The main principle formulated in this chapter with regard to the halakhot of conditions or qualifications is that a divorce must sever the relationship between the husband and wife, leaving no bond between them and no limitation to the woman’s freedom. Any qualification that limits the wife’s right to remarry, e.g., a condition that she will not marry a certain man, negates the essence of the divorce and therefore invalidates it. By contrast, a condition that restricts the wife for only a limited period of time, or one that predicates the divorce on a specific action, even a prohibited action, which the woman is capable of performing, is a valid condition, and the divorce is therefore valid as well. If the condition cannot be fulfilled by the wife, the divorce is valid and the condition is null. Any condition written in the essential part of the bill of divorce invalidates it. The essential formula of a bill of divorce is the statement permitting her to marry any man she wishes. The wording of the bill of divorce should be clear and unequivocal ab initio. It should be written and worded with great care to prevent it from being contested in any fashion. Although it is important to write a bill of divorce accurately, not every deviation from its proper form invalidates it after the fact. Three cases are listed in which, although the bill of divorce is invalid ab initio, if the wife remarries after receiving it she need not leave her second husband. These are a case in which the bill of divorce was written by the husband but was not signed by witnesses, a case in which it was signed by one witness, and a case in which the date was not written on it. According to the accepted halakha, if the bill of divorce was given to the wife in the presence of two witnesses, it is valid ab initio even if it was not signed by any witnesses, as the witnesses of the transmission of the bill of divorce effect the divorce. If two identical bills of divorce were written for two different couples with the same names and they were mixed up, both bills of divorce should be given to both women, and they are both consequently divorced, even though it is unknown which bill of divorce was written for whom. In a case where several bills of divorce are written on the same paper one below the other, and the signatures are at the bottom, if a common date is written for all the bills of divorce and the names of each couple are specified separately, the signatures count for all the bills of divorce and they are all valid. If they do not have a common date, only the bottommost bill of divorce is valid. If two bills of divorce are written on the same paper in any other form, and the witnesses signed only once, it is presumed that they intended to sign the one that is above their signatures and adjacent to them. If the bills of divorce are written parallel to one another and the signatures extend from one bill of divorce to the other, the one that they appear to be associated with is validated by them. A witness may sign in any language and in several different forms. He may sign his nickname or surname. What matters is that it is clear that he is the one signing the bill of divorce. Although generally a divorce is valid only if it is performed willingly by the husband, a Jewish court can compel a husband to divorce his wife in a case where he is obligated to do so. If the husband is compelled by a gentile court, the divorce is invalid. If a rumor circulates that a certain woman is betrothed or divorced, the court must seek out the source of the rumor. If a substantial basis is found, e.g., specific eyewitnesses are mentioned, the rumor is treated seriously, with stringent ramifications. If the rumor has a reasonable explanation, it is often disregarded. If a husband divorces his wife, the divorce takes effect regardless of the reason that led him to do so. However one should refrain from divorcing his wife against her will, especially if she is the wife of his youth. Rabbeinu Gershom Meor HaGola decreed excommunication against any husband who divorces his wife against her will. If she commits adultery or behaves with licentiousness, it is a mitzva for the husband to divorce her.