Gittin 87: When the Formula isn't Perfect; Greek and Hebrew Witness Names

The rabbis walk us through the formula for a get that is really a number of gittin written together for a number of divorcing couples.  There are guidelines for how the couples are named, how the get is dated, how the get is handed to each woman, etc.  We again see the get compared with documents emancipating slaves: when a man leaves his land to two slaves, they each own one half of the other and thus each must emancipate the other for them to use the land freely.  This does not compare directly with the get written for two women at the same time, but it is considered to be an analogous situation.

A new Mishna teaches us about how to include Greek names on the get.  Greek is written left to right, unlike Hebrew which is written from right to left.  For me, the more interesting part of this Gemara is that it provides us with specific proof of the intertwining of ethnic and religious groups in the times of the Talmud.  Not only did people interact with each other, they acted as legal witnesses.  For Jewish communities, which are often insular groups, it is common to assume that Jews have always relied only on each other due to persecution and fear of persecution.  This point suggests otherwise.

Another new Mishna share a list of circumstances that render a get either valid or invalid.  Examples include gittin that are written upside down, in the wrong columns of the page, without a section of text, and with both Hebrew and Greek writing.  The Gemara helps to clarify how these guidelines are practiced.