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How can improper handling of divorce and marriage laws cause worse destruction than the flood generation? The flood generation sinned through lust, affecting only land creatures, but misusing Torah (תורה) law in marriage matters directly attacks God's partnership in every union. Since God's presence is most revealed through water (established at the Red Sea), corrupting His role as the third partner in marriage affects even fish—making rabbinic mishandling of these laws more destructive than mere adultery.
The shiur begins with the Talmudic statement that whoever doesn't know the laws of Gitin (divorce) and Kiddushin (marriage) causes destruction worse than the generation of the flood. The proof comes from a verse in Hoshea where the Targum translates that people have children from their friends' wives, leading to such severe punishment that even fish are destroyed - unlike the flood where only land creatures died. The speaker addresses several fundamental questions: First, the Mizrachi's question - how can this be worse than the flood when the flood generation also committed adultery? Second, the Maharshal's question about why unintentional adultery (shogeg) would be worse than the intentional adultery of the flood generation. Third, why does the severity manifest specifically in the destruction of fish? The speaker explains that a get (divorce document) creates a 'permissible adultery' - a divorced woman has the taste of a married woman (eishes ish) but is permitted. Therefore, those arranging divorces are creating situations of potential adultery, making them responsible for the consequences. The word 'tiv' (nature/essence) emphasizes that the very essence of giving a get is creating this dynamic. The key insight differentiates two types of sins: The flood generation sinned through taiva (lust/desire), which affected all creatures created on the sixth day (sharing earth as their element) but not fish (created on the fifth day from water). However, the sin of misusing Torah (תורה) and religious law perverts all of creation, including the water domain where God's presence is most revealed. The speaker develops this through the concept that after Kriyas Yam Suf (splitting of the Red Sea), where Hashem (ה׳) appeared as 'ish milchama' (man of war), God became a partner in every marriage. This is why there are 'three partners' in marriage: husband, wife, and God. Adultery after this revelation is not just taking someone's wife - it's a direct personal affront to God as the third partner. Since God's primary appearance in creation is through water (beginning at the Red Sea), corrupting marriage affects even the aquatic realm where His presence dwells. Therefore, rabbis who improperly handle divorce and marriage laws create a worse sin than the flood generation because they're directly attacking God's partnership in marriage through misuse of Torah, affecting all of creation including the water domain.
Gitin and Kiddushin laws, Hoshea 4:2-3
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