Gittin, chapter ten, mishnah ten - this is the final mishnah of Maseches Gittin, and it discusses the grounds that justify divorcing one's wife. Three opinions are presented:
The three opinions in the mishnah:
Beis Shammai: "Lo yegaresh adam es ishto ela im ken matza bah devar ervah" - a man may not divorce his wife unless he found in her a matter of immorality, meaning a suspicion of adultery. Once he has found such a flaw in her, he is no longer permitted to live with her, and therefore he must divorce her. The source is the verse dealing with the giving of a get: "Ki matza bah ervas davar" - 'ervah' is a term referring here to adultery. Only under these circumstances, according to Beis Shammai, may he divorce her.
Beis Hillel: "Afilu hikdichah tavshilo" - even if she merely burned his food, that is sufficient grounds. In other words, when she does not make enough of an effort in running the home and does not do as he wishes, he may divorce her. They too learn this from the verse "Ki matza bah ervas davar", except that they understand the verse as containing two separate expressions: 'ervah' - adultery; 'davar' - any other complaint or problem he has with her that creates tension between them. That is enough to constitute legitimate grounds for divorce, if that is what he wants.
Rabbi Akiva: his position is even more extreme - "Afilu matza acheres na'ah heimenah" - even if he found another woman more attractive than she is. No real grounds are needed: even if he simply prefers another woman over this one, and he does not wish to be married to both of them, he is permitted to divorce her. It may not be the right thing to do, but he is allowed to do it. This is derived from what the verse says just before the expression "ervas davar": "Vehayah im lo simtza chen be'einav" - she no longer finds favor in his eyes, and suddenly he has found another who does find favor in his eyes.
The conclusion of the masechta - the pain of divorce:
The Gemara closes the masechta with a discussion of the pain involved in the process of divorce. One opinion says that if he does not love her, he should divorce her; another opinion says the opposite: one who divorces his wife is not beloved. The Gemara explains that there is no real disagreement here, but rather a distinction between a first marriage and a second marriage, whose dissolution is not considered quite so grave a matter.
And it is brought in the name of Rabbi Elazar: "Kol hamegaresh ishto rishonah" - anyone who divorces his first wife, it is such a tragedy that even the mizbeiach in the Beis Hamikdash mourns, as it were, and sheds tears over the breakup of the marriage.
Let us hope that the study of Maseches Gittin will be a blessing for every member of Klal Yisrael for peace in the home. Thank you for joining us for Maseches Gittin, and we hope you will join us for the next masechta - Maseches Kiddushin.