How do they exempt their tzaroth? If his daughter or one of the other of all these arayoth (forbidden relations) were married to his brother, who had another wife, and he died — just as his daughter is exempt (from yibum) [being forbidden to him, and there being no other brother but he], so her tzarah is exempt. If his daughter's tzarah went and married his second brother [in an instance where there is another brother, in which case both women are permitted to him and are not exempt, the mitzvah of yibum obtaining, in which instance he takes one of them in yibum and the other is exempt, it being written (Deuteronomy 25:9): "the house of his brother" — he builds one house, and not two], and he had another wife, and he died [without children, and they fell before him (for yibum)], just as the tzarah of his daughter is exempt [having been forbidden to him from the time she fell (for yibum) from his first brother], so the tzarah of her tzarah [the other wife of his second brother] is exempt [the first tzarah exempting her, the tzarah of an ervah (a forbidden relation) exempting her tzarah] — even if there were a hundred [brothers, and the tzarah of his daughter's tzarah went and was taken in yibum by his third brother, who had another wife, and he died without children; both are forbidden to him, and so, all the way down the line.] How, if they died, are their tzaroth permitted? If his daughter or one of the other of all of these arayoth were married to his brother, and he had another wife — if his daughter died or were divorced, and then his brother died, her tzarah is permitted [to be taken in yibum, for at the time of the yibum option, she was not her tzarah.] And if she [the ervah] could have refused [being a minor], and did not refuse [and his brother died], her tzarah performs chalitzah and is not taken in yibum. [Since she is considered married only by rabbinical ordinance and her yibum connection obtains only by rabbinical ordinance, she does not exempt her tzarah from chalitzah; but she is forbidden to be taken in yibum, because she seems like the tzarah of an ervah.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
כשם שבתו פטורה – for [his daughter] is prohibited to him and there is no brother other than him, hence her rival/co-wife is also exempt.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
Introduction
This mishnah is a continuation of the previous and it explains many of the details.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
הלכה צרת בתו ונשאת לקאחיו השני – where there is another brother that both of them are permitted to hi, and are not exempt, for there is here the commandment of levirate marriage and one of them engages in levirate marriage and the other is exempt, as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:9): “[Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up] his brother’s house;” he builds one house, but he does not build two homes, and if the second brother performed a levirate marriage with the rival wife of his daughter, and he [himself] has another wife, and he dies without children, and they returned and fell before him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
How do they exempt their rival wives? If his daughter or any other of these forbidden relatives was married to his brother who also had another wife, and he died, then just as his daughter is exempt so is her rival exempt. If his daughter’s rival went and married a second brother of his, who also had another wife, and he died, then just as the rival of his daughter is exempt so is his daughter’s rival’s rival exempt, even if there were a hundred [brothers]. How is it that if they had died, their rivals are permitted? If a man’s daughter or any other of these forbidden relatives was married to his brother who also had another wife, and his daughter died or was divorced, and afterwards his brother died, her rival is permitted. The rival of any one who can make a declaration of refusal but did not make a declaration of refusal, must perform halitzah and may not have yibbum. This section explains the opening statement of mishnah one, “Fifteen [categories of] women exempt their rival wives and the rival wives of their rival wives and so on ad infinitum from halitzah and from yibbum”. For the sake of clarity, I will explain it again here. Reuven and Shimon are brothers. Shimon marries Reuven’s daughter. When Shimon dies without children, Reuven cannot perform yibbum with his own daughter. Hence, she and all of her rival wives are not liable for yibbum. If Reuven and Shimon had a third brother, Levi, and Reuven’s daughter’s rival wife married Levi and then Levi died without children, the rival wife is not liable for yibbum with Reuven and neither are any of Levi’s other wives. This law is true even if there are 100 brothers. As an aside, this mishnah also teaches that if there was a third brother, for whom none of the dead brother’s wives was prohibited, they are liable to have yibbum or halitzah with him. The exemptions are only in a case where Reuven was the only brother.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
כשם שצרת בתו פטורה – that she became forbidden upon him from the time of the falling of his first brother, so too is the latter’s present associate/rival wife of his second brother’s wife is exempt, for this woman exempts her for the rivals of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity exempts her rival/co-wife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
This section explains the second section of mishnah one, “If any of them died, or made a declaration of refusal, or were divorced, or were found incapable of procreation, their rivals are permitted.” If Reuven’s daughter died or was divorced before Shimon, her husband, dies, her rival wives are permitted to have yibbum with Reuven. There is a special rule regarding the wife who could have made a declaration of refusal (meun) but did not. As we recall, this wife’s marriage, arranged by her brother or mother, is of only rabbinical status (and not biblical). Her liability to have yibbum is therefore only rabbinic and not biblical. If she were to refuse the marriage, the rival wives are certainly liable for yibbum. However, even if she does not, her rival wives are not totally exempt. They are rabbinically exempt, because the rival wife cannot have yibbum with the yavam, but they are biblically liable, because the rival wife was not biblically married to the brother. The solution in such a case is for the yavam to perform halitzah. As we shall see throughout the tractate, in cases of doubt whether or not yibbum should or can be performed, the solution is usually the performance of halitzah, which avoids the possibility of forbidden sexual relations.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
ואפילו הם מאה – [and even if they are one-hundred] brothers, and the rivals of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity of his daughter went and engaged in levirate marriage with his third brother, and he has another wife, and he died without children, both of them are forbidden to each other, and similarly forever.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
צרתה מותרת – to engage in levirate marriage for at the time of the levirate relation, she was not her rival wife.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
וכל היכולה למאן – when she is a minor, [the woman forbidden to a man] and she is able to refuse, but she did not refuse, and his brother died, for since [her betrothal/Kiddushin] is not other than Rabbinic and her levirate relation is not other than Rabbinic, she does not exempt her rival/co-wife from Halitzah but to engage in levirate marriage is forbidden for she appears as forbidden on account of consanguinity.
