Continuing our theme from yesterday, let us further explore the material related to the three weeks. In our Gemara on Amud Aleph, we delve into the significance of the Get (divorce document) entering the wife's domain. If a husband places a Get in his courtyard with the intention of the wife acquiring it, it will not be valid, as he still owns the courtyard. Instead, he must physically place it into her hand.

The verse in Yeshaiyahu (50:1) states:

כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר ה אֵ֣י זֶ֠ה סֵ֣פֶר כְּרִית֤וּת אִמְּכֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שִׁלַּחְתִּ֔יהָ א֚וֹ מִ֣י מִנּוֹשַׁ֔י אֲשֶׁר־מָכַ֥רְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֖ם ל֑וֹ הֵ֤ן בַּעֲוֺנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֔ם וּבְפִשְׁעֵיכֶ֖ם שֻׁלְּחָ֥ה אִמְּכֶֽם׃

Thus said GOD:

"Where is the bill of divorce

Of your mother whom I dismissed?

And which of My creditors was it

To whom I sold you off?

You were only sold off for your sins,

And your mother dismissed for your crimes."

The Benei Yissachar (Ma’amar Chodesh Sivan) applied the lomdus of our sugya exegetically. Bereishis Rabbah (11:5) asks, how can God bring rain on Shabbos; isn't it carrying from one domain to another? Bereishis Rabbah answers that the entire world is God’s private domain; therefore, for Him, it is all His courtyard.

Using this idea, the verse is understood as follows, "It is not possible to divorce the Jewish people as all of the world is my courtyard. And, if the Get is given in hand, where is this material Get? There is no physical evidence?"

While this is a clever derash, there is also a metaphysical and psychological resonance to this idea. Can God really cut off His creations? Creation is an act of love, and even though sin may lead to consequences, are they truly punishments or simply a loss of divine protection leading to suffering? This is an age-old debate, but it remains meaningful nonetheless. It is significant to consider that God cannot ever truly detach from us; rather, it is us who detach from Him.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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