1,767. Why an Agent Must Say That He Saw the Get Written and Signed

Hilchos Geirushin 7:7

Similar to the case in the previous halacha, let’s say that an agent brings a get in Israel and says that it was written and signed in his presence even though he’s not obligated to do so. If the husband comes and protests the get, his objection is meaningless. If the agent wasn’t present when the get was written or signed, it can’t be given to the woman without validating the signatures. The agent may serve on the panel of three who validate the signatures. If the signatures aren’t validated and the get is delivered to the woman, the divorce is not accepted until the signatures are validated. If the husband protests the get and the signatures have not been validated, the woman is not considered divorced. If the get is lost, the divorce is in doubt.

Hilchos Geirushin 7:8

The Sages require the agent to say that the get was written and signed in his presence outside of Israel so that the woman shouldn’t have to validate the signatures if her husband protests the get. This is because witnesses are often unavailable to validate signatures when a get has been taken from one place to another outside of Israel.