WHEN IS A WOMAN BELIEVED TO SAY THAT SHE WAS DIVORCED? (Yerushalmi Perek 2 Halachah 5 Daf 12b)
מתני' האשה שאמרה אשת איש הייתי וגרושה אני נאמנת שהפה שאסר הוא הפה שהתיר
(Mishnah): If a woman says 'I was married and divorced', she is believed. The one who forbids is believed to permit;
אם יש עדים שהיא אשת איש והיא אומרת גרושה אני אינה נאמנת:
If there are witnesses that she was married, and she says that she was divorced, she is not believed.
גמ' תני אם משנישאת באו עדים הרי זו לא תצא
(Gemara - Beraisa): If after she remarried the witnesses came, she does not leave.
רב חונה ור' חנינה תריהון אמרין לא סוף דבר משנישאת אלא אפילו התירוה ב"ד להינשא
(R. Chunah and R. Chaninah): This is not only if she remarried [before the witnesses came], rather, even if Beis Din permitted her to remarry [and witnesses came, she does not 'leave' (lose) her Heter to remarry].
כהדא חדא איתא אתת לגבי ר' יוחנן אמרה ליה אשת איש הייתי וגרושה אני והתירוה מן דנפקת אמרין ליה רבי הרי עידיה בלוד
This is like the woman who came in front of R. Yochanan. She told him 'I was married and divorced', and he permitted her. After she left, [people] told him 'Rebbi - her witnesses (who know that she was married) are in Lud!'
אמר כך אני אומר אפילו עדיה בקסוסנון תמתין
R. Yochanan: So I say - even if her witnesses are in Kasosnun (very far away) must she wait [for them to come?!'
א"ר יוסי בר בון תרין עובדין הוון אחד אמרין ליה הרי עדיה בלוד וא' אמרין לו הרי עדיה בקסרין וכן הוה אמר לון כך אומר אני אפילו עדיה בקסוסנון תמתין
(R. Yosi bar Bun): There were two cases - in one of them, they told him 'her witnesses are in Lud!' in one of them, they told him 'her witnesses are in Kisarin', and so he told them, so I say - even if her witnesses are in Kasosnun, must she wait?!' (SEFER NIR - above, it connotes that if the witnesses would come, R. Yochanan would retract his Heter! R. Yosi bar Bun explains unlike this. In the case when witnesses were in Lud, R. Yochanan had already permitted her. He did not comment at all about the witnesses, for even if they came, they have no effect. When witnesses were in Kisarin, R. Yochanan had not yet permitted her. He said, even if her witnesses are in Kasosnun, must she wait?! She need not wait; we permit her immediately.)
ר' יודן בעא אשת איש הייתי ונתגרשתי במקום פלוני ובאו שנים ואמרו לא נתגרשה אשה במקום פלוני מכחישין הן אותה
Question (R. Yudan): If a woman said 'I was married, and I was divorced in the place Ploni [on day Ploni]', and witnesses came and said 'no woman was divorced in Ploni [on that day]', do they contradict her? (Or, do we say that perhaps she was divorced covertly?)
רבי יוסי בעא אמרה אשת איש הייתי ונתגרשתי במקום פלוני באותו היום ובאו ואמרו נתגרשה אשה במקום פלוני ובאו שנים ואמרו לא נתגרשה אשה במקום פלוני
Question (R. Yosi): If she said 'I was married, and I was divorced in the place Ploni [on day Ploni]', and witnesses came and said 'no woman was divorced in Ploni [on that day]', and two [others] came and said 'no woman was divorced in Ploni [on that day]', is this a contradiction of testimony? (Or, do we say that she was divorced covertly; the latter do not contradict the former.)
כהכחיש עדות בתוך עדות אנו כחיין מפיה
Answer: This is a contradiction of testimony. (It is as if there are no witnesses.) We rely on her words. (Since we know that she was married only through her, she is believed. (This answers also the first question. If witnesses say that no one was divorced that day, they contradict her. We explained this like PNEI MOSHE.)
[דף יג עמוד א] היום אמרה אשת איש הייתי ולמחר אמרה גרושה אני אמרינן לה אתמול אמרת אכין ויום דין אכין אמרה לון מפני כת של פריצים שהיו באין להזדוג לי
Question: If today she said 'I am married', and tomorrow she said 'I am divorced [from a long time ago]', we say to her, yesterday you said so, and today you say so?! She said, [yesterday I said so] due to a group of lewd men who came and wanted to marry me, [what is the law]?
Note: She is not believed due to a Migo that she could say 'I was divorced in between', for we would demand to see the Get or ask who the witnesses were. She is not believed to say that she lost it and forgot who the witnesses are in such a short time. (PF)
רבי אבין בשם רבי אילא מכיון שהביאה מתלא לדבריה נאמנת
Answer (R. Avin citing R. Ila): Since she gave an excuse for her words, she is believed.
כהדא שמואל בעא אזדיקוקי לאיתתיה אמרה ליה טמאה אני למחר אמרה ליה טהורה אני
Support: This is like the case of Shmuel. He wanted to be intimate with his wife, and she said 'I am Nidah.' The next day, she told him 'I am Tehorah';
אמר לה אתמול אמרת טמאה יומא דין טהורה
Shmuel: Yesterday you said 'I am Nidah', and today you are Tehorah?! (You must wait seven days to become Tehorah!)
אמרה ליה לא הווה בחיילי היי שעתא
His wife: I did not have the strength [to have relations] at that time. It was a false excuse to say that I am Nidah.]
אתא שאל לרב א"ל מכיון שהביאה מתלא לדבריה נאמנת:
He went and asked Rav. Rav said, since she gave an excuse for her words, she is believed.