(Wenn er sagte :) "Wenn ich erst nach zwölf Monaten komme, schreibe und gib meiner Frau eine Chance" —Wenn sie es innerhalb von zwölf Monaten geschrieben und nach zwölf Monaten gegeben haben, ist es kein Erfolg. (Wenn er sagte :) "Schreiben Sie und geben Sie meiner Frau ein Get, wenn ich nicht von jetzt an bis zwölf Monate komme"—Wenn sie es innerhalb von zwölf Monaten geschrieben und nach zwölf Monaten gegeben haben, ist es kein Erfolg. R. Yossi sagt: In diesem Fall ist es ein Get. (Wenn er sagte :) "Schreibe es nach zwölf Monaten und gib es nach zwölf Monaten", und er starb—Wenn das (Schreiben des) seinem Tod vorausgeht, ist es ein Get; und wenn sein Tod dem (Schreiben des) get vorausging, ist es kein get. Und wenn nicht bekannt ist (was dem vorausging), sagten sie in einem solchen Fall: "Sie ist geschieden und nicht geschieden."
English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
Introduction
In the last mishnah of the chapter, the mishnah discusses a husband who conditioned his get upon his return within twelve months, but unlike yesterday’s mishnah, he told agents to write and deliver the get rather than giving it directly to his wife.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
[If a husband says,] “If I do not come back within twelve months, write a get and give it to my wife”, and they wrote a get before twelve months had passed and gave it to her after, it is not a get. In this scenario, the husband stipulated that his agents should not even write the get until twelve months had passed. Even though we could have interpreted his words to mean only that they should give the get after twelve months, the rabbis were quite strict in the interpretation of the language of gittin and in instructions given to deliver a get. Therefore, the get is invalid.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
[If he said,] “Write a get and give it to my wife if I do not come back within twelve months”, and they wrote it before the twelve months had passed and gave it after, it is no get. Rabbi Yose says: like this is a get. In this case, the husband was not as clear as to when he wanted the get written. He said “Write a get…” before he said “If I do not come back within twelve months.” Hence, there is room to debate the validity of the get. The first opinion is that the get is invalid, for his intention may have been the same as it was in the previous section. However, here R. Yose disputes and says that in this case, the get is valid.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Gittin
If they wrote it after twelve months and delivered it after twelve months and he died, if the delivery of the get preceded his death the get is valid, but if his death preceded the delivery of the get it is not valid. If it is not known which was first, this is the woman about whom they said, “[She is] divorced and not divorced.” If the husband’s agents faithfully fulfilled his instructions and wrote and delivered the get, then the only question left is whether or not the husband died before or after twelve months. If it is doubtful, then this woman is doubtfully divorced. In other words, she might be a widow but she also might be a divorcee. Therefore, should she be in a situation which would require yibbum (her husband left no children and had a brother) she could only do halitzah (yibbum would be prohibited lest she is a divorcee, and her brother-in-law be prohibited to her as her husband’s brother). On the other hand, without halitzah she could not remarry, lest she is a widow and obligated for yibbum.
