Mishnayos Yevamos Perek 1 Mishnah 4
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יבמות פרק א׳ משנה ד׳
Up to this point, the discussions were based on the assumption that not only may a forbidden relative not enter into levirate marriage, but her rival wife is also exempt. However, this issue is subject to a long-standing dispute. Beit Shammai permit the rival wives to the brothers, as they did not accept the interpretation of the verses that indicates that rival wives are prohibited. And Beit Hillel forbid them. The previous mishnayot are in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel. If any of the rival wives of the brother performed ḥalitza, Beit Shammai disqualify her from marrying into the priesthood, as in their opinion these rival wives were fit for levirate marriage, which means that the ḥalitza was fully valid. Consequently, they are disqualified from marrying a priest, like all other women who perform ḥalitza. And Beit Hillel deem them fit, as they maintain that no legal act of ḥalitza was performed here at all. If they entered into levirate marriage, Beit Shammai deem them fit for the priesthood, as in their opinion, this is a fully legal levirate marriage. And Beit Hillel disqualify them, because they engaged in licentious sexual relations as the rival wives of a forbidden relative. § The mishna comments: Although Beit Hillel prohibit the rival wives to the brothers and Beit Shammai permit them, and although these disqualify these women and those deem them fit, Beit Shammai did not refrain from marrying women from Beit Hillel, nor did Beit Hillel refrain from marrying women from Beit Shammai. Furthermore, with regard to all of the disputes concerning the halakhot of ritual purity and impurity, where these rule that an article is ritually pure and those rule it ritually impure, they did not refrain from handling ritually pure objects each with the other, as Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel frequently used each other’s vessels.
בֵּית שַׁמַּאי מַתִּירִין הַצָּרוֹת לָאַחִים, וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹסְרִים. חָלְצוּ, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי פּוֹסְלִין מִן הַכְּהֻנָּה, וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַכְשִׁירִים. נִתְיַבְּמוּ, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי מַכְשִׁירִים, וּבֵית הִלֵּל פּוֹסְלִין. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵלּוּ אוֹסְרִין וְאֵלּוּ מַתִּירִין, אֵלּוּ פּוֹסְלִין וְאֵלּוּ מַכְשִׁירִין, לֹא נִמְנְעוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי מִלִּשָּׂא נָשִׁים מִבֵּית הִלֵּל, וְלֹא בֵית הִלֵּל מִבֵּית שַׁמַּאי. כָּל הַטָּהֳרוֹת וְהַטֻּמְאוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ אֵלּוּ מְטַהֲרִין וְאֵלּוּ מְטַמְּאִין, לֹא נִמְנְעוּ עוֹשִׂין טָהֳרוֹת אֵלּוּ עַל גַּבֵּי אֵלּוּ:
Bartenura
בית שמאי מתירין. צרת ערוה להתיבם לאחיו. דלית להו הך דרשה דלצרור:
חלצו. הצרות מן האחין:
בית שמאי פוסלין. הצרות מן הכהונה, שחליצתן חליצה:
ובית הלל מכשירין. שחליצתן שלא לצורך היתה, והרי היא כחולצת מן נכרי:
נתיבמו. לאחין:
בית שמאי מכשירין. אותן לכהנים אם נתאלמנו מיבמיהם:
ובית הלל פוסלים. שנבעלו לאסור להם, והנבעלת לאסור לה עשאה זונה וזונה אסורה לכהן:
לא נמנעו. ואע״פ שבני הצרות שנתיבמו כדברי בית שמאי ממזרים הם לב״ה, שהרי באיסור אשת אח הם עליהם ואשת אח בכרת, ובני חייבי כריתות ממזרים הם, אעפ״כ לא נמנעו ב״ה מלישא נשים מב״ש, לפי שהיו מודיעים להם אותן הבאות מן הצרות ופורשין מהן:
אלו על גבי אלו. משאילים כליהם אלו לאלו. ובגמרא פריך אהא דתנן בית שמאי מתירין את הצרות לאחים ובית הלל אוסרים, קרי כאן לא תתגודדו, לא תיעשו אגודות אגודות. ומשני, כגון בית דין אחד בעיר אחת פלג מורים בבית שמאי ופלג מורים כבית הלל. אבל שני בתי דינים בעיר אחת, וכ״ש שני בתי דינים בשתי עיירות לית לן בה:
בית שמאי מתירין – the rival of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity is to be married by the levir, for they (i.e., the School of Shammai) lack this exposition/Midrashic interpretation of (Leviticus 18:18): “[Do not marry a woman] as a rival [to her sister and uncover her nakedness in the other’s lifetime].”
חלצו – [they performed the ritual of Halitzah] the rival/co-wives from the brothers.
בית שמאי פוסלין – the rival/co-wives from the priesthood, since their [act of] Halitzah is [considered] Halitzah.
ובית הלל מכשירין – that their [act of] Halitzah was not a necessity and she is considered as one who performed Halitzah from a heathen/foreigner.
נתיבמו – to brothers.
בית שמאי מכשירין – [The School of Shammai validates them] to Kohanim, if they had become widowed from their levirs.
ובית הלל פוסלים – that they had engaged in sexual relationship with those forbidden to them, and one who engages in sexual relations with one prohibited to her makes her a harlot, and a harlot is prohibited to [marry] a Kohen.
לא נמנעו – and even though that the children of the rival/co-wives who had been married by the levir that according to the School of Shammai are Mamzerim/illegitimate according to the School of Hillel, and they are [included] in the prohibition of marrying the wife of one’s brother upon them, and the [violation of] the [marriage of the] wife of one’s brother is [liable to] extirpation, and those who are liable for extirpation are considered Mamzerim/illegitimate, nevertheless, [members of] the School of Hillel were not prevented from marrying women from the School of Shammai, because they would inform them of those women coming from the rival/co-wives and separate from them.
אלו על גבי אלו – they would loan their utensils one to the other. And in the Gemara (Tractate Yevamot 14a), raises an objection on that which is taught [in our Mishnah]: “The School of Shammai declares that the rival/co-wives are permitted [to enter into levirate marriage with] the brothers and the School of Hillel [prohibits] . They call it here (Deuteronomy 14:1): “You shall not gash yourselves/לא תתגדדו “ – do not form yourselves into religious [factions]. And they responded – such as the case of one Jewish court in one city – where half teach according to the School of Shammai and half teach according to the School of Hillel, but [where there are] two Jewish courts in one city, and all the more so, two Jewish courts in two towns, it does not matter.