Yevamot 64 - May 10, 9 Iyar

Study Guide Yevamot 64

Today’s daf is sponsored by Hyphen Huffmanparent in honor of her daughter’s teacher, Karen Moss. “This dedication is in honor of my daughter's teacher in day school and tutor for her bat mitzvah which took place this past Rosh Chodesh.”

Today’s daf is sponsored by Ilana Cuttler in loving memory of her mother Marcia Lerner, Malka Leah bat Yitzchak Hillel, with appreciation for the love of learning she inspired.

If a man is married for ten years without children, he needs to take action - either divorce her or take another wife. This is derived from Avraham. What exceptions are there to this rule? Why don’t we learn that one waits twenty years like Yitzchak? Both Avraham and Yitzchak were infertile. From where do we know this? Why were so many of our fathers unable to have children? Sarah also was unable to conceive. Rav Yehuda says that once people began to live for fewer years, the number of years dropped to two and a half, the amount of time for three potential pregnancies. Raba said in the name of Rav Nachman three years but he himself held that even in their days, it was still ten years. If a man divorces a woman because they can’t have children, she still gets her ketuba money because we assume it wasn’t due to her sins that they do not have children as she is not obligated in the mitzva to have children. Is it really true that if one doesn’t have children after ten years, if they divorce, they will likely have children with the second wife? A situation is brought where Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said that if he was worthy to have kids, he would have had them from his first wife. This is not a good proof as he was one of sixty rabbis who became infertile from not being able to go to the bathroom during Rav Huna’s long shiurim. The Mishna seems to indicate that after marrying another woman, if he still doesn't have children, he doesn't need to marry a third time, as it must follow Rebbi's opinion who held that when something happens twice, it creates a chazaka. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds three times. Or is it the reverse? How do they determine which is the accurate tradition? According to which opinion do we hold? It depends on what the situation is. In certain types of issues, we hold like Rebbi and in others like Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.