Yevamos 28b

יבמות כ״ח ע״ב

Yevamot 28b

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Topic

Two sisters falling for יבום: איסור מצוה versus ערוה, רב's rule for all the עריות, and the new משנה of three brothers

Overview

This amud deals with two sisters who fall together for יבום. First the גמרא explains why the משנה repeats the rule of איסור מצוה: when the forbidden woman's sister is also there, the רבנן do not drop their ban on אחות זקוקה, so she too does חליצה and not יבום. The גמרא then shows, with a צריכא, why the משנה needs both its one-brother and two-brother ערוה cases. It also shows that 'זו היא' leaves out the case of an איסור מצוה to each brother. Next comes רב's rule, backed by רבי חייא, that 'forbidden to this one, permitted to that one' works for the עריות of the first משנה. רב יהודה, אביי and רב ספרא disagree about which cases it covers, and רב ספרא builds a six-brother story according to רבי שמעון, with added צרות. A new משנה then teaches that two related widows falling to one brother do חליצה and not יבום, while רבי שמעון exempts them completely, based on 'ואשה אל אחותה'. The גמרא explains that the repeated ערוה line is needed for רבי שמעון, and then it begins discussing the איסור מצוה line, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (32)

1. ChallengeThis rule was already taught before
2. ResolutionHere the sister is also involved
3. ResolutionWhat we might have wrongly thought
4. ChallengeHow could we think the sister may do יבום
5. ResolutionThe רבנן did not drop their rule for the sake of the מצוה
6. ChallengeWhy teach the case of two brothers and two ערוה bans
7. ResolutionWhy the one-brother ערוה case alone would not be enough
8. ResolutionWhy the two-brother ערוה case alone would not be enough
9. QuestionWhat do the words "זו היא" come to exclude?
10. ResponseIt excludes an איסור מצוה to each brother
11. ChallengeIsn't this the same as the earlier איסור מצוה case?
12. ResolutionEven with no second brother to worry about, an איסור מצוה is not treated like an ערוה
13. Statementרב's rule for all the עריות: forbidden to one brother, permitted to the other
14. Statementרב יהודה limits the rule: from 'his mother-in-law' onward, not the first six
15. QuestionWhy leave out the first six?
16. ResponseThe daughter case only happens through אונס, never through marriage
17. ResponseThe rule only speaks about marriage, not rape
18. Statementאביי includes even a daughter from rape
19. Statementאביי still excludes the wife of a brother who never lived alongside him
20. Statementרב ספרא includes even the wife of a brother who never lived alongside him
21. StatementThe six-brothers story that makes רב ספרא's case work
22. StatementEach sister is forbidden to one brother and permitted to the other
23. ChallengeWhy does the case need יהודה to do יבום?
24. ResolutionThe extra detail is there to create a צרה
25. ChallengeWhat about a צרה of a צרה?
26. Resolutionגד and אשר also did יבום
27. StatementNew משנה: two related widows fall to one brother
28. Statementמשנה: when one widow is already forbidden to him
29. Statementרבי שמעון's source: the verse about rival sisters
30. ChallengeWhy repeat the forbidden-relative case?
31. ResolutionThe repeat is needed for רבי שמעון
32. StatementQuoting the משנה about איסור מצוה