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Gittin 87a

גיטין פ״ז ע״א

Learn Gittin 87a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Gittin 87a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Several גיטין on one sheet (כלל versus טופס, according to רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש), and two side-by-side גיטין with signatures stretching under both

Overview

This amud deals with several גיטין written on one sheet, with the witnesses signing once at the bottom. רבי יוחנן holds that one date for everyone makes the sheet a shared wording (כלל), so the signatures cover all the couples. A separate date for each couple makes each one its own טופס. ריש לקיש is stricter: only a joint line, 'We, so-and-so and so-and-so, divorced our wives', makes a כלל. רבי אבא challenges רבי יוחנן twice, and both challenges are answered: the connecting ו ('and') answers the first, and identical dates ('On Sunday, on Sunday') answer the second. רבינא then challenges ריש לקיש with 'וכתב לה' and with the case of two slaves, and both challenges are answered. Next the גמרא brings a ברייתא supporting each side and explains how the second one fits ריש לקיש. Finally, a new משנה discusses two גיטין side by side with Hebrew and Greek signatures stretching under both. The גמרא explains why a stretched signature cannot be split to make both גיטין valid.

Opening lines

אֲפִילּוּ זְמַן אֶחָד לְכוּלָּן

Even if there is one date for all of them

נָמֵי הָוֵי טוֹפֶס,

it is also a separate formula.

אֶלָּא הֵיכִי דָּמֵי כְּלָל?

Rather, what is the case of a general wording?

דְּכָתֵב ״אָנוּ פְּלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי

Where he wrote: 'We, so-and-so and so-and-so,

The steps (23)

  1. Statementריש לקיש: only a truly joint wording counts as a כלל
  2. Challengeרבי אבא: maybe the witnesses signed only for the last couple
  3. ResolutionThe 'ו' (and) connects everything together
  4. ChallengeWhy call it a טופס problem? It was written by day and signed at night
  5. ResolutionEvery couple's line has the same date
  6. ChallengeA shared line seems to divorce two women with one גט
  7. ResolutionAfter the shared line, each couple is written separately
  8. ChallengeOne document frees two slaves together
  9. ResolutionThe slaves case was about two separate documents
  10. ProofThere are ברייתות supporting each side
  11. ProofFive couples with one shared date: all are divorced
  12. ProofA separate date for each couple: only the last is divorced
  13. ProofA ברייתא supporting ריש לקיש: a general opening line makes all valid
  14. ProofSeparate dates split the document; רבי מאיר says space doesn't matter
  15. ChallengeWhy does ריש לקיש need separate dates?
  16. ResolutionA general opening line ties them together, so only separate dates split them
  17. StatementTwo side-by-side divorce documents with Hebrew and Greek signatures
  18. StatementAlternating Hebrew and Greek witnesses make both documents invalid
  19. ChallengeWhy not split one signature to validate both documents?
  20. ResolutionThe signature splits in the middle, so neither half stands alone
  21. ChallengeWhy not let each half of the signature count for a different גט?
  22. ResolutionThe word "witness" is not written
  23. ResolutionEven with "witness" written, we know it is not יעקב's signature