Yevamos 25b

יבמות כ״ה ע״ב

Yevamot 25b

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Topic

Witnesses for עדות אשה, when a judge may marry a woman whose case he handled, and whether a forbidden marriage must be undone

Overview

The גמרא finishes discussing רב מנשה's rule that a גזלן by rabbinic law may testify that a woman's husband died, but a גזלן by Torah law may not. It shows two ways to read the רבנן of the משנה. In the first, following רבא, a man who says 'I killed him' is not counted as a רשע, so רב מנשה fits the רבנן. In the second, עדות אשה is lenient even for a real רשע, so רב יוסף fits the רבנן and רב מנשה follows רבי יהודה. רב יהודה then explains that 'We killed him' means 'I was with his killers', and a ברייתא about a bandit backs this up. A new משנה rules that a חכם who left a woman forbidden through her נדר may not marry her, but a judge at her מיאון or חליצה may, since he sat on a court. The גמרא explains that the חכם must be a single expert, and that the word 'court' teaches that מיאון needs three judges. Finally, רב כהנא and רב אשי disagree about whether a man who married a woman forbidden to him must divorce her. רב אשי begins to prove his view from a משנה, and his proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (29)

1. Statementרב מנשה: a rabbinic robber may testify for a woman, a Torah robber may not
2. QuestionDoes רב מנשה follow only רבי יהודה?
3. Resolutionרב מנשה fits the רבנן too, using רבא's principle
4. QuestionThen does רב יוסף follow only רבי יהודה?
5. Resolutionרב יוסף fits the Rabbis because a woman's testimony is lenient
6. QuestionWhy does רבי יהודה treat 'I killed him' and 'We killed him' differently?
7. Response'We killed him' means 'I was with his killers'
8. ProofA ברייתא: the bandit who confessed to killing שמעון בן כהן
9. Rejectionרבי יהודה: he only said he was with the killers
10. ChallengeBut he is called a bandit
11. ResolutionHe was only arrested on a banditry charge
12. ChallengeBut he was taken out to be executed
13. ResolutionA non-Jewish court executes without checking carefully
14. StatementNew משנה: when a חכם or judge may marry the woman
15. StatementInference: if he permitted her, he may marry her
16. QuestionWhat case is this? Maybe a single judge
17. ChallengeA single judge cannot undo vows; it takes three
18. QuestionMaybe the case is a court of three
19. ChallengeA court of three is not suspected
20. ResolutionThe case is a single expert judge
21. StatementOnly a full court is trusted, not two
22. ChallengeBut two witnesses are not suspected
23. ResolutionThe point is that מיאון needs three
24. QuestionIf he married her anyway, must he divorce her?
25. Responseרב כהנא says he must divorce her
26. Responseרב אשי says he does not need to divorce her
27. Proofרב זוטי teaches a source that agrees with רב אשי
28. QuestionThe חכמים ask רב אשי where his ruling comes from
29. Responseרב אשי answers: it comes from our משנה