Does a divorce take effect by a man saying to his wife: "You must undergo surgery in your relationship with me, and surgery is painful," while intending divorce if she does not do a certain thing, even though he did not utter the word of divorce?

The phrase uttered by the man does not establish a divorce, neither immediately effective nor contingent, and therefore no divorce results from it. Our advice to this husband, if his wife does not treat him kindly, is to gradually employ means of reform with her. He should begin with admonition, then abandonment in bed, then light, non-injurious striking. If the matter reaches discord, then he should appoint an arbiter from his family and an arbiter from her family to reconcile between them as much as reconciliation is possible. Otherwise, divorce is the last resort.