Quoting%20commentary for Yevamot 16:7

אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, כְּשֶׁיָּרַדְתִּי לִנְהַרְדְּעָא לְעַבֵּר הַשָּׁנָה, מָצָאתִי נְחֶמְיָה אִישׁ בֵּית דְּלִי, אָמַר לִי, שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁאֵין מַשִּׂיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה בְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד, אֶלָּא רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶן בָּבָא. וְנוּמֵתִי לוֹ, כֵּן הַדְּבָרִים. אָמַר לִי, אֱמֹר לָהֶם מִשְּׁמִי, אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִים שֶׁהַמְּדִינָה מְשֻׁבֶּשֶׁת בִּגְיָסוֹת, מְקֻבְּלָנִי מֵרַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הַזָּקֵן, שֶׁמַּשִּׂיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי וְהִרְצֵיתִי הַדְּבָרִים לִפְנֵי רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, שָׂמַח לִדְבָרַי, וְאָמַר, מָצָאנוּ חָבֵר לְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶן בָּבָא. מִתּוֹךְ הַדְּבָרִים נִזְכַּר רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ הֲרוּגִים בְּתֵל אַרְזָא, וְהִשִּׂיא רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הַזָּקֵן נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד, וְהֻחְזְקוּ לִהְיוֹת מַשִּׂיאִין עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד. וְהֻחְזְקוּ לִהְיוֹת מַשִּׂיאִין עֵד מִפִּי עֵד, מִפִּי עֶבֶד, מִפִּי אִשָּׁה, מִפִּי שִׁפְחָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמְרִים, אֵין מַשִּׂיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, לֹא עַל פִּי אִשָּׁה, וְלֹא עַל פִּי עֶבֶד וְלֹא עַל פִּי שִׁפְחָה, וְלֹא עַל פִּי קְרוֹבִים. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, מַעֲשֶׂה בִבְנֵי לֵוִי שֶׁהָלְכוּ לְצֹעַר עִיר הַתְּמָרִים, וְחָלָה אַחַד מֵהֶם בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וֶהֱבִיאוּהוּ בְפֻנְדָּק, וּבַחֲזָרָתָם אָמְרוּ לַפֻּנְדָּקִית אַיֵּה חֲבֵרֵנוּ, אָמְרָה לָהֶם מֵת וּקְבַרְתִּיו, וְהִשִּׂיאוּ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, וְלֹא תְהֵא כֹהֶנֶת כַּפֻּנְדָּקִית. אָמַר לָהֶם, לִכְשֶׁתְּהֵא פֻּנְדָּקִית נֶאֱמֶנֶת. הַפֻּנְדָּקִית הוֹצִיאָה לָהֶם מַקְלוֹ וְתַרְמִילוֹ וְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁהָיָה בְיָדוֹ:

R. Akiva said: When I went down to Neharda'a to intercalate the year, I found Nechemiah of the house of Dali: He said to me: "I have heard that only according to R. Yehudah b. Bava do they marry a woman in Eretz Yisrael on the testimony of one witness," and I said to him that it is so [i.e., that all his colleagues differ with him]. He said: "Tell them in my name: You know that the country is beleaguered by troops [and that I cannot go to you to testify as to what I have heard, but tell them this in my name:] I have received it from R. Gamliel the elder that they marry a woman on the testimony of one witness." And when I came and set forth these words before R. Gamliel, he rejoiced at my words and said: "We have found a colleague for R. Yehudah b. Bava." In the midst of these words, R. Gamliel remembered that men had been killed at Tel Arza and that R. Gamliel the elder had married their wives on the testimony of one witness; and they accepted it (among themselves) to marry on the testimony of one witness, to marry on the testimony of one witness from (i.e., from overhearing) another witness, from (the testimony of) a bondsman, from a woman, from a bondswoman. R. Eliezer and R. Yehoshua say: We do not marry a woman on the testimony of one witness. R. Akiva says: Not on the testimony of a woman, of a bondsman, or of a bondswoman, or of kin. [And the halachah is as none of them, but we marry a woman on the testimony of a woman and even of kin (except for the five women mentioned in our Mishnah (15:4). And the testimony of a witness from a witness, from a woman, from a bondsman, from a bondswoman is kasher for marrying a woman.] They (the sages) said to him (R. Akiva): It happened with the sons of Levi that when they went to Tzoar, the city of dates, that one of them took sick on the road, whereupon they brought him to an inn. When they returned, they asked the hostess: "Where is our friend?" She answered: "He died and I buried him" — and they married his wife. They said to him: "Should a daughter of the priesthood not be believed as the hostess of an inn!" [That is, should a prestigious Jewess not be believed as a gentile innkeeper! If they believed the gentile woman, speaking casually, they certainly should believe a Jewess!] He answered: "Would that the innkeeper were believed!" [i.e., she, too, is not believed] — "She took out to them his staff, and his traveling bag, and the Torah scroll that he used to carry!"

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