Mesechtas Gittin

Mesechtas Gittin has 9 chapters and 89 pages.

The tractate deals with the laws of the get (divorce document). This refers to a document that a man writes for his wife in cases where they have reached a situation of divorce, God forbid. The tractate discusses, among other things, the laws of writing the get, the laws of agency, and the laws of acquisition. The tractate contains many famous yeshiva topics.

This tractate is one of the Gemara tractates studied in Chabad yeshivas.

Rabbi Yosi's Reasoning is With Him

The tractate mentions the unique quality of Rabbi Yosi in relation to all other Tannaim (Mishnaic sages), namely - "Rabbi Yosi nimuko imo" - "his explanation is with him, to give reason for all his words, as he would justify his statements." This means that his approach to learning throughout the entire Torah [as he was ordained from person to person back to Moses, meaning he received the entire Torah] was with reason and explanation (binah), "his reasoning is with him" (unlike other Tannaim who, although they certainly tried to learn with reason and explanation, nevertheless in many matters their approach was "if it is the law, we will accept it"). As we find in the Jerusalem Talmud, when Rabbi Yosi died, understanding ceased.

Shtar

See expanded entry - Shtar

A get is the only document explicitly mentioned in the Torah, and from it we learn all the laws of divorce. The get is an act of acquisition through a document, whose essence is: a) the act of writing the get, b) the evidence in the borrower's possession of the document. There is a dispute among the Tannaim whether "the witnesses of the writing effect the divorce" and the main acquisition is through the witnesses who sign the document testifying that the owner of the document is the one who wrote it and not someone else - since this is the main evidence in the document according to their view, or "the witnesses of the delivery effect the divorce," and the main acquisition is through witnesses who testify that the document was willingly delivered by the obligated party to the holder as evidence - which is the main proof in the document according to this view.

The Rebbe's Explanations

• The precedence of Tractate Gittin to Tractate Kiddushin. Torat Menachem Vol. 26 p. 181
• The beginning of the tractate. Torat Menachem Vol. 26 p. 156
• 2a. Tosafot "Hamevi." As the measure of 12 lines that separate, etc. Torat Menachem Vol. 26 p. 180
• 25a. They count and withdraw their hands from it until it is slaughtered. Shaarei HaMoadim Pesach Vol. 1 p. 258
• 37b. He said to him nevertheless, he should accept from him. Shaarei Halacha U'Minhag p. 282
• 52b. And not everything that has no fixed amount. Likkutei Sichot Vol. 38 p. 111
• 59b. "And you shall sanctify him," for every matter of holiness to open first and to bless first. Likkutei Sichot Vol. 18 p. 206
• 64a. Admission of a litigant (only in monetary laws and not in capital cases). Likkutei Sichot Vol. 34 p. 106
• 83b. A sage does not permit anything except with regret. Likkutei Sichot Vol. 33 p. 187
• 90a. If he intends to divorce her while she sits under him and serves him. Likkutei Sichot Vol. 34 p. 138
• 90a. A man should not divorce his wife unless he finds in her a matter of immorality. Torat Menachem Vol. 26 p. 157
• 90a. A man should not divorce his wife unless he finds in her a matter of immorality. Likkutei Sichot Vol. 18 p. 55
• 90b. Whoever divorces his first wife, even the altar sheds tears over him. Torat Menachem Vol. 26 p. 163

Explanations of the Tzemach Tzedek

• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine

External Links

• Tractate Gittin
• References to Tractate Gittin