Gittin 67: The Rabbis Know Torah; Temporary Insanity; Medical Treatments; Exilarch Conflicts

We begin by continuing the rabbi's conversation about what should be done when more than one person is asked to scribe and/or deliver the get.  This leads to a number of statements about which rabbis are learned in which ways.  We should respect their opinions because of this knowledge.

And finally we learn why the rabbis are so concerned about who scribes, delivers and witnesses the get.  If a husband is allowed to give verbal directions to an agent and witnesses, how do we know that this was truly the husband's intent?  In fact, perhaps the wife has paid a scribe to write the get and paid witnesses to make the get valid.  Perhaps the wife wants out of this marriage and she has found a way to make her wishes seem as though they come from her husband.  Why wouldn't the rabbis look for ways around these laws rather than focusing on certain letters of the law??  For example, in certain circumstances, a woman could initiate the get.  A man might not be keeping his obligations in marriage...

We learn more of the details regarding a husband's directives to groups of people.  His particular wording determine whether or not everyone witnesses and signs the get, and whether one person  delivers the get or all watch the get being delivered by just one person.

Amud (b) is also the beginning of Perek VII.  A new Mishna teaches us that if a man is temporarily insane when he issues the get, the get is void.  But if he is of sound mind when he issues the get, the get is valid, even if he is 'off' later on.  We also learn that a person who cannot speak can issue that a get is written.  If he nods and shakes his head appropriately to three questions, he is considered to have the capacity to issue the get. 

The Gemara moves quickly into wonderful aggadic material regarding healing.  First, the rabbis admit that someone who is 'temporarily insane' might have been drunk on 'new wine'.  We learn about how to cure sicknesses beyond wearing an amulet with the name of the demon who creates the sickness.  Red meat with diluted wine, fatty meat with undiluted wine -- these might help an illness.

Abaye tells us his mother's (aunt's) remedies for fever: day one, a jug of water.  Day two: bloodletting.  Day three: red meat cooked over coals and diluted wine. Longer fevers: rip a black hen into four parts and place it on the patient's shaved head.  Leave it there until the blood coagulates. Send the patient into water up to his/her neck until s/he is faint, and then have him/her rest.  If s/he is too weak for this treatment, let him/her eat leeks and then stand in the water as before.

We learn about foods fed to those who have chills.  Rav Amram was teased in the house of the Exhilarch, who sent him to sleep in the snow.  On waking, he asked for the opposite food of what he wanted -- food for those with chills -- because he knew they would sen him the opposite of what he wanted.  We then learn that Yalta, Rav Nachman's wife, was kind to Rav Amram and brought him to the bathhouse.  But the water turned red and he broke out in boils.

Rav Sheshet also had difficulty with the Exilarch.  He told the Exilarch that he refused to eat with him because the food was not prepared properly.  Offended, the Exilarch tried to prove otherwise, but Rav Sheshet managed to demonstrate that the servants were serving legs of live animals, something strictly forbidden.  He joke about it, too, saying "Did this come from a five-legged animal?". 

The servants were furious at Rav Sheshet, who helped their master realize that he could not trust them.  They attempted to choke Rav Sheshet by placing a bone in his meat, for he was blind and could not see it.  He found the bone and hid the entire piece of meat in his scarf.  They then accused him of theft of a cup, like Joseph and his brothers.  And told the Exilarch what they found.  The story will resume with tomorrow's daf...