In this daf, we continue our learning of the halachos of a get that was written during the day and signed at night, exploring how Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi understands the opinions of Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish regarding delayed signatures. We then begin a beautiful new Mishnah that teaches us the proper materials for writing a get, specifying that the ink must be permanent and the writing surface can be almost anything, even an olive leaf or the horn of a cow.
The Gemara goes on to define the various writing materials mentioned in the Mishnah, such as different dyes and resins, and brings down a fascinating discussion regarding the halachos of writing on Shabbos. We learn about the melacha of writing and erasing when one writes with ink over red dye, and how these Shabbos definitions connect to the halachos of witnesses signing a get.
כְּדַאי הוּא רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן לִסְמוֹךְ עָלָיו בִּשְׁעַת הַדְּחָק.
Rabbi Shimon is worthy to rely upon him in a time of exigent circumstances, and therefore the woman is divorced.
וְהָאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: לֹא הִכְשִׁיר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אֶלָּא לְאַלְתַּר, אֲבָל מִכָּאן וְעַד עֲשָׂרָה יָמִים – לָא!
But didn't Reish Lakish say: Rabbi Shimon did not validate such a get except if the other witnesses signed immediately, but from now and until ten days later, no, he does not validate it?
בְּהַהִיא, כְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן סְבִירָא לֵיהּ.
In that matter of whether they must sign immediately, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi holds in accordance with Rabbi Yochanan, who says they may sign even after a delay.
וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: שְׁנַיִם מִשּׁוּם עֵדִים, וְכוּלָּן מִשּׁוּם תְּנַאי!
But didn't Rabbi Yochanan say: Two of them sign on account of witnesses, and all the rest of them sign only on account of a condition? Thus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi cannot hold like Rabbi Yochanan, as he is concerned about the other signatures.
בְּהָהִיא, כְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ סְבִירָא לֵיהּ.
Rather, in that matter of why the others sign, he holds in accordance with Reish Lakish that all of them sign as actual witnesses.
מַתְנִי׳ בַּכֹּל כּוֹתְבִים – בִּדְיוֹ, בְּסַם, בְּסִיקְרָא, וּבְקוֹמוֹס, וּבְקַנְקַנְתּוֹם, וּבְכׇל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא שֶׁל קַיָּימָא.
MISHNAH: With anything we may write a get: with ink, with paint, with red dye, and with resin, and with kankantom, and with any substance that is permanent.
אֵין כּוֹתְבִין לֹא בְּמַשְׁקִין, וְלֹא בְּמֵי פֵירוֹת, וְלֹא בְּכׇל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְקַיֵּים.
But we may not write, not with liquids, and not with fruit juice, and not with any substance that is not permanent.
עַל הַכֹּל כּוֹתְבִין – עַל הֶעָלֶה שֶׁל זַיִת; וְעַל הַקֶּרֶן שֶׁל פָּרָה – וְנוֹתֵן לָהּ אֶת הַפָּרָה; עַל יָד שֶׁל עֶבֶד – וְנוֹתֵן לָהּ אֶת הָעֶבֶד.
On anything we may write the get: on the leaf of an olive tree; and on the horn of a cow, and in that case he gives her the cow itself; on the hand of a slave, and he gives her the slave.
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: אֵין כּוֹתְבִין לֹא עַל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ רוּחַ חַיִּים, וְלֹא עַל הָאוֹכָלִים.
Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: We may not write, not on a thing that has a spirit of life, and not on food.
גְּמָ׳ דְּיוֹ – דְּיוֹתָא. סַם – סַמָּא. סִיקְרָא – אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: סְקַרְתָּא שְׁמַהּ. קוֹמוֹס – קוֹמָא. קַנְקַנְתּוֹם – אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: חַרְתָּא דְאוּשְׁכָּפֵי.
GEMARA: Deyo is deyota in Aramaic. Sam is samma. As for sikra, Rabba bar bar Chana said: Its name is sikreta. Komos is kuma. Kankantom, Rabba bar bar Chana said in the name of Shmuel: This is the black dye of cobblers.
וּבְכׇל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מִתְקַיֵּים וְכוּ׳: לְאֵתוֹיֵי מַאי?
The Mishnah taught: And with any substance that is permanent etc. The Gemara asks: To include what other substances was this general statement written?
לְאֵתוֹיֵי הָא דְתָנֵי רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: כְּתָבוֹ בְּמֵי טַרְיָא וְאַפְצָא – כָּשֵׁר.
The Gemara answers: To include that which Rabbi Chanina taught: If he wrote it with mei teriya or gallnut water, it is valid.
תָּנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא: כְּתָבוֹ בַּאֲבָר, בִּשְׁחוֹר וּבְשִׁיחוֹר – כָּשֵׁר.
Similarly, Rabbi Chiyya taught: If he wrote it with lead, with coal, or with black paint, it is valid.
אִיתְּמַר: הַמַּעֲבִיר דְּיוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי סִיקְרָא, בַּשַּׁבָּת; רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ – חַיָּיב שְׁתַּיִם: אַחַת מִשּׁוּם כּוֹתֵב, וְאַחַת מִשּׁוּם מוֹחֵק.
It was stated: One who passes ink over red dye on Shabbos; Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish both say: He is liable to bring two sin-offerings: one on account of writing, and one on account of erasing the red dye underneath.
דְּיוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי דְּיוֹ, סִיקְרָא עַל גַּבֵּי סִיקְרָא – פָּטוּר.
If he wrote ink over ink, or red dye over red dye, he is exempt according to everyone, because he did not change anything.
סִיקְרָא עַל גַּבֵּי דְּיוֹ – אָמְרִי לַה: חַיָּיב, וְאָמְרִי לַה: פָּטוּר.
If he wrote red dye over ink, some say he is liable, and some say he is exempt.
אָמְרִי לַה חַיָּיב – מוֹחֵק הוּא. אָמְרִי לַה פָּטוּר – מְקַלְקֵל הוּא.
Those who say he is liable hold that he is erasing the superior ink writing. Those who say he is exempt hold that he is destroying, and one who acts destructively on Shabbos is exempt.
בְּעָא מִינֵּיהּ רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ מֵרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: עֵדִים שֶׁאֵין יוֹדְעִים לַחְתּוֹם; מַהוּ שֶׁיִּכְתְּבוּ לָהֶם בְּסִיקְרָא, וְיַחְתְּמוּ כְּתָב עֶלְיוֹן? כְּתָב, אוֹ אֵינוֹ כְּתָב?
Reish Lakish asked of Rabbi Yochanan: Witnesses who do not know how to sign, what is the law as to whether we may write for them their names in red dye, and they will sign in ink as the upper writing? Is the upper writing considered writing, or is it not writing for the purpose of signing a get?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵינוֹ כְּתָב.
He said to him: It is not writing, and therefore they may not do so.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וַהֲלֹא לִימַּדְתָּנוּ רַבֵּינוּ, כְּתָב עֶלְיוֹן – כְּתָב לְעִנְיַן שַׁבָּת!
Reish Lakish said to him: But did you not teach us, our master, that upper writing is considered writing with regard to Shabbos?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָנוּ מְדַמִּין נַעֲשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה?!
Rabbi Yochanan said to him: And because we compare the halachos of gittin to Shabbos, shall we perform an action in practice and validate a get in this manner?
אִיתְּמַר: עֵדִים שֶׁאֵין יוֹדְעִים לַחְתּוֹם; רַב אָמַר: מְקָרְעִין לָהֶם נְיָיר חָלָק, וּמְמַלְּאִים אֶת הַקְּרָעִים דְּיוֹ. וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: בַּאֲבָר.
It was stated: Witnesses who do not know how to sign; Rav says: We tear blank paper for them in the shape of their names, and they fill the tears with ink. And Shmuel says: We write their names with lead, and they trace over it.
בַּאֲבָר סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ?! וְהָתָנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא: כְּתָבוֹ בַּאֲבָר, בִּשְׁחוֹר וּבְשִׁיחוֹר – כָּשֵׁר!
The Gemara asks: With lead, could this enter your mind?! But didn't Rabbi Chiyya teach: If he wrote it with lead, with coal, or with black paint, it is valid! Thus, lead is already considered writing, and tracing over it would be invalid upper writing.
לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא – בַּאֲבָרָא, הָא – בְּמַיָּא דַאֲבָרָא.
The Gemara answers: This is not difficult: This ruling of Shmuel refers to writing with lead itself, which is not considered writing; that ruling of Rabbi Chiyya refers to writing with lead water, which is considered writing.
רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר: בְּמֵי מֵילִין.
Rabbi Abbahu said: We write their names with gallnut water, and they trace over it.
וְהָתָנֵי רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: כְּתָבוֹ בְּמֵי טַרְיָא וְאַפְצָא – כָּשֵׁר!
The Gemara asks: But didn't Rabbi Chanina teach: If he wrote it with mei teriya or gallnut water, it is valid! Thus, gallnut water is considered writing.
לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא דַּאֲפִיץ, הָא דְּלָא אֲפִיץ; שֶׁאֵין מֵי מֵילִין עַל גַּבֵּי מֵי מֵילִין.
The Gemara answers: This is not difficult: This case where it is valid is where the parchment was processed with gallnuts, so the gallnut water does not make a permanent mark; that case is where it was not processed with gallnuts, as gallnut water over gallnut water is not considered writing.
רַב פָּפָּא אָמַר: בְּרוֹק.
Rav Papa said: We write their names with saliva, and they trace over it.
וְכֵן אוֹרִי לֵיהּ רַב פָּפָּא לְפָפָּא תּוֹרָאָה: בְּרוֹק.
And so Rav Papa instructed Papa the cattle dealer: Sign with saliva.
וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי בְּגִיטִּין, אֲבָל בִּשְׁטָרוֹת – לָא, דְּהָהוּא דַּעֲבַד עוֹבָדָא בִּשְׁאָר שְׁטָרוֹת, וְנַגְּדֵיהּ רַב כָּהֲנָא.
And this applies only to bills of divorce, but to other documents, no, we do not allow this, as there was a certain person who did this in other documents, and Rav Kahana had him lashed for doing so.
We begin by clarifying Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi's view on delayed signatures on a get, aligning his ruling with Reish Lakish's view that all signatories function as witnesses. The Mishnah then establishes that a get must be written with permanent materials like deyo (ink), sam (arsenic), or sikra (red dye), and can be written on various surfaces, though Rabbi Yosei HaGelili forbids living things or food. The Gemara defines these materials and transitions into a deep discussion on the halachos of Shabbos, analyzing whether writing ink over red dye constitutes both writing and erasing, and whether this concept of 'writing on top of writing' can be used to help witnesses who do not know how to sign their names.
In our daf, Reish Lakish asks Rabbi Yoanan a powerful question: if writing over another script is considered a creative act of writing on Shabbat, why can’t we use that same logic to let witnesses sign a get by tracing over a pre-written outline? Rabbi Yoanan’s response is a fundamental lesson in avodah: 'And because we compare, shall we perform an action?' Just because two areas of Torah share a conceptual similarity does not mean we can blindly apply the same rules. We must respect the unique boundaries and demands of each specific situation.
How often do we make this mistake in our own lives, especially in our middos and relationships? We take a standard that belongs in one area and force it onto another. We might bring the strict, demanding standards of our workplace into our homes, expecting our children to operate like employees. Or we might take the easygoing, casual attitude of social settings and bring it into our davening, forgetting before Whom we stand.
True yiras Shamayim requires us to look at the specific situation Hashem has placed before us right now and ask: what does this moment actually demand? A home needs warmth and patience, not rigid corporate efficiency. The shul needs awe and focus, not casual distraction. We cannot simply 'trace' the rules of one area of life onto another.
Today, notice when you are bringing the mindset of one area of your life into another where it does not belong, and consciously shift your focus to match the true needs of the person or mitzvah in front of you.