have divorced her?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He appointed an agent to hand it over to her.
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Kedushat Levi
Genesis (24,12) We need to examine why Betuel and family at first agreed to Rivkah’s becoming Yitzchok’s bride, (verse 50) but apparently changed their minds subsequently. (Verse 55). We must remember that both Lavan and Betuel, even when appearing to agree, had evil intentions. (see Rashi, according to whom they planned to assassinate Eliezer) Their principal motivation was to prevent Yitzchok from having children that would grow to maturity and survive. (Gittin 64) The Talmud there discusses the subject of a betrothal by means of an emissary, in the absence of a face to face meeting between bride and groom. According to the halachah, as long as the emissary is still on the way, i.e. has not returned from his mission, the sender (Yitzchok) is not allowed to marry any other woman. The reason for this is that he might, unwittingly marry someone forbidden to him for reasons of incest. (In the event that his emissary had already carried out his mission) For this reason, Rivkah’s family first expressed their willingness, so that Yitzchok was “married,” and then by killing him hoped to prevent him from returning to his sender and announcing that he had completed his mission.
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