Gittin 88b

גיטין פ״ח ע״ב

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Topic

The end of the aggadah about how long 'soon' is for הקב"ה, and then a new משנה about a forced גט (גט מעושה): when pressure on the husband makes the גט valid, invalid, or only partly valid.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an aggadah: רב אחא בר יעקב learns that 'soon' for הקב"ה can mean 852 years. Then a new משנה teaches that a גט forced by a Jewish בית דין is כשר, but a גט forced by gentiles is פסול, unless the gentiles are only enforcing what the Jewish court ordered. רב נחמן quoting שמואל gives four cases, depending on who forced the husband and whether the forcing was lawful (כדין). One of them is the middle result 'פסול ופוסל': the גט is invalid, but it still forbids the woman to a כהן. The גמרא asks how gentile force can produce that middle result. רב משרשיא's answer, that the גט is valid by Torah law, is rejected as a mistake. Instead, the lawful gentile case is made פוסל only because people could confuse it with a lawful Jewish-forced גט. Next, אביי asks רב יוסף how unordained judges in בבל can force a גט at all. רב יוסף answers that they act as agents of the ordained judges, but only in common matters. Finally, a new משנה teaches that a town rumor can establish קידושין or גירושין unless there is an אמתלא. The גמרא starts rereading the משנה to fit רב אשי's rule that rumors after נישואין are ignored, and this reading continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (18)

1. StatementHow long is 'soon' for God?
2. StatementA forced divorce document: Jewish court versus gentiles
3. StatementGentiles may pressure the husband on the Jewish court's orders
4. Statementשמואל: a Jewish court forcing lawfully or unlawfully
5. Statementשמואל: gentiles forcing lawfully or unlawfully
6. ChallengeEither gentiles can force a גט or they cannot
7. ResolutionBy Torah law the גט is valid, but the רבנן made it invalid
8. ChallengeThen why does an unlawful gentile-forced גט have no effect at all?
9. Conclusionרב משרשיא's statement is rejected as a mistake
10. ResolutionThe real reason: lawful gentile force can be confused with lawful Jewish force
11. Challengeאביי challenges רב יוסף for forcing a גט without being ordained
12. Resolutionרב יוסף: we act as agents of the ordained judges
13. ChallengeThen why not judge robbery and injury cases too?
14. ResolutionThe agency covers only common cases
15. StatementA rumor in town can make a woman betrothed or divorced
16. StatementExamples of an explanation that weakens the rumor
17. ChallengeCan a rumor separate a married woman from her husband?
18. ResolutionRereading the משנה as a rumor of betrothal and then divorce