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Homiletical commentary to the Torah, Includes responsa in the case of a young Pittsburgh woman, whose estranged spouse, in London, commanded his father to write a divorce decree to his wife as he will travel and never return. The wife after 14 years as Agunah, turns to R. Ziwitz, for relief and a divorce decree.
R. Moses Simon b. Ezekiel Ziwitz (1852-1936) was born in Cytowiany, Lita. He studied under R. Eliezer in Telz and Kovna. After serving in the Lithuanian rabbinate he emigrated to the United States in 1886 upon the advise of his Rebbe, R. Isaac Elhanan. After a two year position in Baltimore he became the rabbi of Pittsburg where he served until his passing. R. Ziwitz was a founder of the Agudat ha-Rabonim, author of many scholarly works, and a fighter of the Reform movement in America.
The condition of the agunah is a particularly sensitive issue in halakhah. An agunah is defined as a married woman who, for whatsoever reason, is separated from her husband and cannot remarry, either because she cannot obtain a divorce from him or because it is unknown whether he is still alive. The term is also applied to a yevamah (a levirate widow; if she cannot obtain halizah from the levir or if it is unknown whether he is still alive (Git. 26b, 33a; Yev. 94a; and Posekim). The problem of the agunah is one of the most complex in halakhic discussions and is treated in great detail in halakhic literature. These responsa are a contribution to this complex field and the attempts to deal with and resolve the associated problems as described here are both important and noteworthy.
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