1,740. Putting the Get "in Her Hand"

Hilchos Geirushin 5:1

When the Torah says that the man must “put it in her hand” (Deut. 24:1), that doesn’t limit placing the get to her physical hand; it is the same whether the get is put in her hand, in her embrace, in her courtyard, or is given to her agent whom she empowered to represent her in this matter. The same law applies to a courtyard that she owns, that she rented or that she borrowed; any of these is considered her property and, once the get reaches it, divorce is effected.

Hilchos Geirushin 5:2

If a man throws a get into his wife’s courtyard and she’s standing next to it, divorce is effected. If she’s not standing next to it, then divorce is not effected until she does. This is so even if the get will be protected in her courtyard. The reason for this law is because divorce is considered to be a negative thing and one may not take detrimental action against another person in their absence.