daf bit: Gittin 76

[cellio]

The mishna teaches: if a man says to his wife "this is your get (bill of divorce) if I do not return within twelve months" and he dies in that year, it is not a valid get and she is not divorced. However, if he says "this is your get from now if I do not return", and he dies, it is a valid get. The mishna later makes clear that a get's "effective date" must fall within the lifetime of the man issuing it. (76b)

I have heard anecdotally, though I don't know how common it was, that men would sometimes write gets before setting out on dangerous journeys, lest they be killed but that not be provable (e.g. sea voyages). That would be to avoid the problem of the agunah, the woman who cannot remarry because she has no get (and it cannot be proven that her husband is dead). I suspect that the mishna here is discussing that sort of case, though it does not say so explicitly. (Why else would someone set up a time-delay divorce?)

Comments

[cellio]

Hmm, good question. I know I've seen web sites with collections of texts, but I don't recall where.

A ketubah is a contract in keeping with torah. Since torah does not bind your partner, this is necessarily going to be rather different. Have you considered creating your own document -- your own vows, or some other text that resonates for both of you -- and having that read at the ceremony and nicely calligraphed for your home?