Study Gittin folio 78B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
and the bill of divorce extends from his 4 cubits into her 4 cubits, meaning that part of the bill of divorce is in his 4 cubits, and part is in hers. Therefore, in this case there is uncertainty whether she is divorced or whether she is not divorced.
The Talmud asks: But isn’t the bill of divorce still attached to him, since part of it is within his 4 cubits, and therefore it cannot be considered as if he gave her the bill of divorce completely? Rather, one should explain as Rabba and Rav Yosef both say: Here we are dealing with two groups of
As opposed to Rav, who explained that in the Mishnah, the word closer meant within 4 cubits, R' Yoḥanan says: We learned that closer to her means that the bill of divorce was actually closer to her, even if it was 100 cubits away from her. And we learned that closer to him means that it was actually
The Talmud asks: According to the explanation offered by R' Yoḥanan, what are the circumstances of when it was equally balanced? Rav Shemen bar Abba said: This was explained to me personally by R' Yoḥanan himself: If it is so positioned that he can guard it and she cannot guard it, this is considere
The Rabbis said this explanation before R' Yoḥanan in the name of R' Yonatan, and R' Yoḥanan said in amazement: Do our Babylonian friends know how to explain in accordance with this explanation? R' Yoḥanan was astonished that they also understood the issue as he did.