1,815. Not Marrying With a Conflict of Interest

Hilchos Geirushin 10:14

If an agent delivers a get from outside of Israel and reports that it was written and signed in his presence, he may not marry that woman. This is out of concern that he might have been attracted to her, which caused him to deliver such testimony. Similarly, if a lone witness testifies that a woman’s husband died, permitting her to re-marry, he may not marry her. Along these same lines, a Torah scholar who ruled a woman prohibited to her husband because of a vow may not marry her. If a man is alleged to have had intimate relations with a female servant and she is later freed, or if he is alleged to have had relations with a non-Jewish woman and she later converts, he may not marry her. (The reason is because marrying this woman would give credence to the rumors.) Similarly, if a non-Jewish man or a male servant was intimate with a Jewish woman and later converted or was freed, he may not marry this woman. In all these cases, if the parties violate the law and marry, they are not forced to separate.

Hilchos Geirushin 10:15

In all of the aforementioned situations, if the men involved had wives and the wives died, or they divorced the wives at the wives’ requests, then they are permitted to marry the other women without any hesitation. Similarly if these women married other men and were later widowed or divorced, they may then marry the aforementioned men without any hesitation.