Mecho'oh continued

I heard this story in Sha'alvim many years ago. This is how it appears - in all places! - at
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DivorceRequiresDeath


In traditional Jewish Law (not to be confused with contemporary Israel), a woman cannot divorce her husband. Thus it occasionally arises that a man will refuse to give his wife a divorce, often in attempt to extort money out of her, and many legal devices are used in an attempt to pressure this recalcitrant husband into granting his wife a divorce. The story is said of Jewish Sage Rabbi Akiva Eiger, that such a man was brought before him once, with the hope that Rabbi Eiger would convince him to divorce his wife. Rabbi Eiger brings him into his study, and opens a volume of the Talmud to its first page. He turns to the man, looks him in the eye, and says, "The Talmud says here that a woman is freed from her husband in one of two ways. Through divorce, and through the husband's death. Which one would you prefer?" The man looks at Rabbi Eiger, laughs and says, "What, are you trying to threaten me?". He walks out of the study, walks out the front door, and collapses dead of a heart attack on the front steps.


It seems to me evident that Rabbis Eidensohn and Gestetner would have passeled the get - had the man had more emunas chachamim and acquiesed - as a get me'useh.


For a more traditional source, see the Talelei Oros to Ki Teitzei on the pasuk V'kasav la sefer kerisus. For the English, see below, pages 222-223: