Mishnayos Yevamos Perek 12 Mishnah 1
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יבמות פרק י"ב משנה א׳
The mitzva of ḥalitza, the ritual through which the yavam frees the yevama of her levirate bonds, must be performed before three judges, and the ritual does not require the judges to be experts fit to adjudicate other matters, as even if all three are laymen, it is acceptable. If she performed ḥalitza while he was wearing a shoe made of soft leather that covers the whole foot, her ḥalitza is valid, but if she performed ḥalitza while he was wearing a soft shoe [anpileya] made of cloth, her ḥalitza is invalid, as it is not considered a real shoe. If ḥalitza was performed while he was wearing a sandal, i.e., footwear made of hard leather, that has a heel, it is valid; but if performed with a sandal without a heel, it is invalid ḥalitza. If the leg of the yavam was amputated anywhere from the knee down and she performed ḥalitza as he wore a shoe on the stump of his leg, it is valid ḥalitza. If, however, the leg was amputated anywhere from the knee and above, and she performed ḥalitza as he wore a shoe on the stump of his leg, it is invalid ḥalitza.
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:
Bartenura
מצות חליצה. ואפילו שלשתן הדיוטות. והא דקרי להו דיינים, שצריך שיהיו יודעים להקרות הפסוקים כעין דיינים. ואע״ג דתנן מצות חליצה בשלשה, צריכין לצרף עמהן שנים אחרים, שתהיה חליצה בחמשה לפרסומי מילתא. והשנים הללו שמוסיפים על השלשה אפילו אין יודעים להקרות:
מנעל. של עור רך חליצתו כשרה, אבל לכתחלה לא, גזירה שמא יחלוץ במנעל קרוע מלמעלה, דאפילו כי קרוע מייתב אכרעיה הואיל והוא רך, ואנן מידי דמגין בעינן והא ליכא. אבל סנדל שהוא של עור קשה וכי קרוע לא מייתב אכרעיה, ליכא למגזר שמא יחלוץ בסנדל קרוע, הלכך עיקר חליצה בסנדל היא:
באנפליאות. כמין בתי רגלים של בגד:
חליצתה פסולה. דמידי דמגין בעינן, כתיב הכא (דברים כ״ה) נעלו וכתיב התם (יחזקאל י״ז) ואנעלך תחש, והוא עור:
מן הארכובה ולמעלה חליצתה פסולה. שהיו רצועות המנעל קשורות למעלה מן הארכובה:
מצות חליצה: ואפילו שלשתן הדיוטות – be surely, that they are called judges and it is essential that they know to lead in reading the Biblical verses similar to judges, for even though it is taught in the Mishnah that the Mitzvah/rite of Halitzah requires three judges, we need to combine with them two others, so that Halitzah will be will be done with five to publicize the matter. And these two that they add on to the three, even if they don’t know how to read [the Biblical verses].
מנעל – of soft leather, the Halitzah is appropriate but not ab initio, as a decree lest he perform Halitzah with a torn shoe from above for even if it is torn, it sits at the knee, for since it is soft, and we require something that protects and this lacks that. But a sandal made of hard leather and it is torn and does not sit at the knee, one cannot make the decree that lest he perform the Halitzah ritual with a torn sandal; therefore, the essence of Halitzah is with a sandal.
חליצתה פסולה – like a kind of felt housing for the foot, his Halitzah is disqualified, for we require something that protects; It is written here (Deuteronomy 25:9): “[pull the sandal off] his foot, [spit in his face]” and it is written there (Ezekiel 16:10): “[I clothed you with embroidered garments,] and gave you sandals of dolphin leather to wear, [wound fine linen around your head, and dressed you in silks],” and it is of leather.
מן הארכובה ולמעלה חליצתה פסולה – that the straps of the shoe are tied above from the knee.