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What does it mean to be an onas (compelled person) when a get depends on fulfilling a condition? Rashi (רש"י) requires ta'ina onas (claiming compulsion), suggesting onas means acting unwillingly rather than lacking free choice. This reshapes how we understand compulsion in Jewish law.
This shiur analyzes a fundamental question in the laws of gittin (divorce documents): when a husband gives his wife a conditional get ("if I don't come by a certain date, this get is valid"), what happens if he fails to come due to circumstances beyond his control (onas)? The Gemara (גמרא) on Kesubos 2a discusses whether there is onas regarding gittin (ain onas b'gittin), and Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation raises profound questions about the nature of compulsion. Rashi states that one must make a "ta'ina onas" (claim of compulsion), which Rabbi Zweig identifies as highly significant. This requirement suggests that even when external circumstances prevent someone from acting, they must actively claim they were compelled for the onas to be legally recognized. The shiur explores what this means for defining onas itself.
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Why does halacha forbid entering dangerous places if everything happens by Divine decree? The shiur examines the debate between Rashi and Tosfos on traveling at night, developing a fundamental distinction: Rashi holds one must avoid even deserved punishments that Hashem delays through mercy, while Tosfos holds the prohibition addresses self-inflicted harm through free will. This framework reveals how people rationalize self-destructive behavior as "hashgacha."
Why does the Gemara praise hospitality to scholars as a unique mitzvah rather than ordinary hachnasas orchim? The shiur distinguishes two mitzvahs: hachnasas orchim (providing for those in need) and connecting to talmidei chachamim (cleaving to God through scholars). Yisro's meal for the Jewish leaders wasn't charity—it was his way of bonding with those transformed by Torah, teaching that learning must fundamentally change who we are.
Kesubos 2a
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