Jerusalem Talmud Gittin 4.1

משנה: הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ גֵּט לְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהִגִּיעַ בַּשָּׁלִיחַ אוֹ שֶׁשָּׁלַח אַחֲרָיו שָׁלִיחַ וְאָמַר לוֹ גֵּט שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָךְ בָּטֵל הֲרֵי זֶה בָטֵל. קָדַם אֶצֶל אִשְׁתּוֹ אוֹ שֶׁשָּׁלַח אֶצְלָהּ שָׁלִיחַ וְאָמַר לָהּ גֵּט שֶׁשָּׁלַחְתִּי לָךְ בָּטֵל הוּא הֲרֵי זֶה בָטֵל. אִם מִשֶׁהַגִּיעַ הַגֵּט לְיָדָהּ שׁוּב אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְבַטְּלוֹ.

MISHNAH: If somebody sent a bill of divorce to his wife and caught up with the agent, or he sent another agent after him and said: the bill of divorce I gave you is annulled, it is annulled. If he met his wife or he sent an agent to her and said: the bill of divorce I sent to you is annulled, it is annulled. After the bill of divorce came into her possession, he no longer can annul it.

הלכה: הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ גֵּט לְאִשְׁתּוֹ כול׳. הָדָא פְלִיגָא עַל רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. דְּרִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. אָדָם מְבַטֵּל שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ בִּדְבָרִים. פָּתַר לָהּ מִשּׁוּם חוֹמֶר הוּא בָעֲרָיוֹת. עָשָׂה שָׁלִיחַ לְהוֹלִיךְ אֶת הַגֵּט צָרִיךְ לִיתְּנוֹ לָהּ בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם. וְאֵין הַשָּׁלִיחַ עוֹלֶה לוֹ מִשּׁוּם שְׁנַיִם. הָלַךְ הַשָּׁלִיחַ לְבַטֵּל אֶת הַגֵּט צָרִיךְ לְבַטְּלוֹ בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם. וְהַשָּׁלִיחַ עוֹלֶה מִשֵּׁם שְׁנַיִם. הָלַךְ לְבַטֵּל אֶת הַגֵּט. אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ בְּאִיסְטְרָטָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. הַהוּא גִיטָא דִּיהָבַת לָהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. יְכִילִי לָהּ. מִי מִישְׁתָּעֵי שֶׁמָּא נְפַל מִינֵּיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. לֹא אָמַרְתָּ לִי יְכִילִית לָהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ. יְכִילִי לָהּ וְאָמְרָת לִי. יְהֵא לִי בְיָדֵיךְ. מָה. מֵאַחַר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ לְגָרֵשׁ נֶאֱמָן. אוֹ מֵאַחַר שֶׁנִּמְצָא בְיָדוֹ אֵינוֹ נֶאֱמָן. חָלָה שָׁלִיחַ. מָה אַתְּ עֲבַד לֵיהּ. כְּגִיטִּין כְּקִידּוּשִׁין. אִין תַּעַבְדִּינָהּ כְּגִיטִּין. בְּיַד כָּל אָדָם מָצוּי לְגָרֵשׁ. אִין תַּעַבְדִּינָהּ כְּקִדּוּשִׁין. לֹא בְיַד כָּל אָדָם מָצוּי לְקַדֵּשׁ.

HALAKHAH: “If somebody sent a bill of divorce to his wife,” etc. This disagrees with Rebbi Joḥanan, since Rebbi Joḥanan said that a person invalidates the agent appointed by him by a declaration. He explains it by the stringency of the rules of incest. If he appointed an agent to deliver the bill of divorce, the latter has to deliver it in the presence of two [witnesses]; the agent is not counted as one of the two. If another agent went to invalidate the bill of divorce, he has to invalidate it in the presence of two [witnesses] and the agent is counted as one of the two. If he met him on the road and asked him, what about the bill of divorce I gave you? He answered, I delivered it to her. While they were talking there, he dropped it. He said, did you not tell me that you delivered it to her? He explained, I delivered it to her and she said, keep it for me. What? Can he be believed since it is in his power to divorce, or can he not be believed because it is in his hand? If the agent fell sick, how do you treat this? By the rules of divorces or the rules of preliminary marriages? By the rules of divorces one can divorce through the agency of anybody. By the rules of preliminary marriages one cannot preliminarily marry through the agency of anybody.