Si alguien trae un producto del extranjero y dice: "Antes de mí fue escrito, y antes de mí fue firmado" [Debe decir esto, como se explica en Gittin — de acuerdo con un punto de vista porque (en el extranjero) no están versados (el conocimiento de que se debe escribir un get) lishmah — a su fin particular —y, según otra opinión, debido a que los testigos certificadores generalmente no están disponibles allí], no puede casarse con su esposa (la del divorciada). [Porque solo tenemos su testimonio en el que confiar (y él puede estar mintiendo para casarse con ella)]. Si dice: "Murió" o "Lo maté" o "Lo matamos", no puede casarse con su esposa. [Porque dado que ella se casa sobre la base de su testimonio, se puede hablar de que él "la miró" y testificó falsamente para poder casarse con ella. Pero ella puede casarse con otro; porque una mujer puede casarse sobre la base del testimonio de un testigo.] R. Yehudah dice: Si dice: "Lo maté", su esposa no puede casarse [sobre la base de su testimonio, incluso con otro. Porque él es un malhechor (por su propia admisión); y la Torá prohíbe el testimonio de un malhechor. Pero la halajá no está de acuerdo con R. Yehudah, ya que se dictamina que un hombre no se hace malhechor, siendo "solícito" de sí mismo. Le creemos, entonces, en cuanto a que el otro ha sido asesinado; pero no en cuanto a que lo haya matado. De modo que incluso si él dice: "Lo maté", su esposa puede casarse.] [La gemara explica esto ("Lo matamos") que significa: "Estaba con sus asesinos, pero no lo maté".
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.
