By Rabbi Yair Hoffman The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum shlita, has taken bold action to help a woman trapped in a difficult marital situation. The Rebbe has ordered a man from another Chassidus, who married a second wife without first granting a divorce to his first wife, to grant her a divorce within 24 hours. The man, an observant Jew who is not a Satmar Chasid himself but lives in a Chasidic community, married for the first time in his youth and started a family. However, more than a decade ago, the relationship between the two deteriorated and they decided to separate. Despite this, the man has not given his first wife a “get.” In a case where a husband refuses to grant his wife a get, the woman cannot remarry, making her an “agunah” or “chained wife.” The husband also cannot remarry according to Jewish law, unless he receives a legitimate “exceptional permit” signed by 100 rabbis called a “Heter Me’ah Rabbonim.” The man in this case had previously obtained such a permit and remarried, while his first wife remained trapped in her marital status. Rav Teitelbaum, the head of Satmar based in Kiryas Joel, New York, has now taken up the cause of the chained woman. In a bold move, he has publicly demanded that the man provide valid documentation of the 100 rabbinical signatures on the permit within 24 hours, or grant a religious divorce to one of his wives. The Rebbe’s intervention has brought international attention to this complex case. He has used his significant influence and authority within the Chasidic community to try to free the woman from her chained status and allow her to move on with her life. Rav Teitelbaum’s unwavering commitment to upholding halacha and protecting vulnerable women like this “agunah” demonstrates heroic leadership and concern for the welfare of Klal Yisroel. The Chezkuni (Bereishis 3:16) cites a Midrash and writes that if someone is betrothed to a woman and leaves her stuck as an agunah, then he is a denier of the World to Come. Consequently, he loses his share in Olam Ha’Ba – the world to come. The Baalei HaTosfos cite the same exposition and come to the very same conclusion. Making an Agunah causes one to lose Olam Habah. There, of course, the status of the agunah began at the very very beginning of a marriage—upon halachic betrothal. Nonetheless, the idea is the same—these Rishonim hold that the husbands have lost their share in Olam Ha’Bah. Their fate and future no longer lie with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their grandparents and great-grandparents for generations. Rather, the fate of these husbands is with the likes of the evil Bilaam and Gechazi. But what if it was the woman who caused the marriage to fall apart? Is there then a rationale to hold back the Get? There is a fascinating Chasam Sofer (Nedarim 29) that even in an extreme case where a wife sinned with an extramarital relationship, “Ein lanu le’agein osa—we are not to make her into an agunah.” The Chasam Sofer continues that this is both obvious and clear. What should our reaction be when we see an Agunah? The Responsa Yeshuas Malko (EH #54) by Rabbi Yisroel Yehoshua Trunk (Poland 1893-1920) writes, “All of Israel is […]