How? [i.e., What is the halachah?] If he made a ma'amar in one, two gittin are required [for the two yevamoth, according to the rabbis, there being a ma'amar after a ma'amar], and chalitzah [for one of them, who exempts her tzarah.] If he made a ma'amar in one and gave a get to the other, a get and chalitzah are required. [The get of the latter invalidates the ma'amar of the former, "who would not build" obtaining, so that a get is required for his ma'amar and chalitzah for his linkage.] If he gave a ma'amar to one and cohabited with the other, two gittin are required, [a get for his ma'amar and a get for his cohabitation], and chalitzah [to one of them, who exempts her tzarah.] If he gave a ma'amar to one and chalitzah to the other, the first requires a get. If he gave a get to one and a get to the other, chalitzah (to one of them) is required. If he gave a get to one and cohabited with the other, a get and chalitzah are required. And he is forbidden to keep her, ["who would not build" obtaining because of the get of the first. And a get does not suffice for the one he cohabited with, it being an unfit cohabitation. If he gave a get to one and a ma'amar to the other, a get and chalitzah are required. If he gave a get to one and chalitzah to the other, there is nothing after chalitzah. [And if he then betroths her or her tzarah, the betrothal does not "take," as per R. Akiva, who holds that betrothal does not obtain with those interdicted by negative commandment. And this is not the halachah.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
צריכות שני גיטין – for both Yevamot/widows whose husbands died without children according to the Rabbis for there is a statement [of intention of the levir] after a statement [of intention of the levir].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
Introduction
This mishnah demonstrates the different possibilities and combinations of halitzah, yibbum, ma’amar and a get and their consequences on a case where there is one yavam and two yevamoth (i.e. the brother who died without children left two wives).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
וחליצה – to one of them and this exempts her rival/co-wife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
How is this so? If the yavam did ma'amar with this one and ma'amar with the other one, they need two letters of divorce and [one of them must have] halizah. The ma’amar performed with both yevamoth means that both require a get if they wish to marry someone else. In addition, one of them requires halitzah to end the ties created by their need for yibbum. As we recall, they don’t both need halitzah, since the halitzah of one wife exempts all of her rival wives. He could not have yibbum with either, since he gave ma’amar to both.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
מאמר לזו וגט ולזו – the Jewish bill of divorce to the latter [wife] invalidates that of the first [wife] he has been declared as one “who will not build up [his brother’s house]” (Deuteronomy 25:9 – see Talmud Yevamot 32a), and she requires a Jewish bill of divorce for his declaration [of intention for levirate marriage] and Halitzah for his levirate connection.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
If he did ma'amar with one and gave a get to the other, the [first one] needs a get and [one of them must have] halitzah. In this case he must give the get to the first one, the one with whom he had ma’amar, and he can have halitzah with either. Again, the halitzah of either releases them both. He cannot have yibbum even with the one with whom he had ma’amar since he gave a get to her rival wife.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
מאמר לזו ובעל לזו צריכות שני גיטין – for this one, a Jewish bill of divorce for his declaration [of intention for levirate marriage] and for the other [woman] a Jewish bill of divorce for his act of coition.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
If he did ma'amar with one and had intercourse with the other, they need two gets and [one of them must have] halitzah. Once he had ma’amar with one wife, he should not have gone and had intercourse with the other wife. The intercourse was in an essence an ineffective act of yibbum. Therefore, they both need gets, one to end the ties created by the ma’amar and the other to end the ties created by the intercourse (which can be an act of betrothal) and one requires halitzah in order to release them both from the ties of yibbum.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
וחליצה – to one of them and this exempts her rival/co-wife.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
If he had ma'amar with one and gave halitzah to the other, the first needs a get. Although in this case he did have halitzah with the second wife, the ma’amar that was previously done with the first wife means that she still needs a get. In other words, the ties created by the necessity of yibbum have already been severed, but there are still the ties created by the ma’amar. He could not have yibbum with her, since he has already done halitzah with the other wife, and it is forbidden to marry the wife of one’s halutzah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
גט לזו ובעל לזו צריכות גט וחליצה – and it is prohibited to sustain her for he has been declared as one “who will not build up [his brother’s house]” (Deuteronomy 25:9), because of the first Jewish bill of divorce. But with a Jewish bill of divorce by itself, does not free woman who had a sexual act because it was a disqualifying act of coition.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
If he gave a get to one and a get to the other, [one of them] requires halitzah. After having given a get to both women, he still needs to perform halitzah to totally release them. The get is not sufficient to sever those ties. However, he may not have yibbum with either woman since they both already received gets.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yevamot
אין לאחר חליצה כלום – and if afterwards he betrothed her or her rival/co-wife, Kiddushin/betrothal does not take effect with her, as per Rabbi Akiva, who said that Kiddushin does not take effect in those who are liable for violation of negative commandments, but it is not the Halakha.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
If he gave a get to one and had intercourse with the other, [the second one] requires a get and [one of them must have] halitzah. In this case, once he has given a get to the first wife, the yibbum done by intercourse with the second wife, was invalid. Therefore, he must give a get to the second wife, with whom he has already had intercourse, to sever the ties created by the intercourse. One of them still needs halitzah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
[If he gave] a get to one and had ma'amar with the other, [the second] requires a get and [one of them must have] halitzah. Similar to the previous case, if he gave a get to the first one, the ma’amar with second one is not valid. He could not subsequently have yibbum with her. However, he must still give her a get to sever the ties created by the ma’amar. As always, one of them still needs halitzah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yevamot
[If he gave] a get to one and halizah to the other, there is nothing after halitzah. As we learned in mishnah three, once he has performed an act of halitzah, there are no more steps which must be taken. Both women may now go marry other men.
