[Avodah] Kofin Oso

[Chana Luntz]

Not sure to what extent people are interested in seeing all these sources,
but I do think it is important that there is a basic working knowledge of
what is in the rishonim on a topic like this so hopefully this will shed
some light.  Here at least is the Rambam that RMB has been referring to and
is one of the key positions in all this (again with my rough and ready
translation - if you are unhappy with it, please consult the original
Hebrew).


Rambam Hilchot Gerushin perek 2 halacha 20

מי שהדין נותן שכופין אותו לגרש את אשתו ולא רצה לגרש, בית דין של ישראל בכל
מקום ובכל זמן מכין אותו עד שיאמר רוצה אני ויכתוב הגט והוא גט כשר, וכן אם ד
הכוהו גוים ואמרו לו עשה מה שישראל אומרין לך ולחצו אותו ישראל ביד הגוים עד
שיגרש ה הרי זה כשר, ואם הגוים מעצמן אנסוהו עד שכתב הואיל והדין נותן שיכתוב
הרי זה גט פסול. ולמה לא בטל גט זה שהרי הוא אנוס בין ביד גוים בין ביד ישראל,
שאין אומרין אנוס אלא למי שנלחץ ונדחק לעשות דבר שאינו מחוייב מן התורה לעשותו
כגון מי שהוכה עד שמכר או נתן אבל מי שתקפו יצרו הרע לבטל מצוה או לעשות עבירה
והוכה עד שעשה דבר שחייב לעשותו או עד שנתרחק מדבר שאסור לעשותו אין זה אנוס
ממנו אלא הוא אנס עצמו בדעתו הרעה. לפיכך זה שאינו רוצה לגרש מאחר שהוא רוצה
להיות מישראל רוצה הוא לעשות כל המצות ולהתרחק מן העבירות ויצרו הוא שתקפו
וכיון שהוכה עד שתשש יצרו ואמר רוצה אני כבר גרש לרצונו. לא היה הדין נותן
שכופין אותו לגרש וטעו בית דין של ישראל או שהיו הדיוטות ואנסוהו עד שגירש הרי
זה גט פסול, הואיל וישראל אנסוהו יגמור ויגרש, ואם הגוים אנסוהו לגרש שלא כדין
אינו גט, אע"פ שאמר בגוים רוצה אני ואמר לישראל כתבו וחתמו הואיל ואין הדין
מחייבו להוציא והגוים אנסוהו אינו גט.

One to which the din pertains that they force him to divorce his wife and he
does not want to divorce, a beit din of Israel in any place and any time
strikes him until he says rotze ani and they write the get and this is a
kosher get, and so if non Jews strike him and say to him do that which the
Jew tells you and the Yisrael forces him by way of the non Jew until he
divorces behold this is kosher, and if the non Jew by himself forces him
until he writes since the din pertains  that he should write behold this is
a get pasul [ie rabbinically invalid, meaning they will not let her remarry,
but if she does remarry they do not force her to leave the second husband
and the child is kosher].  And why is this get not nullified since behold he
is compelled whether by way of non Jews or by way of Jews, because we do not
say compelled except to one who is forced and pushed to do a thing that he
is not from the Torah obligated to do like one who is hit until he sells or
gives but one whose yetzer hara overcomes him to nullify a mitzvah or to do
an averah and they strike him until he does the thing that he is obligated
to do or until  he distances himself from the thing that is forbidden to do
this is not compelling him rather he is compelling himself with his evil
intention.  Thus this one who does not want to divorce sice he wants to be a
Jews he wants to do all the mitzvos and distance himself from all averos and
his inclication has overpowered him and since when they strike until his
inclination submits and he says rotze ani he has already divorced l’rotzono.
And if the law does not pertain that they force him to divorce and if a bet
din of Israel makes a mistake or there is an ordinary person and they force
him until he divorces behold this is a get pasul and since a Jew forced him
and he completed and he divorced and if non Jews force him to divorce shelo
kedin aino get [ie not in any way a get, ie any child not from this man is a
mamzer] even though he said rotze aini and he said to a Jew to write and to
seal since it is not the din that he is obligated to force and the non Jews
force him it is not a get.

This of course needs to be coupled with the Rambam that I brought earlier
which said that if a woman says maos alai (ie my husband is repulsive to me)
a bet din is required to force the husband to give a get.

On the other hand, it is important to know that this is only one side of a
complicated story.  A very important side, it is extremely difficult to ever
ignore the Rambam.  But on the other hand there is Rabbanu Tam's view, which
is very different on the subject of using force and particularly vis a vis
maos alai.

Regards

Chana