Gemara Clarity

Gittin 67a

גיטין ס״ז ע״א

Learn Gittin 67a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Gittin 67a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Arranging a גט through messengers, רבי יוסי's ruling on passing spoken instructions to an agent, and the praise of the חכמים

Overview

The amud opens with a worry about a husband who sends messengers to arrange a גט. The fear is that, so as not to shame the סופר, they will let him sign as a witness even though the husband never said so. The גמרא first answers that such cases are rare, because arranging a גט this way is 'כשר ולא תעשה'. It then finds that this answer fails for the opinion that the practice is allowed from the start. So it gives a new answer: רבי יוסי made two separate rulings, and שמואל agrees with only one of them. Next the גמרא examines רבי's ruling that the הלכה follows רבי יוסי, that spoken instructions cannot be passed on to an agent. רבי defends it by saying 'נמוקו עמו', his reasoning is always with him, and איסי בן יהודה's list praising the great חכמים backs this up. Finally the גמרא explains why a גט arranged through messengers should be avoided even though it is valid: a woman might hire people to give false instructions. It ends with a dispute among several pairs of אמוראים over a husband who tells two people to have a סופר write the גט and to sign it themselves.

Opening lines

״אִמְרוּ לְסוֹפֵר וְיִכְתּוֹב,

"Tell a scribe and he will write,

וְלִפְלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי וְיַחְתֹּמוּ״;

and tell so-and-so and so-and-so and they will sign";

וּמִשּׁוּם כִּיסּוּפָא דְּסוֹפֵר – חָיְישִׁי

and because of the shame of the scribe, they are concerned

וּמַחְתְּמִי חַד מֵהָנָךְ סָהֲדִי, וְסוֹפֵר בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ,

and they have one of those witnesses sign, with the scribe together with him,

The steps (19)

  1. ChallengeThe worry about embarrassing the scribe
  2. ResolutionSuch a case is uncommon
  3. ChallengeThe same worry when the husband tells two people to sign
  4. ResolutionThis case is also 'valid but should not be done'
  5. ChallengeWhat about the view that this may be done from the start?
  6. Resolutionרבי יוסי made two separate rulings
  7. Statementרבי rules like רבי יוסי
  8. ChallengeWhy follow one opinion against two?
  9. Resolutionרבי יוסי's reasoning is always with him
  10. Proofאיסי בן יהודה's list of the חכמים' praises
  11. StatementExplaining the description of רבי שמעון
  12. Proofרבי שמעון tells his students his rulings are the best
  13. StatementBack to the case: telling two people to have a גט written and signed
  14. ChallengeIf it is valid, why avoid it?
  15. ResolutionThe worry: she might hire witnesses
  16. ChallengeBut we do not worry about forged witnesses
  17. ResolutionThey won't forge it themselves, but they might tell someone else to
  18. StatementHusband tells witnesses to instruct the scribe: רב חסדא vs. רבה בר בר חנה
  19. StatementTwo more pairs of אמוראים split the same way