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Perek 11

Mishnayos Yevamos Perek 11 Mishnah 3

יבמות פרק י"א משנה ג׳

3
With regard to five women whose offspring were mixed, i.e., their lineage became indeterminate, and they had other sons as well who were not mixed, and the mixed sons matured and married women and subsequently died, then four sons who were not mixed, each one from a different mother, must perform ḥalitza with one of the widows, as she might be the sister-in-law of any of them. And one son of the mother whose sons did not perform ḥalitza may perform levirate marriage with her instead of ḥalitza; even if she is not his sister-in-law, once she has received ḥalitza from the others she may marry any man. Subsequently, he and three of the four other sons must perform ḥalitza with one of the remaining widows, and the other one may perform levirate marriage. When this process has been completed for all the widows, four ḥalitzot and a levirate marriage are found altogether for each and every widow.

חָמֵשׁ נָשִׁים שֶׁנִּתְעָרְבוּ וַלְדוֹתֵיהֶן, הִגְדִּילוּ הַתַּעֲרֹבוֹת וְנָשְׂאוּ נָשִׁים וּמֵתוּ, אַרְבָּעָה חוֹלְצִין לְאַחַת, וְאֶחָד מְיַבֵּם אוֹתָהּ. הוּא וּשְׁלשָׁה חוֹלְצִים לְאַחֶרֶת, וְאֶחָד מְיַבֵּם. נִמְצְאוּ אַרְבַּע חֲלִיצוֹת וְיִבּוּם לְכָל אַחַת וְאֶחָת:

ג׳

שנתערבו ולדותיהן – and each of them has a certifiable son who was not mixed up.

ארבעה חולצות לאחת – the certifiable son of each of from the four performs Halitzah to one of them (i.e., the widows), and each of them are in doubt regarding here [due to the prohibition] of the brother’s wife, and the fifth son marries here, for whichever way you turn, if she is the wife of his brother, he performs levirate marriage with her, and if not, her levir performed Halitzah to her.

הוא ושלשה – this one who performed levirate marriage performs Halitzah to the other and the three [women] with him, and the fifth [brother] performs levirate marriage, for whichever way you turn, and these two return and perform Halitzah with the third [woman] and the two who are with him, and the fifth [brother] performs levirate marriage and similarly for all of them.

ד' חליצות – first because none of them are permitted to perform levirate marriage until the four [brothers] perform Halitzah to her for just as he cannot infringe the prohibition against a sister-in-law’s marriage with a stranger (literally, “for he met a sister-in-law for the market), and the same law applies when the four are able to perform Halitzah for all of them, and the fifth [brother] marries all of them, but rather, this is much better for perhaps each of them happens to come upon him and he fulfills the Mizvah of levirate marriage.

שנתערבו ולדותיהן. ויש לכל אחת מהן בן ודאי, שלא נתערב:

ארבעה חולצין לאחת. בן ודאי של כל אחת מן הארבעה חולץ לאחת מהן, דכל אחת מספק לה לאשת אח. ובן החמישית ישאנה ממה נפשך, אם אשת אחיו היא הרי מיבם לה, ואם לאו הרי חלץ לה יבמה:

הוא ושלשה. זה שיבם חולץ לאחרת ושלשה עמו. והחמישי מיבם ממה נפשך. וחוזרין השנים הללו וחולצין לשלישית ושנים עמהם והחמישי מיבם, וכן כולם:

ד׳ חליצות. תחלה, לפי שאין אחד מהם רשאי ליבם עד שיחלצו לה הארבעה, כי היכי דלא לפגע ביבמה לשוק. והוא הדין דמצו הארבעה למחלץ לכולהו והאחד כונס את כולן, אלא דהכי שפיר טפי, דלמא לכל חד וחד מתרמי דיליה ומתקיימא מצות יבום: