Gemara Clarity

Yevamos 31a

יבמות ל״א ע״א

Yevamot 31a

Learn Yevamos 31a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Yevamos 31a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

When a doubtful קידושין or גירושין requires חליצה for the צרה, and when the Rabbis worried this would lead people to allow יבום.

Overview

רבה and אביי continue arguing about why our משנה requires חליצה in a doubtful קידושין case but does not teach a doubtful גירושין case the same way. רבה says that in divorce, people might go from 'she does חליצה' to 'she may do יבום'. In the קידושין case that mistake would be harmless, because she stands on her חזקה. אביי challenges this from the collapsed-house case, where a doubt forbids a צרה despite her חזקה of being permitted. רבה answers in two ways. First, the Rabbis only made decrees for common cases like divorce. Second, in divorce people may think the Rabbis checked the גט, while nobody thinks a collapse can be solved. The גמרא then raises the משנה of a גט that lands halfway, where the צרה does חליצה with no worry. רבה and רב יוסף answer that that case has two contradicting sets of witnesses, which makes it a Torah-level doubt. The גמרא questions this and argues that two sets cancel out, bringing proof from בר שטיא's sale, and רב אשי's ruling there finishes on the next amud.

Opening lines

כֵּיוָן דְּקָא מַצְרְכַתְּ חֲלִיצָה —

Since you require ḥalitza,

מִידָּע יָדְעִי דְּחוּמְרָא בְּעָלְמָא הוּא.

people will surely know that it is merely a stringency.

אִי הָכִי, גֵּירוּשִׁין נָמֵי לִיתְנֵי,

If so, let it teach divorce as well,

וְלַיצְרְכַהּ חֲלִיצָה,

and require her to do ḥalitza,

The steps (20)

  1. ResolutionRequiring חליצה shows it is only a stringency
  2. ChallengeThen why not teach the divorce case with חליצה too?
  3. ResolutionPeople would think she can also do יבום
  4. ChallengeThe same worry applies to the קידושין case
  5. ResolutionLet her do יבום, since she stands on her חזקה
  6. Challengeאביי cites the collapsed house case
  7. ChallengeWhy doesn't her חזקה keep her permitted?
  8. ChallengeRequiring חליצה in the collapse case should also lead to יבום
  9. ResolutionDivorce is common, collapses are rare
  10. ResolutionPeople think the Rabbis checked the גט, but nobody thinks they can solve a collapse
  11. ChallengeA משנה about a גט that lands halfway
  12. ChallengeIn the halfway-גט case the צרה does חליצה without worry
  13. ResolutionTwo sets of witnesses versus one set
  14. QuestionHow do we know our משנה is about one set of witnesses?
  15. ResponseDivorce is like betrothal
  16. QuestionHow do we know the betrothal case is one set?
  17. ResponseWith two sets, she could simply do יבום
  18. ChallengeBut witnesses say it landed close to her
  19. ChallengeTwo sets of witnesses is also only a rabbinic-level doubt
  20. ProofProof from the case of בר שטיא