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Why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) rule that after verifying a get through kiyum bechosmo, you must still deliver it again? The shiur develops a yesod distinguishing two separate halachos in befanai nechtem: the kula that one witness suffices, and the chumra that no get may be delivered without prior verification—a takanas chachamim you cannot waive even when the signatures are later confirmed.
This advanced Gemara (גמרא) shiur analyzes a fundamental difficulty in the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s rulings in Hilchos Gerushin regarding the laws of befanai nechtem befanai nechtem—the requirement for a messenger delivering a get from overseas to testify that the get was written and signed in his presence. The central problem: the Rambam (Hilchos Gerushin 7:18) rules that if a messenger became mute (ilem) after delivering the get but before saying befanai nechtem, the beis din must verify the get through kiyum bechosmo (signature verification), but then the get must be delivered again. This seems redundant—once the get is verified, why re-deliver it? The shiur begins by examining Tosfos's difficulty with the Gemara's case. The Mishna states "im ein yachol leimar"—if he cannot say befanai nechtem, the get is verified through kiyum bechosmo. According to Rava, this refers to a case where the messenger was healthy (pikeach) when he delivered the get but then became a cheresh (deaf-mute). Tosfos asks: why didn't the Gemara cite a case of an ilem (mute person)? The Gemara's linguistic formulation ("v'lo yomar") suggests he was never able to speak, yet the case is one where he became unable (nischtateik). The Maharsha explains that Tosfos holds an ilem would be believed through kesav (written testimony), so there would be no chiddush. Rav Akiva Eiger challenges this: why not make the case "pikeach v'na'aseh ilem"—he was healthy and became mute?
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Gittin 5a
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