R. Akiva testified in the name of Nechemiah, Ish Beth D'li, that a woman may be married on the testimony of one witness. [If her husband went abroad and one witness came and said that he had died, she is married on the strength of his testimony. R. Yehoshua testified about bones that were found in dir etzim [(the wood storage compartment (of the Temple) where they stored all the wood for the wood pile. It was in the northeast corner of the ezrath nashim. Some bones of dead bodies were found there) ]: The sages said: They are removed bone by bone and all is tahor [i.e., We do not fear that men or vessels may have become tamei through them, for this constitutes "safek tumah in the public domain," which is tahor. And in the last chapter of Zevachim the Gemara adduces that they wished to decree tumah in all of Jerusalem because of the bones which were found in the wood compartment, but R. Yehoshua said to them: "Would it not be a shame and a mortification for us to decree tumah upon the city of our fathers!"]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
שמשיאין האשה ע"פ עד אחד (this section of the Mishnah is also taught at the conclusion of Tractate Yevamot, Chapter 16, Mishnah 7) – a woman whose husband went abrought and one witness came and said that he died. We marry off his wife through his word.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Introduction
Two more testimonies, one by Rabbi Akiva and one by Rabbi Joshua
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
כדיר העצים – a chamber where they gather all the wood of the altar of the Temple. And it was in the north-east corner of the Women’s compartment [of the Temple court] and they found there the bones of the dead. But the Sages said that they should collect bone by bone and everything is ritually pure. And we should not suspect lest they humans and utensils were defiled by them because in the Women’s compartment has the law of the public domain, and this is doubtful defilement in the public domain, for its doubtfulness makes is pure. And in the Tractate Zevahim in the last chapter (chapter 14) [ page 113a], the Gemara brings that they (i.e., the Sages) wanted to decree defilement on all of Jerusalem because of those bones that were found in the shed for the wood, but that Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: No: It is a shame and disgrace for us that we should decree defilement on the city of our forefathers.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Rabbi Akiva testified in the name of Nehemiah, a man of Beth Deli, that a woman is allowed to remarry on the evidence of one witness. Usually Jewish law requires two witnesses in order for testimony to be effective. Here we learn of an exception to this rule. If one witness testifies that a woman’s husband has died, she is allowed to remarry based on one witness’s testimony. This leniency is to prevent the sad situation where a woman cannot remarry because she doesn’t know if her first husband is dead. This same testimony appears in chapter six mishnah one, there given by Rabbi Judah ben Bava. It is perplexing that Rabbi Akiva should repeat the same testimony. The reason why Rabbi Akiva repeats the testimony is explained in the last mishnah of Yevamoth. There Rabbi Akiva relates that when he traveled to Babylonia he met Rabbi Nehemiah of Beth Deli who told him that he had heard that in the Land of Israel only Rabbi Judah ben Bava allowed a woman to re-marry on the testimony of one witness; the other Sages disagree. Rabbi Akiva confirmed that this was true. Rabbi Nehemiah responded to him that he had heard from Rabban Gamaliel the Elder that a woman could remarry on the testimony of one witness. The testimony in our mishnah is Rabbi Akiva’s reporting of what Rabbi Nehemiah had told him. It is meant to teach that the testimony in chapter six, mishnah one is agreed to by more than just Rabbi Judah ben Bava.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Rabbi Joshua testified concerning bones found in the wood-shed that the Sages said: one may gather them, bone by bone, and they are all clean. Rabbi Joshua testifies that the bones of a human were found in the wood-shed in the Temple in Jerusalem, and that the Sages said that they could gather up the bones and bring them out of the Temple, without fearing that the bones had come into contact with other things in the Temple and impurified them. This is because the Temple is public domain and all cases of doubtful impurity in the public domain are deemed pure.
