If one says: "Receive this get for my wife," or: "Deliver this get to my wife," if he wishes to rescind it, he may do so, [for a get is a liability for a woman, and one may not impose a liability upon another without his knowledge.] If a woman said (to a messenger): "Receive my get for me," if he wishes to rescind it, he may not do so, [for since she appointed him a messenger, he is like her "hand," and she is divorced immediately when he receives the get.] Therefore, if the husband said to him: "I do not want you to receive it for her, but go and give it to her," if he wishes to rescind it, he may do so. R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Also, if she said: "Tol my get for me," if he wishes to rescind it, he may not do so." ["Tol" denotes "taking." The halachah is in accordance with R. Shimon b. Gamliel.]

If a woman said: "Receive my get for me," she needs [to bring before us] two sets of witnesses: two who say: "Before us she told" [him to receive it], and two who say: "Before us he received it and he tore it." [This, in a time of shmad (enforced conversion), when (observance of) mitzvoth was decreed against, and they would tear the get immediately, so that it not be seen.] — even if they [those before whom she told him to receive it] were (both) the first and the last [those who saw him receive it], or one from the first set and one from the second and another joining them [i.e., complementing each one]. A betrothed maiden, she or her father receives her get. [She has a "hand," for she is of age, and her father, too, is authorized to receive it.] R. Yehudah said: Two "hands" cannot be invested as one. Rather, her father alone receives her get. And any woman who cannot guard her get cannot be divorced, [even if her father receives it, it being written (Deuteronomy 24:1): "And he shall send her from his house" — one who is sent and does not return; to exclude this one, who is sent and does return.]

If a minor said: "Receive my get for me," it is not a get until it reaches her hand. Therefore, if the husband wishes to rescind it, he may do so; for a minor cannot appoint a messenger. But if her father told him: "Go and receive my daughter's get," if he (the husband) wished to take it back, he may not do so. If one said: "Give a get to my wife in this and this place," and he gave it to her in a different place, it is void, [the husband being particular (about the place), not wishing to be gossiped about (in other places)]. (If he said:) "She is in this and this place," [in which instance, he simply points out where she can be found], and he gave it to her in a different place, it is valid. If a woman said: "Receive my get in this and this place," and he received it in a different place, it is void. R. Eliezer rules it to be valid, [holding that with the husband, who divorces her of his will, there is insistence (upon a particular place); but with the woman, who is divorced perforce, there is (only) the pointing out of a place. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Eliezer.]

(If she [the wife of a Cohein] says:) "Bring my get to me," she eats terumah until the get reaches her hand. (If she says:) "Receive my get for me," she is forbidden to eat terumah immediately. (If she says:) "Receive my get for me in that place," she eats terumah until the get reaches that place. R. Eliezer forbids it immediately [after he takes leave of her, R. Eliezer being consistent with his ruling that the get is valid when received in a different place, the woman (merely) pointing out (where he can be found), so that she is divorced as soon as he receives it. Therefore, as soon as the messenger takes leave of her, she may not eat terumah, on the possibility that he might have found the husband outside the city and received the get from him. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Eliezer.]

If one says: "Write a get and give it to my wife," (or) "Divorce her," (or) "Write an igereth and give it to her," they write it and give it to her, [it being written in a get, "igereth shevukin" ("a writ of divorce")]. (If he says:) "Rid her," "Provide for her," "Do with her according to the nimus," "Do with her as is right," he has said nothing. [("Rid her":) He may be referring to exemption and liability, the ridding of her debts. ("Provide for her":) Do what is required, as in: "we expend for provisions, etc." Therefore, we do not know whether he is referring to the exigencies of the get, that she not be linked to the yavam, or the exigencies of clothing and covering. ("according to the nimus":) the ordinance. We do not know whether he is referring to the ordinance of the get or the ordinance of food and clothing. The same applies to "as is right."] In the beginning they (the sages) said: If one were being taken out in chains [to be executed by the authorities], and he said: "Write a divorce to my wife," [even though he did not say "give,"] they are to write it and give it"; but then they added: Also one who goes to sea and one who goes out in a caravan [to the desert]. R. Shimon Shezuri says: Also one who is in danger [i.e., one who is ill. The halachah is in accordance with R. Shimon Shezuri.]

If one were cast into a pit, and he cried out that whoever heard his voice should write a get to his wife, [(giving his name and the name of his city)], they are to write it and give it. If a healthy man said: "Write a get to my wife," (we assume that) he is jesting with her [since he did not say: "Give it to her."] Once, a healthy man said: "Write a get to my wife," and he went up to the roof, fell down, and died. R. Shimon b. Gamliel said: The sages said: If he fell of himself, it is a get; if the wind blew him down, it is not a get. [The gemara explains that something is missing and that this is the intent: If his "ending sheds light on his beginning," it is a get, and also, it once happened that a healthy man, etc. The halachah is in accordance with R. Shimon b. Gamliel.]

If he said to two men: "Give a get to my wife," or to three: "Write a get and give it to my wife," they write it and give it. [("If he said to two men, etc.":) even though he did not say: "Write it and give it." They write it by themselves, and they may not tell another scribe to write it, or to witnesses to sign it; for he did not make them a beth-din to bid others to do so, but he made them witnesses. And they are both his messengers and his witnesses. And if he said to three: "Write and give a get to my wife," even though they are fit to constitute a beth-din, since he told them explicitly: "Write," he did not make them a beth-din, but witnesses.] If he said to three: "Give a get to my wife," [but he did not tell them: "Write,"], they may tell others to write it [to sign it, and to give it] because he made them a beth-din. These are the words of R. Meir. And this halachah was brought up from the prison house by R. Chanina of Ono [in the name of R. Akiva, who was incarcerated in the prison house]: I have it by tradition that if one says to three: "Give a get to my wife," they may tell others to write it, because he makes them a beth-din. R. Yossi said: We said to the messenger [i.e., to R. Yossi, the "messenger" of this halachah, to repeat it in the house of study] that we, too, had it by tradition that even if one said to the great beth-din in Jerusalem: "Give a get to my wife," they must learn to write it, [If they do not know how to write it, they must learn how to do so and write it themselves] and give it. If one said to ten: "Write a get to my wife," one writes it and two sign. (If he said:) "All of you write it," one writes and all sign. Therefore, if one of them died, the get is void.