Comment exonèrent-ils leur tsaroth? Si sa fille ou l'un de l'autre de tous ces arayoth (relations interdites) était mariée à son frère, qui avait une autre femme, et qu'il mourait—tout comme sa fille est exempte (de yibum) [lui étant interdit, et il n'y a pas d'autre frère que lui], de même sa tsara est exempte. Si la tsarah de sa fille est allée épouser son deuxième frère [dans un cas où il y a un autre frère, auquel cas les deux femmes lui sont autorisées et ne sont pas exemptées, la mitsva de yibum est obtenue, auquel cas il prend l'une d'elles en yibum et l'autre est exempté, étant écrit (Deutéronome 25: 9): "la maison de son frère"— il bâtit une maison, et non deux], et il eut une autre femme, et il mourut [sans enfants, et ils tombèrent devant lui (pour yibum)], tout comme la tsarah de sa fille est exempte [lui ayant été interdite de le temps où elle est tombée (pour yibum) de son premier frère], donc la tsarah de sa tsarah [l'autre épouse de son deuxième frère] est exempte [la première tsarah l'exempte, la tzarah d'une ervah (une relation interdite) l'exempte tsarah] —même s'il y avait cent frères, et que la tsarah de la tsarah de sa fille est allée et a été prise en yibum par son troisième frère, qui avait une autre femme, et il est mort sans enfants; les deux lui sont interdits, et ainsi, tout le long de la ligne.] Comment, s'ils meurent, leur tsaroth est-il permis? Si sa fille ou l'un des autres de tous ces arayoth était mariée à son frère et qu'il avait une autre femme—si sa fille est décédée ou divorcée, puis que son frère est décédé, sa tsarah est autorisée [à être prise en yibum, car au moment de l'option yibum, elle n'était pas sa tsarah.] Et si elle [l'ervah] aurait pu refusée [étant mineure], et n'a pas refusé [et son frère est mort], sa tsarah exécute la chalitzah et n'est pas prise en yibum. [Comme elle n'est considérée comme mariée que par ordonnance rabbinique et que sa connexion yibum n'est obtenue que par ordonnance rabbinique, elle n'exempte pas sa tsarah de la chalitzah; mais il est interdit de la prendre en yibum, parce qu'elle ressemble à la tsara d'une 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.
