Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer Siman 131

Siman 131

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 צָרִיךְ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה כְּתִיבַת הַגֵּט וַחֲתִימָתוֹ לְשֵׁם הָאִישׁ הַמְגָרֵשׁ וּלְשֵׁם הָאִשָּׁה הַמִּתְגָּרֶשֶׁת. וְאִם לֹא נִכְתַּב לִשְׁמָהּ, אֵינוֹ גֵּט. כֵּיצַד, סוֹפֵר שֶׁכָּתַב גֵּט לְלַמֵּד אוֹ לְהִתְלַמֵּד, וּבָא הַבַּעַל וּמָצָא שֵׁם שֶׁנִּכְתַּב בְּגֵט זֶה כִּשְׁמוֹ, וְשֵׁם הָאִשָּׁה כְּשֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ, וְשֵׁם הָעִיר כְּשֵׁם עִירוֹ, וּנְטָלוֹ וְגֵרַשׁ בּוֹ, אֵינוֹ גֵּט:

1 The writing of a get (writ of divorce) and the signature of the witnesses must be in the name of (for the sake of) the divorcing man and the woman being divorced. If it was not written with this knowledge, the get is invalid. For example, a scribe who wrote a get to teach or for practice, and the husband came and found that the sample get had been written with his name, and the woman's name was the same as his wife's name, and the city was as his city; and he took the get and divorced his wife with the sample get, it is not a valid get.

ב יֶתֶר עַל כֵּן, כָּתַב לְגָרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ, וְנִמְלַךְ, וּמְצָאוֹ בֶּן עִירוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ: שְׁמִי כְּשִׁמְךָ וְשֵׁם אִשְׁתִּי כְּשֵׁם אִשְׁתְּךָ, וּנְטָלוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וְגֵרַשׁ בּוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּכְתַּב לְשֵׁם גֵּרוּשִׁין, אֵינוֹ גֵּט:

2 In addition, if he wrote to divorce his wife and changed his mind, and a resident of his city found him and told him, "My name is as your name, and my wife's name is as your wife's name," and he (the second man) took the get and divorced his wife, even though this get was originally written to effect a divorce, the get is not valid.

ג יֶתֶר עַל זֶה, מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים שֶׁשְּׁמוֹתֵיהֶם שָׁווֹת, וְכָתַב לְגָרֵשׁ אֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה, וְנִמְלַךְ, וְגֵרַשׁ בּוֹ אֶת הַקְּטַנָּה, אֵינוֹ גֵּט, שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּכְתַּב לְשֵׁם הָאִישׁ הַמְגָרֵשׁ, לֹא נִכְתַּב לְשֵׁם זוֹ שֶׁנִּתְגָּרְשָׁה בּוֹ:

3 Furthermore, a man who has two wives with identical names, and he wrote to divorce the elder, changed his mind, and used the get to divorce the younger woman, it is not a valid get, for even though it was written in the name of the divorcing man, it was not written for the purpose of divorcing the woman who received the divorce.

ד יֶתֶר עַל כֵּן, אָמַר לַסוֹפֵר: כְּתֹב, וְאֵיזֶה שֶׁאֶרְצֶה אֲגָרֵשׁ בּוֹ, וְכָתַב הַסוֹפֵר עַל דַּעַת זֶה, וְגֵרַשׁ בּוֹ אַחַת מֵהֶן, הֲרֵי זֶה סְפֵק גֵּרוּשִׁין. וְהוּא הַדִּין אִם אָמַר לוֹ: כְּתֹב, לְאֵי זוֹ שֶׁתֵּצֵא בַּפֶּתַח תְּחִלָּה אֲגָרְשֶׁנָּה בּוֹ:

4 What is more, if he said to the scribe: Write, and I will divorce the one I wish [to divorce] with it, and the scribe wrote on this condition, and he divorced one of them with it, behold this is doubtful divorce. And that is the ruling if he said to him: Write, to whichever one goes out of the door first [and] I will divorce her with it.

ה גֵּט שֶׁכְּתָבוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֶעֱבִיר עָלָיו קוּלְמוּס לִשְׁמָהּ, אֵינוֹ גֵּט. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁחוֹשְׁשִׁין לוֹ:

5 A divorce document that he wrote not for its own sake(without intent), even if the scribe goes over it with intent, it is not a divorce document. And there are those who doubt this.

ו אֲפִלּוּ נִכְתַּב לִשְׁמוֹ, אִם לֹא חָתְמוּ הָעֵדִים לִשְׁמוֹ, אִם נְתָנוֹ לָהּ בְּלֹא עֵדֵי מְסִירָה, אֵינוֹ גֵּט. וְאִם נְתָנוֹ לָהּ בְּעֵדֵי מְסִירָה, הֲרֵי זֶה פָּסוּל. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁגַּם זֶה אֵינוֹ גֵּט:

6 אֲפִלּוּ נִכְתַּב לִשְׁמוֹ, אִם לֹא חָתְמוּ הָעֵדִים לִשְׁמוֹ, אִם נְתָנוֹ לָהּ בְּלֹא עֵדֵי מְסִירָה, אֵינוֹ גֵּט. וְאִם נְתָנוֹ לָהּ בְּעֵדֵי מְסִירָה, הֲרֵי זֶה פָּסוּל. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁגַּם זֶה אֵינוֹ גֵּט: Even if it were written in his name, if the witnesses did not sign in his name, if he gave it to her without witnesses of transfer, it is not a divorce document. And if he gave it to her with witnesses of transfer, behold it is unfit. And there are those that say it is not even a divorce document(as opposed to just being unfit).

ז לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר, כְּשֶׁהַבַּעַל מְצַוֶּה לַסוֹפֵר לִכְתֹּב, שֶׁיֹּאמַר בִּפְנֵי עֵדִים שֶׁיַּחְתְּמוּ עַל הַגֵּט: כְּתֹב גֵּט לְשֵׁם פְּלוֹנִית אִשְׁתִּי. וְכֵן יֹאמַר הַסוֹפֵר בְּפִיו כְּשֶׁמַּתְחִיל לִכְתֹּב, שֶׁכּוֹתְבוֹ לְשֵׁם פְּלוֹנִית אֵשֶׁת פְּלוֹנִי וְלִשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי. הַגָּה: וְיֹאמַר כֵּן בִּפְנֵי עֵדִים הַחוֹתְמִים עַל הַגֵּט, וְיִכְתְּבֶנּוּ אַחַר כָּךְ בִּקְבִיעוּת וְלֹא בְּסֵרוּגִין, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּכְתְּבוֹ לִשְׁמוֹ וְלִשְׁמָהּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִתְחִיל (בְּסֵדֶר גִּטִּין). וּמִיהוּ, בְּדִיעֲבַד אִם כְּתָבוֹ בְּסֵרוּגִין, כָּשֵׁר (ד"ע). יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים תִּקּוּן הַקְּלָף וַחֲתִיכַת הַקּוּלְמוּס, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן הַשִּׂרְטוּט, צָרִיךְ הַכֹּל לִהְיוֹת לִשְׁמָם (מ"כ בְּתִקוּן), וּמִיהוּ, אִם עָשָׂה אֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָם, אֵינוֹ פָּסוּל:

7 Therefore, one needs to be cautious when the husband commands the scribe to write that he say before witnesses that they should sign the divorce document: "Write this divorce document in the name of so and so, my wife. And so too the scribe should vocalize when he begins to write that he is writing for such an such a person, the wife of so and so, in the name of so and so. Rema: And he should say this before the signing witnesses of the document, and they should write it with consistency and not in intervals, in order that they write his and her name like it was from the beginning. However, after the fact, if he wrote in intervals, it is kosher. (an opinion on its own). There are those that say emending the parchment, outline of the quill and all the more so, tracing, all need to be done with intention. However, if he did all these without intention, it is not invalid.

ח יִהְיוּ שָׁם שְׁנֵי עֵדֵי הַחֲתִימָה בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּתְחִיל לִכְתֹּב הַגֵּט, כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ שֶׁנִּכְתַּב לִשְׁמָהּ וְיַכִּירוּהוּ בִּשְׁעַת חֲתִימָה:

8 The two signatory witnesses should be there at the time in which he starts to write the divorce document, in order that they know it was written with intention and they identify the timing of the signing.

ט כְּשֶׁיֹאמַר לָעֵדִים לַחְתֹּם בַּגֵּט, יֹאמַר לָהֶם שֶׁיַּחְתְּמוּהוּ לְשֵׁם פְּלוֹנִית אִשְׁתּוֹ. וְכֵן יֹאמַר כָּל אֶחָד בְּפִיו, כְּשֶׁחוֹתֵם, שֶׁהוּא חָתְמוֹ לְשֵׁם פְּלוֹנִית אֵשֶׁת פְּלוֹנִי וְלִשְׁמוֹ. הַגָּה: וְאִם הִתְחִיל לַחְתֹּם מִקְצָת שְׁמוֹ, וְלֹא אָמַר לִשְׁמוֹ וְלִשְׁמָהּ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִזְכַּר וַאֲמָרוֹ, יֵשׁ מַכְשִׁירִין (ת"ה סִימָן רכ"ח ומהרי"ו סי' כ"ז):

9 When he says to the witnesses to sign the bill of divorce, he should say to them that they should sign in the name of his wife. And so too each one should say, orally, when he signs, that he is signing it in the name of so and so, the wife of so and so, with his(husband's) name. Rem''a: And if he started to sign a little of his name and he didn't orally say his(husband) and her name, and afterward he remembers and says it, there are those who permit such a situation.

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