Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer Siman 123

Siman 123

Presented here for study, not as a practical ruling. The Shulchan Aruch rules by Sephardi custom, the Rema's glosses by Ashkenazi custom, and the Kitzur follows Ashkenazi custom. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.

א הַכֹּל כְּשֵׁרִים לִכְתֹּב הַגֵּט, חוּץ מֵחֲמִשָּׁה: גּוֹי וְעֶבֶד וְחֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן. אֲפִלּוּ הָאִשָּׁה בְּעַצְמָהּ, אִם אָמַר לָהּ הַבַּעַל לְכָתְבוֹ, יְכוֹלָה לְכָתְבוֹ וְתַקְנֶה אוֹתוֹ לַבַּעֲלָהּ וְחוֹזֵר וְנוֹתְנוֹ לָהּ. הַגָּה: וְהַבַּעַל לְכַתְּחִלָּה לֹא יִכְתֹּב הַגֵּט בְּעַצְמוֹ, גַּם לֹא יְצַוֶּה לַסוֹפֵר כֵּיצַד יִכְתֹּב, אֶלָּא אוֹמֵר לוֹ, סְתָם, לִכְתֹּב (מָצָא בַּקוּנְטְרֵסִים). וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּיֵשׁ לְהַחֲמִיר שֶׁגַּם קָרוֹב לֹא יִכְתֹּב לְכַתְּחִלָּה, הֵיכָא דְּאֶפְשָׁר בְּאַחֵר (מַהֲרִי"ק שֹׁרֶשׁ ק"ו). וּלְכַתְּחִלָּה יִכְתֹּב הַסוֹפֵר בְּיָדוֹ הַיְמָנִית; וְאִם הוּא אִטֵּר יָד, יִכְתֹּב בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ (מ"כ בְּתִקוּן יָשָׁן):
1 Anyone is kosher as a scribe for a divorce document, except for five people: A non-Jew, a slave, a deaf-and-dumb person [who is presumed to be unable to have proper intent], an insane person, and a child. Even the woman herself, if her husband would ask her to write it, can write it and cause her husband to acquire it, and he would go and give it to her. Rema: And the husband ideally should not write the divorce document himself, and he should also not command the scribe on how it should be written, but he should rather say, plainly, to write (found in Kuntresim). Some say that there is what to be stringent that ideally a relative should also not write it, when another person is available (Makarik Shoresh 106). Ideally the scribe should write with his right hand. If he is left handed, he should write with his left (M"C B'Tikun Yashan).
ב יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהֵמִיר, אוֹ שֶׁהוּא מְחַלֵּל שַׁבָּתוֹת בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא, הֲרֵי הוּא כְּגוֹי לְכָל דָבָר:
2 A Jew that apostatizes, or violates Sabbaths in public, he is considered a gentile in all aspects.
ג כָּתַב הַגֵּט אֶחָד מֵאֵלּוּ הַחֲמִשָּׁה, אֵינוֹ גֵּט אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁחָתְמוּ בּוֹ עֵדִים כְּשֵׁרִים וְנִמְסַר לָהּ בִּכְשֵׁרִים. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, בְּשֶׁכָּתַב הַתֹּרֶף; אֲבָל אִם לֹא כָּתַב אֶלָּא הַטֹּפֶס, וְהִנִּיחַ מְקוֹם הַתֹּרֶף שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹם הָאִישׁ וְהָאִשָּׁה וְהַזְּמַן וַ"הֲרֵי אַתְּ מֻתֶּרֶת לְכָל אָדָם", וּכְתָבוֹ הַפִּקֵּחַ הַגָּדוֹל הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי לִשְׁמוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה גֵּט כָּשֵׁר. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דַּאֲפִלּוּ בְּכִי הַאי גַּוְנָא פָּסוּל מִדְּרַבָּנָן (טוּר בְּשֵׁם ר"י):
3 A divorce document written by one of these five people is not a divorce document, even though it is signed by kosher witnesses and by kosher [witnesses] it is given over to her. When does this apply? When the specific details are written in (toref). But if only the form text (tofes) is written, and a space is left for the toref, i.e. the place for the [name of] the man, woman, date, and [the line] "Behold you are permitted to anyone else," and an adult Jew of sound mind writes [those] with proper [intent], that is a kosher divorce document. Rema: Some say that even in this way is invalid on a rabbinical level (Tur in the name of R"Y).
ד מֻתָּר לְהַנִּיחַ חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן לִכְתֹּב טֹפֶס הַגֵּט לְכַתְּחִלָּה, וְהוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה גָּדוֹל הַפִּקֵּחַ עוֹמֵד עַל גַּבָּן. אֲבָל הַגּוֹי וְהָעֶבֶד אֵין כּוֹתְבִין טֹפֶס לְכַתְּחִלָּה וַאֲפִלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹמֵד עַל גַּבָּן:
4 It is permitted [even] ideally for a deaf-dumb person, an insane person, or a child to write the form text (tofes), as long as an adult of sound mind stands over him. But a gentile and a slave ideally cannot write the form text, even if a Jew stood over them.
ה הַכּוֹתֵב גֵּט בְּשַׁבָּת אוֹ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, בְּשׁוֹגֵג, וּנְתָנוֹ לָהּ, הֲרֵי זוֹ מְגֹרֶשֶׁת. כְּתָבוֹ וַחֲתָמוֹ בְּזָדוֹן בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם אוֹ בְּיוֹם טוֹב, וּנְתָנוֹ לָהּ, אֵינָהּ מְגֹרֶשֶׁת, שֶׁהֲרֵי הָעֵדִים פְּסוּלִים מִן הַתּוֹרָה. כְּתָבוֹ בְּיוֹם טוֹב בְּזָדוֹן, וְנִמְסַר לָהּ בִּפְנֵי עֵדִים כְּשֵׁרִים, הֲרֵי זֶה גֵּט פָּסוּל. הַגָּה: אֲבָל כְּתָבוֹ בְּזָדוֹן בְּיוֹם כִּפּוּרִים וְשַׁבָּת, הֲרֵי זֶה בָּטֵל מִדְּאוֹרָיְתָא, (כֵּן דִּקְדֵּק הַבֵּית יוֹסֵף). וְאֵין לְגָרֵשׁ בַּלַּיְלָה, וְאִם גֵּרַשׁ בַּלַּיְלָה יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּהָוֵי גֵּט פָּסוּל (ר"י מִינְץ). וְלָכֵן לְאַחַר שֶׁהִתְפַּלְּלוּ הַקָּהָל עַרְבִית אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲדַיִן הַיּוֹם גָּדוֹל, אֵין לְגָרֵשׁ (בִּתְרוּמַת הַדֶּשֶׁן סִימָן רמ"ח). וְעַיֵּן לְקַמָּן סוֹף סִימָן קנ"ד סָעִיף פ"ח וּפ"ט:
5 One who writes a divorce document on the Sabbath or on Yom Kippur, accidentally (shogeg), and he gives it to her, she is indeed divorced. If he writes it and has it signed [by witnesses] purposely on that day [of the Sabbath or Yom Kippur] or on a festival, she is not divorced, for the witnesses are invalid on a biblical level. If he writes it purposely on a festival, and he gives it to her in front of kosher witnesses, indeed the divorce document is invalid. Rema: But if he writes it purposely on Yom Kippur or the Sabbath, indeed it is utterly invalid on a biblical level (so inferred the Bet Yosef). And one cannot divorce at night, and if one does divorce at night, some say the divorce document is invalidated (R"Y Mintz). And therefore, after the congregation prays the evening prayer, even if it is still largely day, one may not divorce (Terumat Hadeshen Sman 248). And see later the end of Siman 154 Se'if 88 and 89.
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