Yevamos 29a

יבמות כ״ט ע״א

Yevamot 29a

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Topic

רבי שמעון's decree for two sisters, and the power of מאמר in the case of three brothers and two sisters

Overview

The amud opens by asking how a ruling requiring חליצה from two sisters fits רבי שמעון, who says two sisters need neither חליצה nor יבום. The answer is a rabbinic גזירה: if a woman with an איסור מצוה were released without חליצה, people might think an איסור מצוה exempts her. The decree is also extended to her sister. The גמרא explains why no such decree is made with an ערוה: everyone knows those laws, so no one will be confused. Then a new משנה presents three brothers, two married to sisters, where the single brother did מאמר with one widow before her sister also fell to him. בית שמאי say he keeps the first woman and the sister goes free. בית הלל say he loses both, which is the case of 'woe to him'. The גמרא reads 'זו היא' as rejecting רבי יהושע's similar ruling elsewhere. Finally, רבי אלעזר explains that even for בית שמאי, מאמר only pushes away the rival woman and is not a full acquisition, and רבי אבין supports this from the word 'יקיימו' in an earlier משנה.

Opening lines

The steps (13)

1. Challengeרבי שמעון says two sisters need neither חליצה nor יבום
2. ResolutionA decree because of other cases of איסור מצוה
3. ChallengeFine for her, but why her sister?
4. ResolutionThe sister is included because of her
5. ChallengeBut with an ערוה there is no decree
6. ResolutionEveryone knows the laws of ערוה
7. StatementNew משנה: the case of three brothers and two sisters
8. Statementבית שמאי: he keeps the first woman and the sister goes free
9. Statementבית הלל: he loses both women
10. QuestionWhat do the words 'זו היא' come to exclude?
11. ResponseIt excludes רבי יהושע's 'woe to him' ruling
12. Statementרבי אלעזר: for בית שמאי, מאמר only pushes away the צרה
13. Proofרבי אבין finds support in an earlier משנה