Wie kann "die Frau seines Bruders, der nicht in seiner Welt war" [ihre Zara befreien]? Wenn es zwei Brüder gab und einer von ihnen starb und ihnen ein Bruder geboren wurde, [mit dem sie yibum verbunden war, mit dem sie (dem dritten Bruder) aber wegen "der Frau seines Bruders, der es war, verboten ist" nicht in seiner Welt "], und danach nahm der zweite Bruder [der eine eigene Frau hatte] die Frau seines Bruders in Yibum, und er starb [ohne Kinder]—dann geht die erste Frau [die Frau des ersten, die schon einmal vor ihm gefallen war (für Yibum)] aus (dh sie wird nicht in Yibum aufgenommen) wegen "der Frau seines Bruders, der nicht in seiner Welt war". ;; und die zweite (geht aus), weil sie ihre Zara ist. Wenn er (der zweite) einen Ma'amar in ihr (der Frau des ersten Bruders) machte und er starb [dh wenn er sie mit Geld verlobte. Bei einer Yevamah ist Geld-Verlobung keine echte Verlobung, sondern wird nur durch die Verordnung der Schriftgelehrten erlangt. Denn ein Yevamah wird vom Yavam nicht erworben, um als verheiratete Frau betrachtet zu werden, bis er bei ihr lebt; und in diesem Fall hatte er nicht mit ihr gelebt, bevor er starb.], die zweite Frau erhält Chalitzah [und sie ist nicht wegen Zarath Ervah befreit, weil sie nicht wirklich ihre Zarah ist], und sie wird nicht in Yibum aufgenommen [ weil Ma'amar bis zu einem gewissen Grad erwirbt und sie bis zu einem gewissen Grad Zarath Erva ist. Und wo keine echte Verlobung erlangt wird, erhält sie Chalitzah und wird nicht als Yibum genommen.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
כיצד אשת אחיו שלא היה בעולמו – she exempts her rival/co-wife [from the requirement of levirate marriage or Halitzah].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
Introduction
This mishnah explains how “the wife of his brother who died before he was born” exempts her rival wife from yibbum. This category of women was mentioned in the first mishnah of chapter one (there it was the 14th category).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ונולד להן אח – and was found to be dependent upon a levir, but upon him she is prohibited because of [the prohibition of] the brother’s wife, for he was not a contemporary [having not yet been born].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
What is the case of “the wife of his brother who died before he was born”? If there were two brothers, and one of them died, and then a third brother was born, and then the second brother had yibbum with his dead brother’s wife and then died himself, the first woman is exempt as the wife of his brother who died before he was born, and the second wife [is exempt] because she is her rival wife. If he had ma’amar with her and died, the second wife, must perform halitzah but may not have yibbum. Reuven and Shimon are brothers and Shimon dies. Afterwards, Levi is born. Reuven then takes Shimon’s widow in yibbum. Afterwards Reuven also dies without children. This same widow, who was originally Shimon’s wife and then became Reuven’s wife, now technically should become liable to have yibbum or halitzah with Levi, the third brother. However, since Levi was not yet born when Shimon died, she is not liable for yibbum with Levi. Since she is exempt, all of her rival wives are exempt as well.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ואח"כ יבם השני את אשת אחיו – and he has another wife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
In order to understand this section, we must remind ourselves that ma’amar is the giving of money from the yavam to the yavamah, a parallel to the betrothal money given as “kiddushin” in regular marriages. As I explained in the introduction, according to the Torah there is no marital process for the widow who goes through yibbum. All that really happens is that he has relations with her, and thus yibbum is performed. However, the rabbis created an institution called “ma’amar” whereby the yavam would give her betrothal money similar to the betrothal money given in regular marriages (we will learn these laws in tractate Kiddushin). Ma’amar, however, does not make the woman the yavam’s full wife. The status of their marriage is only rabbinic. This will have many important implications in future mishnayoth. In our mishnah, Reuven does not have full yibbum with the woman, but only does ma’amar, and then dies. The woman therefore, is not biblically liable to have yibbum with Levi, the third brother, but only rabbinically liable. Since she is only rabbinically liable, her rival wife is not truly exempt, and according to biblical law she could have yibbum. However, since Reuven did perform ma’amar with the other wife, the rival wife can only have halitzah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ומת – without children.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
הראשונה – she is the wife of the first brother who fell before him already one time, goes forth because of [the prohibition of] being the wife of his brother who had not yet been born.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
עשה בה – this one who died.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
מאמר – the explanation he betrothed her with money (as opposed to a document or an act of sexual intercourse) and with a Yevamah/widow of his deceased brother who died without issue, betrothal thorugh money is not a complete Kiddushin/betrothal, but rather, from the words of the Scribes/Soferim, the Yevamah is not acquired to the levir to become like a completely married woman until he comes upon her and he didn’t have sufficient time to marry her until he died.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
שנייה חולצת – and it does not exempt her because of being a rival of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity because she is not actually her rival/co-wife.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ולא מתיבמת – because the statement of intention acquires partially and she is [also] partially a rival of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity, and in every place where there isn’t complete Kiddushin/betrothal, she performs the act of Halitzah and does not engage in a levirate marriage.
