Commentary for Moed Katan 3:3
וְאֵלּוּ כּוֹתְבִין בַּמּוֹעֵד, קִדּוּשֵׁי נָשִׁים, גִּטִּין וְשׁוֹבָרִין, דְּיָתֵיקֵי, מַתָּנָה וּפְרוֹזְבּוּלִין, אִגְּרוֹת שׁוּם וְאִגְּרוֹת מָזוֹן, שִׁטְרֵי חֲלִיצָה וּמֵאוּנִים, וְשִׁטְרֵי בֵרוּרִין, וּגְזֵרוֹת בֵּית דִּין, וְאִגְּרוֹת שֶׁל רָשׁוּת:
And these may be written on Chol Hamoed: Betrothals of women [He writes on paper or on a shard: "You are betrothed to me," and she is betrothed even though it is not worth a p'rutah. This may be done on Chol Hamoed lest another come first and betroth her, so that she is "davar ha'aved" ("something which might go lost")], writs of divorce (gittin) [as when he wishes to leave with a caravan, and if he does not write a get now, she will remain an agunah (unmarried)], receipts [For if the debtor refuses to pay without a receipt, he is heeded and he can go (without paying), so that the creditor might lose his money.], diatiki [the gift of one who is dying. "diatiki," acronymic for "da tehei lemeikam velihyoth" ("This shall stand for confirmation.") For the words of a dying man (shechiv mera) are as written and relegated.], a gift [of a healthy man. If it is not written down, the beneficiary might lose out, for the giver might retract.], prozbolin, [that shevi'ith (the sabbatical year) not cancel the loan and he (the creditor) lose his money. "prozbol," acronymic for "proz buli uproz buti," "an amendment for the rich and an amendment for the poor." For the rich — that they not transgress (Deuteronomy 15:9): "Take heed unto yourself lest there be in your heart a thing of wickedness, etc." for the poor — that they find what to borrow. ("buli" = rich; "buti" = poor). Hillel instituted the prozbol, a writ in which the creditor states: "I relegate to you, so and so, the judges, (all monies owing me) so that I can collect any writ outstanding with so and so, whenever I wish" — whereby shevi'ith no longer releases it, it being considered as if beth-din collects his debt so that it no longer comes under (Ibid. 2): "He shall not exact it of his neighbor."], writs of assessment, [beth-din assessing the property of the debtor and giving it (the writ) to the creditor], writs of sustenance, [beth-din selling land for the sustenance of one's wife and daughters, this being recorded as an act of beth-din. Or, (a writ indicating) that one has taken it upon himself to feed his wife's daughter (by a previous marriage)], refusals [A minor who was betrothed by her mother and brothers can "refuse" her husband, saying: "I don't want this man as a husband," whereupon she leaves him without a divorce. The writ attesting to this is called a "writ of refusal" (miun)], writs of selection [of judges; each of them selecting a judge for himself and writing that they will not contest the decision of the judges], decrees [i.e., rulings] of beth-din, and writs of rashuth [edicts of the authorities, as in "Ve'al tithvada larashuth" ("Do not impose yourself upon the ruling powers."), "Hevu zehirim barashuth" ("Be heedful of the ruling powers.") Some understand it as ("letters of reshuth"), letters of greeting written by a man to his friend.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
Betrothal of women [documents], divorce documents and receipts, wills of a dying person, bequests and prosbols; evaluation certificates and orders for support, documents of halitzah and of repudiation [of marriage] and arbitration records; decrees of the court and correspondence.
Writing was not nearly as common of a skill in the time of the mishnah as it is now. Indeed, most people could probably not write, and if they could, they could write only simple things. Since writing was not common it was considered a professional skill. Hence it was generally forbidden on the festival. Our mishnah lists exceptions. These were allowed because they were of immediate necessity. I will explain each type of document.
Betrothal of women [documents]: This refers to all sorts of documents connected to marriage, either arranging the betrothal and its economic elements (tannaim) or a document used to effect betrothal itself. In such a document the man would write, “Behold you (or your daughter) are betrothed to me.” Note that kiddushin (betrothal) can take place during the festival, but marriage may not. Therefore, ketubot, marriage documents, are not included in this list.
Divorce documents: Gittin. This is the document that a husband writes to his wife. Divorce is permitted on the festival.
And receipts: The creditor writes to the lender stating that he has received the money. This may also refer to a case of divorce, where a woman writes a receipt to her husband upon receiving the marriage settlement (her ketubah money).
The will of a dying person: Wills, which must be written and executed while the person is alive, are obviously not something that can be put off, especially when they are written by a dying person, the case to which our mishnah refers.
Bequests: A document transferring a present from one person to another.
Prozbuls: These documents allow a person’s loans to carry through the Sabbatical year. If they are not written, then the loan is annulled in the sabbatical year.
Evaluation certificates: Documents which evaluate a debtor’s possessions so that the appropriate amount may be collected by the creditor.
And orders for support: These documents allow a widow to sell her dead husband’s property in order to provide for herself.
Documents of halitzah: Halitzah is the refusal of levirate marriage. A woman might need this document to prove that she had been released and was free to marry another man.
And of repudiation [of marriage]: A minor girl whose father has died may be married off by her mother or brother. When she reaches majority age she may repudiate the marriage and have it annulled. She would need this document to prove that she had repudiated the marriage and was allowed to marry another man without having been divorced.
And arbitration records: Certain court cases would begin by the litigants choosing judges. These records would prove which judges had been chosen.
Decrees of the court: Documents recording their decision.
And correspondence: According to the Yerushalmi’s interpretation of this clause, it refers to simple letters of correspondence. In those days sending mail would have been quite difficult. It was not always easy to find someone going to the place where one wanted to send a letter. If such a person was found on the festival one was allowed to write a letter because the opportunity would be lost later. A different (and later interpretation) is that this clause refers to letters written to the government. Only such letters are permitted on the festival because they are of a greater need than simple letters of friendship.