Halakhah for Gittin 2:4

אֵין כּוֹתְבִין בִּמְחֻבָּר לַקַּרְקַע. כְּתָבוֹ בִמְחֻבָּר, תְּלָשׁוֹ וַחֲתָמוֹ וּנְתָנוֹ לָהּ, כָּשֵׁר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פוֹסֵל, עַד שֶׁתְּהֵא כְתִיבָתוֹ וַחֲתִימָתוֹ בְּתָלוּשׁ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא אוֹמֵר, אֵין כּוֹתְבִין לֹא עַל הַנְּיָר הַמָּחוּק וְלֹא עַל הַדִּפְתְּרָא, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא יָכוֹל לְהִזְדַּיֵּף. וַחֲכָמִים מַכְשִׁירִין:

Gittin are not written on what is attached to the ground, ["cutting" lacking]. If it were written on what was attached, torn off, signed, and given to her, it is valid. [This is what is meant: If he wrote the tofess (the entire get excluding the place of the man, the place of the woman, and the date) on something attached to the ground, and it were torn off and signed — that is, if he wrote the toref (the place of the man and the woman and the date) after it were torn off, it is valid. For since the toref was written on what was torn off, even though the tofess was written on what was attached, it is valid.] R. Yehudah rules it to be invalid, until it be both written and signed on what is detached. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: Gittin are written neither on erased paper nor on diftera, for it lends itself to forging. And the sages permit it. [("neither on erased paper":) For he can erase what he wishes up to the (signatures of the) witnesses, and write above it what he wishes, without anything being noticed, the witnesses, too, being signed on what is erased. ("diftera":) Its erasure is not noticeable. Diftera is a skin prepared with salt and flour, but not with gall-nut. ("And the sages permit it":) with gittin only, the sages holding that the witnesses of delivery (of the get to the woman) effect the divorce, and not the witnesses of the signing. But with other writs, where the witnesses of the signing are relied upon, the sages agree that they are written neither on erased paper nor on diftera. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]

Explore halakhah for Gittin 2:4. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.