Gittin 78a

גיטין ע״ח ע״א

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Topic

How a גט reaches the wife: her bed and basket in his house, telling her 'Here is your גט', her slave, and throwing it in a public area

Overview

This amud finishes the rule that a raised spot in the courtyard with its own name counts as a separate place. It then asks when a גט thrown to a wife inside her husband's house works. If it lands on her own bed, the bed must be ten טפחים high. If it lands in her basket, several אמוראים explain the case, and רבי יוחנן says the spot of her lap and basket is hers because the husband does not care about it. A new משנה teaches that a גט she received as a loan document, found behind him, or got while asleep works only once he says 'Here is your גט'. The גמרא explains that she must have pulled it from him while he leaned toward her. A ברייתא shows רבי and רבי שמעון בן אלעזר arguing about these cases. רבא rules on a גט placed in the hand of her sleeping slave, and the גמרא limits this to a slave who is tied up. A last משנה deals with a גט thrown to her in a public area, and the גמרא begins defining 'closer to her' and 'halfway'. רב כהנא's explanation of 'halfway' continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (40)

1. ConclusionA raised spot with its own name counts as a separate place
2. Statementרבא: the bed rule applies only to the husband's bed
3. ProofA ברייתא supports רבא
4. ChallengeHer bed is like a buyer's vessel in the seller's property
5. ResolutionThe bed is ten handbreadths high
6. ChallengeBut the bed's legs stand on his floor
7. ResolutionPeople do not care about the spot under the legs
8. ChallengeThe same problem with her basket
9. ResolutionThe basket was hanging from her
10. ResolutionTied to her is enough
11. ResolutionThe basket was between her thighs
12. ResolutionHer husband sells baskets
13. ResolutionThe spot of her lap and basket belongs to her
14. StatementWhy those spots are hers
15. ProofA ברייתא supports רבי יוחנן
16. QuestionWhat does 'anything like her basket' add?
17. ResponseIt includes her date basket
18. StatementA גט handed over as a loan document does not count
19. StatementThe sleeping wife: a גט placed in her hand while she sleeps
20. ChallengeSaying 'Here is your גט' should not help when she found it behind him
21. ResolutionShe pulled it out from behind him
22. ChallengePulling it out still is not the husband giving it
23. ResolutionHe bent his waist toward her and she pulled it out
24. ProofA ברייתא supports the משנה: loan document or pulled from behind
25. StatementThe ברייתא continues: the sleeping wife
26. ResolutionWhy both cases are needed: we might think רבי agrees in the sleeping case
27. ConclusionWhy both cases are needed: we might think רבי שמעון בן אלעזר agrees in the awake case
28. Statementרבא: A גט placed in the hand of her sleeping slave
29. ChallengeBut a slave is a walking courtyard
30. RejectionSleeping is not different
31. Resolutionרבא meant a slave who is tied up
32. Statementמשנה: A גט thrown to her in a public area
33. StatementThe same throwing rules apply to paying back a debt
34. QuestionWhat counts as 'closer to her' and 'closer to him'?
35. Responseרב: 'closer' means within that person's four אמות
36. QuestionWhat counts as 'exactly in between'?
37. ResponseBoth people standing within the same four אמות
38. ChallengeWhoever got there first should own the spot
39. RejectionArriving at the exact same moment is impossible
40. Responseרב כהנא: The case is exactly eight אמות apart