Gemara Clarity

Gittin 10b

גיטין י׳ ע״ב

Learn Gittin 10b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Gittin 10b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

כותי witnesses on a גט, and documents made in non-Jewish courts

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a discussion about a גט signed by a כותי witness. The גמרא explains that such a גט is valid because the Jewish witness signed after the כותי. On a גט the witnesses must sign together, so the Jew knowingly accepted him. רב אשי says this signing rule is a גזירה because of a husband who tells 'all of you' to sign. Next the גמרא studies רבי אלעזר's rule that only one כותי witness is allowed. It answers a challenge from the story of רבן גמליאל in two ways: אביי reads the story as 'its witness', and רבא says רבן גמליאל disagrees. A new משנה then teaches that documents from non-Jewish courts are valid, except a גט and a document freeing a slave, while רבי שמעון accepts even those. The גמרא asks how a gift document from such a court can work. It answers with שמואל's rule, דינא דמלכותא דינא, or by reading the exception as 'documents like a גט'. Finally it explains רבי שמעון through רבי אלעזר's view that the witnesses to the handing over make the divorce. After a challenge from רבי אבא, the גמרא starts narrowing the case, and the answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

דְּאִי לָאו דְּכוּתִי חָבֵר הֲוָה,

For if it were not that the Samaritan was a ḥaver,

לָא מַחְתֵּים לֵיהּ מִקַּמֵּיהּ.

he would not have let him sign before him.

אִי הָכִי, אֲפִילּוּ שְׁאָר שְׁטָרוֹת נָמֵי!

If so, even other documents too!

אֶלָּא אָמְרִינַן

Rather, we say:

The steps (24)

  1. ResolutionThe Jew would only let a trustworthy כותי sign before him
  2. ChallengeThen other documents should be valid too
  3. ResolutionOn other documents, he may have left space for an elder
  4. ChallengeThe same worry should apply to a גט
  5. ResolutionWitnesses on a גט must sign together
  6. QuestionWhy must the witnesses on a גט sign together?
  7. ResponseA גזירה because of 'all of you'
  8. Statementרבי אלעזר: Only One Samaritan Witness Is Allowed
  9. ChallengeIsn't This Already in the משנה?
  10. ResolutionWithout רבי אלעזר, We Might Allow Two
  11. ChallengeBut רבן גמליאל Accepted Samaritan Witnesses
  12. Resolutionאביי: Read It as 'Its Witness'
  13. Resolutionרבא: רבן גמליאל Argues and Allows Two
  14. StatementDocuments from non-Jewish courts are valid, except a גט and a slave's freedom document
  15. Statementרבי שמעון says even a גט and a freedom document from such courts are valid
  16. StatementThe משנה makes no difference between a sale and a gift
  17. StatementA sale is easy to explain: the money transfers ownership and the document is only proof
  18. ChallengeA gift is a problem: the document itself transfers it, but a non-Jewish document is worthless
  19. Resolutionשמואל: the law of the kingdom is the law
  20. ResolutionA second answer: read the משנה as 'except for documents like divorce documents'
  21. ChallengeHow can רבי שמעון accept גיטין from non-Jews?
  22. Resolutionרבי שמעון follows רבי אלעזר: the witnesses to the handing over make the גט work
  23. ChallengeBut רבי אלעזר agrees that a built-in forgery makes the גט invalid
  24. ResolutionThe גמרא begins its answer: what case are we talking about