Yevamot 17 - March 24, 21 Adar 2

Presentation in PDF Format

Today’s daf is sponsored by Randi Shuster in honor of Sharona Shuster for finishing her first perek of Yevamot! 

Today’s daf is sponsored by Ellen Golub & Steven Sass in memory of Leo Golub, Aryeh Leib ben Eliyahu and Massi on his 8th yahrzeit. “He was a native Yiddish speaker who loved the Jewish people and, despite a streak of atheism, insisted that his only daughter have an excellent Jewish education. He devoted his life to building a curious, creative, and loving Jewish family and is remembered joyfully by four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Yehi zichrono livracha.”

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav Asi that if a gentile marries a Jewish woman,  we have to be concerned that he is possibly Jewish (from the ten lost tribes) and the marriage is a valid marriage. From what areas is this an issue? Rabbi Yochanan forbade them to marry within the Jewish community as they may be considered mamzerim. When Shmuel heard this, he began to question this. Aren't children born from Jewish males and non-Jewish females, not considered Jews - therefore there is no concern that they are mamzerim? Why wasn't he concerned for those born to Jewish women? It must be that the women on the way to exile became barren. Others say that Shmuel reacted by calling for an immediate resolution to this issue by declaring them all to be non-Jews, even if they were actually Jews. The Gemara continues to discuss the cities of Tarmod and Harpania that were known to have Jews of mixed lineage there. The second chapter begins with delving into the case of a brother that was not alive at the death of the brother, who is then forbidden to the wife of the first brother, were he to die without children. If a different brother who was alive at the time performed maamar with the widow and then died, the other wife of this brother would need to do chalitza with the brother who was born later (and would not be permitted to engage in levirate marriage). This is because maamar is only rabbinic and therefore the second wife is  a tzarat erva on a rabbinic level, but the only wife on a Torah level. The Gemara discusses a linguistic issue in the Mishna. Then it gets to the basis in the Torah for of the law exempting the woman from yibum with a brother that was not yet born. The same verse is used to limit yibum to brothers from the father. This is derived from a gezeira shava from the sons of Yaakov. Why isn't it derived from other places where "brother" is used? From where do we derive that it applies to half brothers through the father and not exclusively for those who share the same mother and father? To what extent is there a connection (zika, meaning it is as if they were married) between the potential man and woman that are supposed to engage in yibum? For example, if the woman were to die before the yibum was performed, would the brother be allowed to marry her mother? Is there a difference in the connection if he is the only brother or if there are others? Rav Huna and Rav Yehuda disagree about this issue. The Gemara questions why they used specific cases and didn't say explicitly "There is/is not zika."