Gittin 51
אמר ליה בין לר' יהודה בין לר"ש לא שנא תולה בדעת עצמו ולא שנא תולה בדעת אחרים אית להו ברירה
— Raba answered him: Both according to R. Judah and according to R. Simeon, it makes no difference whether he keeps the choice in his own hands or leaves it to another: in either case we do decide retrospectively. There [in the case of the Cuthean wine], however, the reason [for their prohibiting] is as given [in the Mishnah quoted]: 'They said to R. Meir, Do you not admit that if the wine-skin should burst [and the wine be spilt]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that it will no longer be possible to set aside the various dues. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
והתם כדקתני טעמא אמרו לו לר"מ אי אתה מודה שמא יבקע הנוד ונמצא זה שותה טבלים למפרע אמר להם לכשיבקע:
the man would be found to have drunk wine which had not been freed for ordinary use? He answered them: Wait till it does burst.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'when it does burst'. I.e., the danger is remote and there is no need to provide against it. ');"><sup>3</sup></span>
<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> הכותב טופסי גיטין צריך שיניח מקום האיש ומקום האשה ומקום הזמן
<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF [A SCRIBE] WRITES OUT FORMULAS OF BILLS OF DIVORCE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In order to have them ready at hand whenever the ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
שטרי מלוה צריך שיניח מקום המלוה מקום הלוה מקום המעות מקום הזמן
HE MUST LEAVE BLANK SPACES FOR THE NAME OF THE MAN AND THE NAME OF THE WOMAN AND THE DATE. [IF HE WRITES FORMULAS OF] BONDS OF INDEBTEDNESS HE MUST LEAVE BLANK SPACES FOR THE NAME OF THE LENDER, THE NAME OF THE BORROWER, THE AMOUNT LENT AND THE DATE. [IF HE WRITES] FORMS OF CONTRACTS OF SALE HE MUST LEAVE BLANK SPACES FOR THE NAME OF THE VENDOR, THE NAME OF THE PURCHASER, THE PURCHASE MONEY, THE PROPERTY AND THE DATE, TO PREVENT HARD SHIP.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'on account of the takkanah (adjustment)': an expression used in connection with regulations laid down by the Rabbis without Scriptural warrant to prevent abuses or for the smoother working of social relations. The question what hardship is meant is discussed in the Gemara. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
שטרי מקח צריך שיניח מקום הלוקח ומקום המוכר מקום המעות מקום השדה ומקום הזמן מפני התקנה
R. JUDAH DECLARES ALL. SUCH [FORMULAS] INVALID [EVEN IF THE BLANKS HAVE BEEN LEFT]. R. ELEAZAR DECLARES ALL OF THEM VALID [IF THE BLANKS HAVE BEEN LEFT] EXCEPT WRITS OF DIVORCE, BECAUSE SCRIPTURE SAYS, HE SHALL WRITE FOR HER, WHICH MEANS, EXPRESSLY FOR HER.
ר' יהודה פוסל בכולן ר' אלעזר מכשיר בכולן חוץ מגיטי נשים שנאמר (דברים כד, א) וכתב לה לשמה:
<b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: [The scribe] must also leave space for the words. 'You are permitted to [marry] any man.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because this is also an essential part of the Get. ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל צריך שיניח אף מקום הרי את מותרת לכל אדם ור' אלעזר היא דאמר עדי מסירה כרתי ובעינן כתיבה לשמה
And [the Mishnah] follows R. Eleazar who said that the witnesses to delivery make [the Get] effective and the [Get] must [consequently]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra 23a. ');"><sup>7</sup></span>
וצריכא
be written expressly for the woman concerned. And it was necessary [for Samuel to tell us here that the Mishnah follows R. Eleazar although he has already twice told us so]. For if he had only told us so on the first occasion,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Supra 21b, in connection with the Mishnah 'A Get must not be written on something attached to the soil'. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
דאי אשמעינן הך קמייתא בההיא הוא דאיכא לאוקמה כר"א דקתני אין כותבין וקתני כתבו
[I might think that the reason why we interpret] that [Mishnah] so as to make it agree with R. Eleazar is to reconcile the contradiction between the first statement of the Mishnah, '[A Get] must not be written' etc. and the second, 'If it was written [on something attached to the soil it is valid],' but [all the same] in connection with the next [Mishnah]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'All persons are qualified to write a Get,' supra 22b. ');"><sup>9</sup></span>
אבל סיפא דקתני שאין קיום הגט אלא בחותמיו אימא ר"מ היא דאמר עדי חתימה כרתי
where it also says that a Get is made effective only by the signatures attached to it, I might think that [the Mishnah is there] following R. Meir who said that the witnesses to the signatures make [the Get] effective<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And there is no need to leave a blank space for the substantive part. ');"><sup>10</sup></span>
ואי אשמעי' בההיא ההיא נמי איכא לאוקמה כר"א אבל הא אימא מדסיפא ר"א הוי רישא לאו ר"א צריכא:
[unless Samuel told us the contrary]. If again Samuel had only told us there [that the Mishnah] follows R. Eleazar, [I might think that that is because] there also it is possible to interpret [the Mishnah] in this way, but here [in speaking of the scribe who writes out formulas] since the last [ruling] given is that of R. Eleazar, I should say that the first [ruling, 'If a scribe writes our formulas of bills of divorce etc.'] is not that of R. Eleazar.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And there is no need to leave a blank space for 'You are permitted etc.', except for the names, for the reason given infra. ');"><sup>11</sup></span>
מפני התקנה: מאי תקנה אמר ר' יונתן מפני תקנת סופר ור"א היא דאמר עדי מסירה כרתי ובדין הוא דאפי' טופס נמי לא לכתוב ומשום תקנת סופרים שרו רבנן
Therefore [Samuel] had to tell us this also.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the first ruling too follows R. Eleazar, he being represented by two varying opinions. ');"><sup>12</sup></span>
ר' יהודה פוסל בכולן גזר טופס אטו תורף גזר שטרות אטו גיטין
TO PREVENT HARDSHIP. Hardship to whom? — R. Jonathan said: Hardship to the scribe, [the Mishnah] following R. Eleazar who said that the witnesses to delivery make [the Get] effective. By rights therefore it should not be permitted to write [beforehand] even the formula of the Get, but to make matters easier for the scribes the Rabbis allowed it. R. JUDAH DECLARED THEM ALL INVALID: he forbade the formulas for fear that the substantive part might also be written in and [he forbade the scribes to write] the formulas of bonds of indebtedness for fear [that they might also write] the formulas of bills of divorce. R. ELEAZAR DECLARED ALL OF THEM VALID EXCEPT BILLS OF DIVORCE: he forbade the formulas for fear that the substantive part might also be written, but he did not forbid the writing of bonds out of fear [that it might lead to the writing] of bills of divorce.
ור"א מכשיר בכולן חוץ מגיטי נשים טופס אטו תורף גזר שטרות אטו גיטין לא גזר:
BECAUSE SCRIPTURE SAYS, 'HE SHALL WRITE FOR HER.' Rut do not the words 'for her' in the text refer to the substantive part of the Get? — Explain [R. Eleazar's reason thus]: Because it is written 'he shall write for her', which means 'expressly for her', [therefore we forbid the writing of the form for fear it may lead to the writing of the substantive part].