Yevamot 12

Chapter 12

א מִצְוַת חֲלִיצָה בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דַיָּנִין, וַאֲפִלּוּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּן הֶדְיוֹטוֹת. חָלְצָה בְמִנְעָל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. בְּאַנְפִּילִין, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. בְּסַנְדָּל שֶׁיֶּשׁ לוֹ עָקֵב, כָּשֵׁר. וְשֶׁאֵין לוֹ עָקֵב, פָּסוּל. מִן הָאַרְכֻּבָּה וּלְמַטָּה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. מִן הָאַרְכֻּבָּה וּלְמַעְלָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה:

1 The mitzvah of chalitzah is before three judges, even three hedyototh (non-learned men). [The reason they are called "judges" is that, like judges, they must know how to read the verses. And though it is stated that the mitzvah of chalitzah is before three, two others must join them so that the chalitzah, being before five, is more greatly publicized. And the two that are added need not even know how to read. If she performed chalitzah with a minal [(a foot-covering) of soft leather], her chalitzah is kasher; [but he should not do so ab initio — a decree lest he give chalitzah with a minal torn from above. For even if the torn one sits on his foot, since it is soft, it does not satisfy the requirement of affording protection. But a sandal (a shoe) is of stiff leather, and since, when it is torn it does not sit on his foot, there is no reason to forbid (an intact sandal) lest he come to give chalitzah with a torn sandal — for which reason chalitzah is essentially with a sandal.] If she performed chalitzah with anfilin [foot-coverings of cloth], her chalitzah is invalid, for something that affords protection is required, it being written here (Deuteronomy 25:9): "his shoe," and, elsewhere (Ezekiel 16:10): "And I shod you with tachash," which is leather.] (If he gave her chalitzah) with a heeled sandal, it is kasher; with an unheeled sandal, it is invalid. From the knee-joint down, her chalitzah is kasher; from the knee-joint up [i.e., if the laces of the shoe were tied above the knee-joint], it is invalid.

ב חָלְצָה בְסַנְדָּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, אוֹ בְסַנְדָּל שֶׁל עֵץ, אוֹ בְשֶׁל שְׂמֹאל בַּיָּמִין, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. חָלְצָה בְגָדוֹל שֶׁהוּא יָכוֹל לַהֲלוֹךְ בּוֹ, אוֹ בְקָטָן שֶׁהוּא חוֹפֶה אֶת רֹב רַגְלוֹ, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. חָלְצָה בַלַּיְלָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר פּוֹסֵל. בַּשְּׂמֹאל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מַכְשִׁיר:

2 If she performed chalitzah with a sandal that was not his or with one of wood [provided that it was covered with leather] or with the left shoe on the right foot, her chalitzah is kasher. If she performed chalitzah with a large shoe in which he could walk, [If the shoe were larger than his size, if he could walk in it, her chalitzah is kasher], or with a small shoe [smaller than his size], if it covered most of his foot, her chalitzah is kasher. If she performed chalitzah at night, her chalitzah is kasher. R. Eliezer rules that it is invalid. (If she performed chalitzah) on his left foot, it is invalid. R. Eliezer rules that it is kasher. [The halachah is according to R. Eliezer re invalidating chalitzah at night, and not in accordance with him re ruling chalitzah on the left foot to be kasher].

ג חָלְצָה וְרָקְקָה, אֲבָל לֹא קָרְאָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. קָרְאָה וְרָקְקָה, אֲבָל לֹא חָלְצָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. חָלְצָה וְקָרְאָה, אֲבָל לֹא רָקְקָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה (דברים כה), כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֶׂה, מְעַכֵּב. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, מִשָּׁם רְאָיָה, כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ, כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֶׂה בָאִישׁ:

3 If she removed the shoe and spat, but did not recite (the prescribed formula), her chalitzah is kasher. [For when the Torah wrote: "Thus," implying a constraint, it was written relative to the act, viz. (Deuteronomy 25:9): "Thus shall be done with the man," and recitation is mere speech.] If she recited and spat, but did not remove the shoe, her chalitzah is invalid. If she removed the shoe and recited, but did not spit — R. Eliezer says: Her chalitzah is invalid. R. Akiva says: Her chalitzah is kasher. R. Eliezer said: "Thus shall be done" — Everything which is an act constrains. R. Akiva rejoined: Does that prove it? (It is written:) "Thus shall be done with the man" — everything which is an act in the man [such as chalitzah, where the woman performs an act on the man's body, as opposed to spitting which is not an act on the man's body.]

ד הַחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנֶּחֱלַץ וְהַחֵרֶשֶׁת שֶׁחָלְצָה, וְהַחוֹלֶצֶת לַקָּטָן, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. קְטַנָּה שֶׁחָלְצָה, תַּחֲלֹץ מִשֶּׁתַּגְדִּיל. וְאִם לֹא חָלְצָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה:

4 A deaf-mute who was given chalitzah, and a deaf-mute who performed chalitzah, and a woman given chalitzah by a minor — her chalitzah is invalid. [("A deaf-mute who was given chalitzah, his chalitzah is invalid":) For he does not release her (from yibum linkage) where there is another brother who is fit. ("And a deaf-mute who performed chalitzah, her chalitzah is invalid":) For she herself is not released by her chalitzah, and there is no amendment for her except through yibum. And if he wishes to send her away thereafter, he does so by a get. ("And a woman given chalitzah by a minor, her chalitzah is invalid.":) Wherever "invalid chalitzah" (chalitzah p'sulah) is spoken of in our chapter, it is only in that she cannot be taken in yibum after that chalitzah, and she requires a bona fide chalitzah to permit her to others. And that tanna who calls the chalitzah of a minor "chalitzah p'sulah," which implies that it renders her unfit for yibum — that tanna is R. Meir; for the rabbis say that the chalitzah of a minor is meaningless and does not render her unfit for yibum. And the halachah is in accordance with the sages.] If a minor performed chalitzah, she must do so (again) when she comes of age; and if she did not, her chalitzah is invalid.

ה חָלְצָה בִשְׁנַיִם, אוֹ בִשְׁלֹשָׁה, וְנִמְצָא אֶחָד מֵהֶן קָרוֹב אוֹ פָסוּל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הַסַּנְדְּלָר מַכְשִׁירִין. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְאֶחָד שֶׁחָלַץ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵינָהּ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין, וּבָא מַעֲשֶׂה לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְהִכְשִׁיר:

5 If she performed chalitzah before two [fit] judges, or three, and one [of them] were found to be kin or unfit, [so that only two fit ones remained], her chalitzah is invalid, [and this is the halachah, chalitzah not being valid with fewer than three.] R. Shimon and R. Yochanan Hasandler rule it to be valid. And it once happened that chalitzah was performed between the man and the woman (alone) in prison, and when R. Akiva was apprised of it he ruled it valid.

ו מִצְוַת חֲלִיצָה. בָּא הוּא וִיבִמְתּוֹ לְבֵית דִּין, וְהֵן מַשִּׂיאִין לוֹ עֵצָה הַהוֹגֶנֶת לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (דברים כה) וְקָרְאוּ לוֹ זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְדִבְּרוּ אֵלָיו. וְהִיא אוֹמֶרֶת, מֵאֵן יְבָמִי לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי. וְהוּא אוֹמֵר, לֹא חָפַצְתִּי לְקַחְתָּהּ. וּבִלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים. וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו, רֹק הַנִּרְאֶה לַדַּיָּנִים. וְעָנְתָה וְאָמְרָה כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו, עַד כָּאן הָיוּ מַקְרִין. וּכְשֶׁהִקְרָא רַבִּי הֻרְקְנוֹס תַּחַת הָאֵלָה בִּכְפַר עֵיטָם וְגָמַר אֶת כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה, הֻחְזְקוּ לִהְיוֹת גּוֹמְרִין כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה. וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל. מִצְוָה בַדַּיָּנִין, וְלֹא מִצְוָה בַתַּלְמִידִים. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מִצְוָה עַל כָּל הָעוֹמְדִים שָׁם לוֹמַר, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל:

6 The mitzvah of chalitzah: He and his yevamah come to beth-din, and they counsel him as befits him. [If he were young and she old; or he, old, and she, young, they tell him: What do you want with someone so young (or with someone so old) — find someone your own age!], viz. (Deuteronomy 25:8): "Then the elders of his city shall call to him and they shall speak to him." She says (Ibid. 7): "My yavam does not desire to invest for his brother a name in Israel; he does not desire to have me in yibum," and he says (Ibid. 8): "I did not desire to take her." And in the holy tongue they (the yavam and the yevamah) would say (Ibid. 9): "Then his yevamah shall draw near to him before the eyes of the elders, and she shall remove his shoe from his foot, and she shall spit in his face" (spittle that is visible to the judges) "and she shall answer and say: 'Thus shall it be done with the man who would not build the house of his brother.'" Until this point they (the judges) would read for them. And when R. Horkanos read (for the yevamah) under the terebinth in Kfar Ittam and concluded the entire section, it was established that the entire section be concluded, viz. (Ibid. 10): "And his name shall be called in Israel: 'the house chalutz hana'al' ('of the removed shoe')." It is a mitzvah for the judges (to answer after her: "chalutz hana'al"), and it is not a mitzvah for the disciples (to do so). R. Yehudah says: It is a mitzvah for all who stand there to say: "chalutz hana'al, chalutz hana'al!" [And the halachah is in accordance with R. Yehudah.]

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