Wenn man aus dem Ausland kommt und sagt: "Vor mir wurde es geschrieben und vor mir wurde es unterschrieben" [Er muss das sagen, wie in Gittin erklärt — nach einer Ansicht, weil (im Ausland) sie nicht mit (dem Wissen, dass ein Get geschrieben werden muss) Lishmah vertraut sind — zu seinem besonderen Ende —und nach einer anderen Ansicht darf er seine Frau (die des Scheiders) nicht heiraten, da dort keine allgemein bescheinigenden Zeugen verfügbar sind. [Denn wir können uns nur auf sein Zeugnis verlassen (und er kann lügen, um sie zu heiraten)]. Wenn er sagt: "Er ist gestorben" oder "Ich habe ihn getötet" oder "Wir haben ihn getötet", darf er seine Frau nicht heiraten. [Denn da sie auf der Grundlage seines Zeugnisses heiratet, kann die Rede sein, dass er "seine Augen auf sie gerichtet" und fälschlicherweise ausgesagt hat, sie heiraten zu können. Aber sie kann eine andere heiraten; denn eine Frau kann auf der Grundlage des Zeugnisses eines Zeugen verheiratet sein.] R. Yehudah sagt: Wenn er sagt: "Ich habe ihn getötet", darf seine Frau nicht heiraten [auf der Grundlage seines Zeugnisses, auch nicht mit einem anderen. Denn er ist ein Übeltäter (nach eigenem Bekenntnis); und die Tora verbietet das Zeugnis eines Übeltäters. Aber die Halacha stimmt nicht mit R. Yehudah überein, da entschieden wird, dass ein Mann sich nicht zum Übeltäter macht und "besorgt" um sich selbst ist. Wir glauben ihm also, dass der andere getötet wurde; aber nicht, dass er ihn getötet hat. Selbst wenn er sagt: "Ich habe ihn getötet", kann seine Frau heiraten.] [Die Gemara erklärt dies ("Wir haben ihn getötet") mit: "Ich war bei seinen Mördern, aber ich habe ihn nicht getötet."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
המביא גט ממדינת הים – he must state, “in my presence it was written and in my presence it was signed,” and the reason is explained in [Tractate] Gittin (see Bartenura commentary to Chapter 1, Mishnah 1) for [according to] one Master, because they are not expert in [writing the Jewish bill of divorce] for her sake, and to the [other] Master, because witnesses are not found to attest to it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
Introduction
The second part of mishnah eight dealt with men who are suspected of having relations with women prohibited to them. Mishnah nine deals with men who are suspected of lying in order to free a woman of her husband so that they could marry her.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
לא ישא את אשתו – because we rely upon his word.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
A man who brings a bill of divorce from a country beyond the sea and states, “it was written in my presence and it was signed in my presence”, must not marry the [divorcer’s] wife. [Similarly, if one states] “he died”, “I killed him”, or “We killed him”, he must not marry his wife. Rabbi Judah said: [If he says], “ I killed him”, the woman may not marry [any one]; [If, he states], “We killed him”, the woman may marry. A messenger who brings a bill of divorce from overseas must state “It was written in my presence and signed in my presence”. This is to ensure that the divorce document was done properly and that the husband actually requested that it be given (we will learn these laws in tractate Gittin). Our mishnah teaches that the messenger is not allowed to marry the divorcer’s wife, lest the messenger fake the get in order to marry her. His participation in “freeing” her of her husband, disqualifies him from subsequently marrying her.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
מת הרגתיו וכו' – since it was upon his testimony that she married, and it is possible to slander, lest his eyes were upon her and he made a false testimony about her but she could marry to another, for a woman can be married [upon the testimony] of one witness.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
Similarly, if a man testifies that a woman’s husband is dead, he may not marry her. Jewish law generally does not allow testimony with less than two witnesses. However, in the case of testimony about the death of a man, testimony that will allow her to remarry as a widow, only one witness is required. Since this man is our sole means of knowing that she is a widow, he cannot marry her, lest he lie in order to marry her. Even if he says “I killed him” or “We killed him” he cannot marry her.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ר"י אומר הרגתיו לא תנשא אשתו – through his testimony even to another because he is a wicked person, and the Torah stated (Exodus 23:1): “You shall not join hands with the guilty [to act as a malicious] witness,” but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda, for we hold that a person does not incriminate himself (i.e., his testimony against himself has no legal effect -see Tractate Sanhedrin 9b), for a person is considered a relative regarding himself, and we believe him that that he was killed, but we don’t believe him regarding what he said that he killed him, and therefore, even if he said that he killed him, you can marry his wife.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
A murderer is forbidden from testifying in a court of law. Therefore, according to Rabbi Judah, if one testifies that he murdered a woman’s husband, his testimony is disqualified and it turns out that there is no testimony to her husband’s death. Therefore, she cannot remarry. However, if he says, “We killed him” he may mean to say, “I was there when other people killed him”. Since he does not definitively say that he is a murderer, his testimony about the death of the woman’s husband is valid, and she may remarry.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
הרגנוהו תנשא אשתו – it is explained in the Gemara (Tractate Yevamot 25b) when he says: I was with those who killed him, but I did not kill him.
