Gittin 176

Chapter 176

א אמר רב אחא בר יעקב שמע מינה מהרה דמרי עלמא תמני מאה וחמשין ותרתי הוא:
1 R. Aha b. Jacob said: This shows [that the word] soon' [used] by the Master of the Universe means eight hundred and fifty-two years.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For fuller notes on this passage v. Sanh. (Sonc. ed.) p. 239. ');"><sup>1</sup></span>
ב <big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> גט מעושה בישראל כשר ובעובדי כוכבים פסול ובעובדי כוכבים חובטין אותו ואומרים לו עשה מה שישראל אומרים לך (וכשר):
2 <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. A GET GIVEN UNDER COMPULSION [EXERCISED] BY AN ISRAELITE COURT IS VALID, BUT BY A HEATHEN COURT IS INVALID. A HEATHEN COURT, HOWEVER, MAY FLOG A MAN AND SAY TO HIM, DO WHAT THE ISRAELITE [AUTHORITIES] COMMAND YOU, (AND IT IS VALID).<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The bracketed words are left out in some texts without however affecting the meaning.] ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ג <big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> אמר ר"נ אמר שמואל גט המעושה בישראל כדין כשר שלא כדין פסול ופוסל
3 <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. R. Nahman said in the name of Samuel: A Get given under compulsion [exercised] by an Israelite court with good legal ground<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Keth. 77a. ');"><sup>3</sup></span>
ד ובעובדי כוכבים כדין פסול ופוסל שלא כדין אפי' ריח הגט אין בו
4 is valid, but if without sufficient legal ground, it is invalid,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And she cannot marry again on the strength of it. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ה מה נפשך אי עובדי כוכבי' בני עשויי נינהו איתכשורי נמי ליתכשר אי לאו בני עשויי נינהו מיפסל לא ליפסל
5 but it still disqualifies [the woman for a priest].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' She must not marry a priest if her husband dies before giving her another Get, or if her husband is a priest she must leave him. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ו אמר רב משרשיא דבר תורה גט מעושה בעובדי כוכבי' כשר ומה טעם אמרו פסול שלא תהא כל אחת ואחת הולכת ותולה עצמה בעובד כוכבי' ומפקעת עצמה מיד בעלה
6 If enforced by a heathen court on good legal grounds, it is invalid, but disqualifies; if without sufficient legal ground, there is no tincture of a Get about it. How can you have it [both ways]? If the [heathens are] competent to apply compulsion, then it should actually be valid. If they are not competent to apply compulsion, it should not disqualify! — R. Mesharsheya explained: According to the strict rule of the Torah, a Get enforced by a heathen court is valid, and the reason why [the Rabbis] declared it invalid was to prevent any [Jewish woman] from attaching herself to a heathen and so releasing herself from her husband.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By inducing the non-Jew to go and extort a Get from him; v. B.B. 48a. ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ז אי הכי שלא כדין אפי' ריח הגט אין בו ונהוי שלא כדין כישראל ומפסיל נמי לפסול
7 If that is so, [why did Samuel say that] if it is enforced [by a heathen court] without sufficient legal ground, it has not even the tincture of a Get? Let it at least be on a par with the similar Get exacted by an Israelite court, and disqualify the woman [for] a priest? — The truth is that R. Mesharsheya's [explanation] is erroneous.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] v. B.M., (Sonc. ed.) p. 47, n. 1. And the heathen court is in fact not competent to enforce the giving of a Get. ');"><sup>7</sup></span>
ח אלא הא דרב משרשיא בדותא היא
8 And what is the reason? — [A Get enforced by a heathen court] on legal grounds is liable to be confused with [a Get enforced by] an Israelite court on legal grounds,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And if we allowed the woman after receiving such a Get to live with a priest, it might be thought that she is allowed also after receiving a similar Get enforced by a Jewish court. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
ט וטעמא מאי כדין בכדין דישראל מיחלף שלא כדין בכדין ישראל לא מיחלף:
9 but [a Get enforced by a heathen court] without proper grounds will not be confused with [a Get enforced by] a Jewish court with legal grounds.
י אביי אשכחיה לרב יוסף דיתיב וקא מעשה אגיטי א"ל והא אנן הדיוטות אנן ותניא היה ר"ט אומר כל מקום שאתה מוצא אגוריאות של עובדי כוכבים אע"פ שדיניהם כדיני ישראל אי אתה רשאי להיזקק להם שנאמר (שמות כא, א) ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם לפניהם ולא לפני עובדי כוכבים דבר אחר לפניהם ולא לפני הדיוטות
10 Abaye once found R. Joseph sitting in court and compelling certain men to give a bill of divorce. He said to him: Surely we<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Babylonia. ');"><sup>9</sup></span>
יא א"ל אנן שליחותייהו קא עבדינן מידי דהוה אהודאות והלואות
11 are only laymen,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., not fully ordained, v. Glos. s.v. Hedyot, this being impossible outside the Land of Israel. V. Sanh. 14a. ');"><sup>10</sup></span>
יב אי הכי גזילות וחבלות נמי כי עבדינן שליחותייהו במילתא דשכיחא במילתא דלא שכיחא לא עבדינן שליחותייהו:
12 and it has been taught: R. Tarfon used to say: In any place where you find heathen law courts,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] cf. [G], 'market-place'. ');"><sup>11</sup></span>
יג <big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> יצא שמה בעיר מקודשת הרי זו מקודשת מגורשת הרי זו מגורשת ובלבד שלא יהא שם אמתלא
13 even though their law is the same as the Israelite law, you must not resort to them since it says, These are the judgments which thou shalt set before them,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXI, 1. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
יד איזו היא אמתלא גירש איש פלוני את אשתו על תנאי זרק לה קידושיה ספק קרוב לה ספק קרוב לו זו היא אמתלא:
14 that is to say, 'before them' and not before heathens. Another explanation, however, is that it means 'before them' and not before laymen? — He replied: We are carrying out their commission,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the Sanhedrin in Palestine. ');"><sup>13</sup></span>
טו <big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> ואסרינן לה אגברא והא אמר רב אשי כל קלא דבתר נישואין לא חיישינן ליה
15 just as in the case of admissions and transaction of loans.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Claims supported by witnesses attesting the defendant's former admission of his liability, or who were actually present at the time of the transaction. V. Sanh. 2b. ');"><sup>14</sup></span>
טז ה"ק יצא שמה בעיר מקודשת הרי זו מקודשת מקודשת ומגורשת
16 If that is the case [he rejoined], we should do the same with robberies and injuries?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whereas the law is that for them ordained judges are necessary. V. ibid. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> — We carry out their commission in matters which are of frequent occurrence, but not in matters which occur infrequently.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.K. 84b. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF COMMON REPORT IN THE TOWN DECLARES A WOMAN TO BE BETROTHED, SHE IS REGARDED [BY THE <i>BETH DIN</i>] AS BETROTHED;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And she must not marry another man without receiving a Get from the first. ');"><sup>17</sup></span> IF TO BE DIVORCED, SHE IS REGARDED AS DIVORCED.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Apparently this means that if the husband is a priest, she can no longer continue to live with him. But v. the Gemara infra. ');"><sup>18</sup></span> [THIS, HOWEVER, IS ONLY THE CASE] PROVIDED THE REPORT HAS NO QUALIFICATION.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] a reason for correcting the report. ');"><sup>19</sup></span> WHAT IS MEANT BY A QUALIFICATION? [IF THE REPORT IS,] SO-AND-SO DIVORCED HIS WIFE CONDITIONALLY, HE THREW HER THE BETROTHAL MONEY, BUT IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER IT LANDED NEARER TO HER OR NEARER TO HIM — THIS IS A QUALIFICATION.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And no attention is paid to the report. ');"><sup>20</sup></span> <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. And do we [on the strength of such a report] declare her<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The one reported to have been divorced. ');"><sup>21</sup></span> prohibited to her husband? Has not R. Ashi said that we take no notice of reports spread after marriage? — What [the Mishnah] means is this: 'If common report declares her to be betrothed, we regard her as betrothed; if it declares her to have been betrothed and then divorced,