Gittin 29a

גיטין כ״ט ע״א

Learn Gittin 29a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether a Jewish court's death sentence makes a man presumed dead, and when an agent bringing a גט may hand it to another agent.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing רב יוסף's statement: a man sentenced by a Jewish court is presumed executed, because once the verdict is final, the court does not look for new reasons to acquit. The גמרא tries to prove this from a משנה about a runaway convict, but a runaway may be different. A second proof comes from a ברייתא about death reports, but it is pushed off: gentile officials are not believed because they want their verdict to look carried out. A new משנה teaches that a sick agent may pass a גט to another agent, unless the husband also asked him to collect an item from the wife. רב כהנא says the agent must really be sick, and the גמרא fits this with a ברייתא about 'הולך' and 'את הולך'. אביי and רבא explain why a different משנה does not let agents appoint others, and their answers differ about a gift document. Finally, ריש לקיש and רבי יוחנן argue about what the case of the item teaches, and the גמרא begins to describe where the גט may be invalid.

Opening lines

The steps (26)

1. StatementIn a Jewish court, a final death verdict means execution
2. Challengeאביי: a Jewish court might still acquit him
3. ResolutionAcquittals happen before the verdict, not after
4. ProofProposed support: a runaway convict is executed on testimony
5. RejectionA runaway is a special case
6. ProofSecond proof attempt: death reports from a Jewish court versus gentile officials
7. QuestionWhat do 'died' and 'was killed' mean in the ברייתא?
8. ProofThe words mean 'going out to die', which supports רב יוסף
9. RejectionThe words can mean literally died; gentiles lie to back up their verdict
10. StatementAn agent bringing a גט in ארץ ישראל who falls sick
11. Statementרב כהנא: The word 'became sick' in the משנה is exact
12. ChallengeIsn't that obvious?
13. ResolutionWe might have thought 'sick' was only the usual case
14. ChallengeWhat case could need sickness?
15. ProofThe ברייתא behind the challenge
16. ResolutionThree ways to fit רב כהנא with the ברייתא
17. ChallengeOur משנה seems to contradict another משנה about using a second agent
18. Resolutionאביי: The other case is about the husband's embarrassment
19. Resolutionרבא: Spoken instructions cannot be handed over to an agent
20. QuestionWhat is the practical difference between אביי and רבא?
21. ResponseThe difference is an agent sent to write a gift document
22. Statementריש לקיש: a borrower may not lend and a renter may not rent out
23. Rejectionרבי יוחנן: even schoolchildren know that rule
24. Statementרבי יוחנן: sometimes the גט itself does not work
25. StatementA case where everyone agrees the גט is good
26. StatementSetting up the case where they disagree