Kommentar zu Arakhin 5:6
חַיָּבֵי עֲרָכִים, מְמַשְׁכְּנִין אוֹתָן. חַיָּבֵי חַטָּאוֹת וַאֲשָׁמוֹת, אֵין מְמַשְׁכְּנִין אוֹתָן. חַיָּבֵי עוֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים, מְמַשְׁכְּנִין אוֹתָן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין מִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּתְרַצֶּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא א), לִרְצוֹנוֹ, כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר, רוֹצֶה אָנִי. וְכֵן אַתָּה אוֹמֵר בְּגִטֵּי נָשִׁים, כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר, רוֹצֶה אָנִי:
In Bezug auf diejenigen, die ein Wertgelübde abgelegt haben, nehmen sie ein Versprechen von ihnen. In Bezug auf diejenigen, die verpflichtet sind, ein Chatat (Opfer zur Sühne der Sünde) oder eine Schande (Opfer zur Linderung der Schuld) zu bringen, verpflichten sie sich nicht. In Bezug auf diejenigen, die verpflichtet sind, eine Ola oder ein Shelamim [Opfer darzubringen, dessen verschiedene Teile von ihren Besitzern, den Kohanim und dem Feuer auf dem Altar verzehrt werden], verpflichten sie sich. Und obwohl er nicht gesühnt wird, wenn er nicht bereitwillig [um seine Verpflichtung zu erfüllen], wie es heißt: „bereitwillig“ (3. Mose 1: 3), zwingen sie ihn, bis er sagt: Ich bin bereit. Gleiches gilt für Scheidungsurkunden: Sie zwingen ihn, bis er sagt: Ich bin bereit.
Bartenura on Mishnah Arakhin
English Explanation of Mishnah Arakhin
With regard to those obligated to bring a hatat or asham: they do not take a pledge.
With regard to those obligated to bring an olah or a shelamim: they do take a pledge.
And even though he is not atoned for unless he is willing [to pay his obligation], as it is said: “willingly” (Leviticus 1:3), they coerce him until he says: I agree.
The same is true in the case of divorce documents: they coerce him until he says: I agree.
This famous mishnah deals with how a court enforces a person to pay various obligations.
Section one: If someone makes a vow of value (or worth) and is late in paying his debt, the court can take a pledge (an object of value) from him in order to force him to pay his debt.
Section two: However, if someone has transgressed and is obligated to bring either a hatat (sin offering) or an asham (guilt offering) and he is late in bringing it, the court does not take a pledge from him. The general rule is that if the obligated item comes to atone for a sin, the court does not take a pledge.
Section three: If the person vowed to bring an olah (a burnt offering) or a shelamim (an offering of well-being) the court does take a pledge, because these are not sacrifices that atone for sin.
Section four: This and especially the next section are famous because they deal in general with the ability of the court to enforce obligations. The Torah states that an olah must be brought willingly. If so, how can the court force him to bring an olah or shelamim? The answer is that they force him to say that he agrees. Even though he clearly does not want to bring the sacrifice, the fact that he verbalizes his desire to do so is sufficient. Similarly, when it comes to divorce, the court can force him to write out a divorce document. As we know from other sources, a man can only divorce his wife willingly, but we know that under many circumstances the court forces him to divorce his wife (see for instance Ketubot 7:10; see also Gittin 9:8). Again, how can something be enforced and yet still be done willingly on the part of the person being coerced? The answer is that the court forces him to say that he agrees to the divorce. And as we learn in Gittin, this enforcing can be done even through physical coercion.
The Rambam, in his commentary on this mishnah, notes that although it seems that when the person says, “I agree” he doesn’t really mean it, we attribute to him that he does have the correct intention because he is doing what he should have done of his own free will. According to the Rambam, it is as if his evil urge not to perform the correct act overcame him, and by force the court makes him do what his good side really wanted to do in the first place. We should recognize that this is a dangerous principle and could be broadly applied to many categories. However, the Mishnah does not turn this into a blanket rule, but rather only mentions it in reference to these two categories sacrifices and divorce.