משנה: חֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנָּשָׂא פִיקַּחַת וּפִיקֵּחַ שֶׁנָּשָׂא חֵרֶשֶׁת אִם רָצָה יוֹצִיא וְאִם רָצָה יְקַייֵם כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא כוֹנֵס בִּרְמִיזָה כָּךְ הוּא מוֹצִיא בִרְמִיזָה. פִּיקֵּחַ שֶׁנָּשָׂא פִיקַּחַת וְנִתְחָֽרְשָׁה אִם רָצָה יוֹצִיא וְאִם רָצָה יְקַייֵם. נִשְׁטַתְּתָה לֹא יוֹצִיא. נִתְחָרַשׁ הוּא אוֹ נִשְׁתַּטָּה אֵינוֹ מוֹצִיא עוֹלָמִית. MISHNAH: A deaf-mute man who married a hearing woman or a hearing man who married a deaf-mute woman may divorce or stay married at will; just as he marries with sign language so he divorces with sign language1The marriage is only valid by rabbinic standards; a divorce is possible by rabbinic standards.. A hearing man who married a hearing woman who then became deaf-mute may divorce or stay married at will2As explained in the next Mishnah, a divorce is effective by the action of the husband alone; the divorce is possible even if the wife is not able to act in law.. If she became insane he shall not divorce3By rabbinic decree.. If he became deaf-mute or insane, he can never divorce4He is married under biblical standards. Even if he were able to communicate in sign language as a deaf-mute, he cannot execute acts under biblical standards..
הלכה: חֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנָּשָׂא פִיקַּחַת כול׳. כֵּיצַד הוּא עוֹשֶׂה. רוֹמֵז וְהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ גִּיטָּהּ. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא רוֹמֵז כָּךְ הוּא נִרְמָז. HALAKHAH: “A deaf-mute who married a hearing woman”, etc. How does he do it5How can he divorce? He has to tell the clerk to write the bill and the witnesses to sign and to witness the delivery of the documents. If the woman is deaf-mute, she has to be instructed to receive the documents in her hands. There is an opinion in Mishnah Giṭṭin 5:8 that he may communicate by lip reading.? He communicates in sign language and gives her the bill of divorce. In the same way he communicates with others, others communicate with him.
מַתְנִיתָא בְשֶׁקִּידְּשָׁהּ בַּכֶּסֶף. אֲבָל אִם קִידְּשָׁהּ בִּבְעִילָה קִידּוּשָׁיו מַעֲשֶׂה וְגֵירוּשָׁיו אֵינוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה. The Mishnah applies if he6If the deaf-mute became betrothed to a woman by giving her an object of value, he is imitating an act reserved for competent adults. His marriage is deemed valid only by special rabbinic enactment. If an underage (otherwise normal) boy became betrothed by money’s worth, his act does not have even a shadow of validity. But the betrothal of a woman by the sex act of a man, while impractical, is valid by biblical standards (Deut. 24:1). The marriage then can be undone only by an act valid by biblical standards, outside the reach of a deaf-mute. became betrothed to her by money. But if he became betrothed to her by copulation, his betrothal is an action but his divorce is not an action.
רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלַּחֵרֵשׁ וְשֶׁלַּשּׁוֹטֶה. אָמַר לֵיהּ. אֲפִילוּ אָשָׁם תָּלוּי אֵין בָּהּ. רִבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אָחָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוּחָנָן רִבִּי הִילָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. אֲפִילוּ אָשָׁם תָּלוּי אֵין בָּהּ. מִכֵּיוָן דְּאַתְּ אָמַר. אֲפִילוּ אָשָׁם תָּלוּי אֵין בָּהּ וּבָא אַחֵר וְקִידְּשָׁהּ נִתְפְּשׂוּ בָהּ קִידּוּשִׁין. גֵּירַשׁ מוּתֶּרֶת לְהִינָּשֵׂא לָרִאשׁוֹן. הָדָא הִיא דְתַנֵּי רִבִּי חִייָה. אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלַּחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁגֵּירְשָׁהּ חֵרֵשׁ וְהָֽלְכָה וְנִישֵּׂאת לְחֵרֵשׁ אוֹ לְפִקֵּחַ. קוֹרֵא אֲנִי עָלֶיהָ לֹא יוֹכַל בַּעֲלָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר שִׁלְּחָהּ לָשׁוּב לְקַחְתָּהּ. אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלַּפִּיקֵחַ שֶׁגֵּירְשָׁהּ וְהָֽלְכָה וְנִישֵּׂאת לְחֵרֵשׁ אוֹ לְפִיקֵּחַ. קוֹרֵא אֲנִי עָלֶיהָ לֹא יוֹכַל בַּעֲלָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר שִׁלְּחָהּ. אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלַּחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁהָלַךְ לוֹ בַעֲלָהּ לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם. וּבָאוּ וְאָֽמְרוּ לָהּ. מֵת בַּעֲלֵיךְ. וְהָֽלְכָה וְנִישֵּׂאת לְחֵרֵשׁ אוֹ לְפִיקֵּחַ וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּא בַעֲלָהּ. תֵּצֵא מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה. אִשְׁתּוֹ שְׁלַּפִּיקֵחַ שֶׁהָלַךְ בַעֲלָהּ לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם. בָּאוּ וְאָֽמְרוּ לָהּ. מֵת בַּעֲלֵיךְ. וְהָֽלְכָה וְנִישֵּׂאת לְחֵרֵשׁ וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּא הַפִּיקֵּחַ. הֲוֵינָן סָֽבְרִין מֵימַר. יוֹצִיא הַחֵרֵשׁ וִיקַייֵם הַפִּיקֵּחַ. עוֹד הִיא כְאִילֵּין קְנָסַייָא. Rebbi Eleazar asked Rebbi Joḥanan: The wife of a deaf-mute or an insane? He said to him, that does not even need a reparation sacrifice for a possible sin7Since the marriage has no biblical validity, adultery by the wife cannot be a biblical crime. There cannot be a sacrifice to atone for any transgression of rabbinic rules. The Babli agrees, 113a in the name of Samuel.. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, Rebbi Hila in the name of Rebbi Eleazar: It does not even need a reparation sacrifice for a possible sin. Since you say, it does not even need a reparation sacrifice for a possible sin; if another man came and gave her qiddušin, they take hold of her8Cf. Chapter 5, Note 43. If the woman is not married by biblical standards, betrothal to another man needs a divorce.. If he divorced, is she permitted to remarry the first [husband]? That is what Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: About the wife of a deaf-mute who after being divorced by the deaf-mute went and married a deaf-mute or a hearing person, I am reading: “Her first husband who sent her away cannot come to take her back.”9,Deut. 24:4.10This is a rabbinic decree. About the wife of a hearing person who after being divorced went and married a deaf-mute or a hearing person, I am reading: “Her first husband who sent her away cannot … ” If a deaf-mute’s husband went overseas and they came and told his wife, your husband has died, and she went and married a deaf- mute or a hearing person, and then her husband returned, she has to leave both of them11Under the rules of Mishnah 10:1.. If the husband of a hearing wife went overseas and they came and told her, your husband has died, and she went and married a deaf-mute, and then her hearing [husband] returned, we would think that the deaf-mute should divorce her but the hearing person can keep her12Since she was not really married and unmarried sex in the erroneous belief that she was a widow does not prevent the woman to return to her husband.. She is still under these disabilities13The long list of disabilities of Mishnah 10:1 is rabbinic and the rabbis enforce them for marriages concluded under rabbinic rules only..
נִשְׁתַּטָּה לֹא יוֹצִיא. דְּבֵית רִבִּי יִנַּאי אָֽמְרֵי. מִפְּנֵי גְדֵירָה. רִבִּי זְעִירָה וְרִבִּי אִילָא תְּרֵיהוֹן אָֽמְרִין. שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְשַׁמֵּר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. רִבִּי נְחֶמְיָה בַּר מַר עוּקְבָּן בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר תְּלָתָא. עָבַר וְגֵירַשׁ. מָאן דְּאָמַר. מִפְּנֵי גְדֵירָה. גֵּירַשׁ. מָאן דְּאָמַר. שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְשַׁמֵּר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. אָסוּר. יֵשׁ לָהּ בֵּן וְאָב וְאָח. מָאן דְּאָמַר. מִפְּנֵי גְדֵירָה. אָסוּר. מָאן דְּאָמַר. שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְשַׁמֵּר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. יֵשׁ לָהּ אָב וִיכוֹלָה הִיא לִשְׁמוֹר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. פְּעָמִים שׁוֹטָה פְעָמִים חֲלוּמָה. מָאן דְּאָמַר. מִפְּנֵי גְדֵירָה. אָסוּר. מָאן דְּאָמַר. שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְשַׁמֵּר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. יֵשׁ לָהּ עִיתִּים וִיכוֹלָה הִיא לְשַׁמֵּר אֶת גִּיטָּהּ. “If she became insane he shall not divorce.” In the House of Rebbi Yannai they said, because of the fence14In the rabbinic literature (Tosaphot 113b s. v. יצתה, Rašba 113b, Roš 14:3, from where all later sources are derived) the reading is גְּרִירָה “towing, dragging”. According to that reading, R. Yannai says that the divorce is rabbinically prohibited because on her own the insane could not defend herself and might be dragged away by any man for sexual abuse. According to the reading of the ms. and editio princeps גְּדֵירָה, R. Yannai asserts only that it is a rabbinic decree that the husband is forbidden to divorce her (cf. Demai Chapter 1, Note 89 for the equality גזירה = גדירה). The cases quoted by R. Nehemiah bar Mar Uqban support the ms. reading unequivocally.
In the Babli, 113b, R. Yannai is quoted as author of the statement attributed here to R. Ze‘ira and R. Hila.. Rebbi Ze‘ira and Rebbi Hila both say, because she cannot preserve her bill of divorce15Since Deut. 24:1 requires that the divorce document be in the hand of the wife, a wife without a legal hand cannot be divorced. The Babli, 113b, agrees that a bill of divorce that cannot be delivered either to the woman or her representative is inactive.. Rebbi Nehemiah bar Mar Uqban (the son) [in the name]16Reading of Roš,l. c. The reading of the ms. is impossible. of Rebbi Yose explained three cases. If he transgressed and divorced her. According to him who said because of a fence, he divorced17His action was a transgression but is valid.. According to him who said because she cannot preserve her bill of divorce, it is forbidden18Unless the woman understands that she is divorced, she is not divorced.. If she has a son, or a father, or a brother. According to him who said because of a fence, it is forbidden. According to him who said because she cannot preserve her bill of divorce, she has a father and can preserve her bill of divorce. Sometimes she is insane and sometimes of lucid mind. According to him who said because of a fence, it is forbidden. According to him who said because she cannot preserve her bill of divorce, sometimes she can preserve her bill of divorce19According to both Talmudim [Yerushalmi Terumot 1:1 (Notes 52–55), Giṭṭin 7:1, fol. 48c; Babli Roš Haššanah28a] a sporadically insane person is treated as a normal person in his intervals of lucidity..