Siyyum on Nedarim
Siyyum on Nedarim
At the end of this Gemara, the sages initially said that there’s 3 types of women that are considered divorce without the consent of her husband. The first is an Eishet Kohen (wife of a Kohen) who claims she committed adultery involuntarily, the second is a woman who declares that her husband is impotent, and the third is a woman who takes a vow to never have relations with any man [including her husband].
The Gemara then says that the sages retracted their words because wives understood that married women were taking advantage of these leniencies, so they modified the leniences in the following ways. In the case of rape, they an automatic divorce if there is proof of the sin. In the case of impotency, the woman is not believed, so the husband is told to make peace with her. He can be requested to give a Gett but not be forced to do so, and in the case of a woman who vows to never have relations with any man, the sages said that her husband should nullify that part of the vow that includes himself (her husband).
In essence, the sages of the Mishnah were willing to backtrack from the issues that can take place when it comes to leniencies in the area of Gerushin.