Yevamos 20a

יבמות כ׳ ע״א

Yevamot 20a

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Topic

יבום after-born brothers, and the משנה on which forbidden יבמות do חליצה but not יבום

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a challenge to the רבנן, who learn from ״וְיִבְּמָהּ״ that a brother born after יבום is still forbidden to the יבמה. The גמרא explains that ״וּלְקָחָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה״ makes her fully a wife to the brother who did יבום, while ״וְיִבְּמָהּ״ keeps her forbidden to a later brother: leniency goes with the permitted case, prohibition with the forbidden case. It then defends רבי שמעון's view against a challenge from a half-sister case: a brother's-wife prohibition can be lifted through יבום, but a sister is never permitted. A new משנה follows. An ערוה needs neither חליצה nor יבום. A woman under an איסור מצוה or an איסור קדושה does חליצה but not יבום, and the sister of an ערוה is a normal יבמה. The גמרא explains the word כלל (two versions of רפרם about the צרת אילונית), whose sister the משנה means, and why each prohibition gets its name, including רבי יהודה's reversed labels and רבא's 'קדש עצמך במותר לך'. Finally, it asks why a widow from אירוסין cannot do יבום with a כהן גדול. רב גידל learns from ״יבמתו״ that women forbidden by a לאו do חליצה only, and a rule from another פסוק leaves out חייבי כריתות. The amud ends by asking why ״יבמתו״ goes with לאוין rather than כריתות, and the answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (41)

1. ChallengeIf the first יבום bond remains, divorce should also need חליצה
2. ResolutionOnce he takes her, she is fully his wife
3. ChallengeThen the later-born brother should also be permitted
4. ResolutionThe word ״וְיִבְּמָהּ״ keeps her forbidden to the later brother
5. ChallengeWhy assign each verse this way
6. ResolutionLeniency goes with leniency, prohibition with prohibition
7. ChallengeChallenge to רבי שמעון from a half-sister case
8. ResolutionA sister's prohibition does not disappear
9. ChallengeThen the brother's-wife prohibition should not disappear either
10. ResolutionA prohibition that can be permitted is different
11. Statementמשנה: the rule for forbidden יבמות
12. StatementThe sister of the forbidden woman is still available
13. StatementDefining מצוה and holiness prohibitions
14. QuestionWhat does the word 'rule' come to include?
15. Responseרפרם: it includes the rival wife of an אילונית
16. QuestionSecond version: what does 'forbidden as ערוה' exclude?
17. Responseרפרם: it excludes the rival wife of an אילונית
18. QuestionWhose sister does the משנה mean?
19. RejectionIt can't be the sister of an איסור מצוה woman
20. ResponseIt means the sister of an ערוה
21. QuestionWhy call rabbinic שניות an 'איסור מצוה'?
22. Responseאביי: it is a מצוה to listen to the חכמים
23. StatementThe משנה defines a prohibition of sanctity
24. QuestionWhy call it a prohibition of sanctity?
25. ResponseBecause the Torah calls priests holy
26. Statementרבי יהודה switches the labels
27. QuestionWhy call it a prohibition of מצוה?
28. ResponseBecause the Torah calls them מצוות
29. StatementFor רבי יהודה, rabbinic relatives are 'sanctity'
30. QuestionWhy call a rabbinic rule 'sanctity'?
31. Responseאביי: keeping the Sages' words makes one holy
32. Challengeרבא: then the one who disobeys is not wicked?
33. Resolutionרבא: sanctify yourself with what is permitted
34. Statementאלמנה to a כהן גדול: from נשואין or אירוסין alike
35. ChallengeWhy can't ייבום override the prohibition for a widow from betrothal?
36. ResolutionThe extra word ״יבמתו״ teaches that women forbidden by a לאו get only חליצה
37. ChallengeMaybe the extra word means women forbidden by כרת
38. ResolutionOnly a woman who could have ייבום can have חליצה
39. ChallengeThen women forbidden by a לאו should also get no חליצה
40. ResolutionThe Torah included one group through ״יבמתו״
41. QuestionWhat made you choose לאוין over כריתות?