Yevamos 98b

יבמות צ״ח ע״ב

Yevamot 98b

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Topic

Converts married to relatives, and widows of mixed-up sons: who does חליצה and who does יבום

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא about a man who converts while married to women who would be עריות for a Jew. Following רבי מאיר, relatives connected through the mother must be divorced and relatives through the father may stay. Relatives by marriage, such as a brother's wife, are permitted. The גמרא tries to prove from the ברייתא that a גר may marry a woman his brother married after converting. The proof is pushed off: the brother may have married her as a גוי. The גמרא then explains that the line 'at the outset he should not marry' refers to the wives he was allowed to keep. It ties the two versions about the mother-in-law to רבי ישמעאל and רבי עקיבא. A new משנה follows about five women whose babies got mixed up: each widow gets four חליצות and then one יבום, in a set order and with the brothers taking turns. A ברייתא adds cases with paternal brothers, maternal brothers and כהנים, who may do only חליצה.

Opening lines

The steps (22)

1. StatementFather's sister and mother's sister: keep or divorce
2. StatementBrother's wife, uncle's wife and father's wife are permitted
3. StatementA woman and her daughter
4. ProofTrying to prove a convert may marry his brother's wife
5. RejectionNo, the brother married her as a non-Jew
6. ChallengeWhy would that need to be said?
7. ResolutionNo rabbinic decree because of the convert case
8. StatementQuoting the line about a woman and her daughter again
9. ChallengeWhy say 'not at the outset' if he must send her away?
10. ResolutionThe line refers back to the case he may keep
11. StatementTwo versions about the mother-in-law
12. ConclusionWhy each תנא leads to a different version
13. StatementNew משנה: five women whose babies got mixed up
14. StatementThe rotation continues until every widow is done
15. Statementחליצה must come first, then יבום
16. QuestionWhy does the brother who did יבום switch to doing חליצה?
17. ResponseEach brother gets a turn, so he may hit his own sister-in-law
18. StatementA ברייתא: some are brothers and some are not
19. QuestionWhat is the ברייתא saying?
20. Responseרב ספרא: maternal brothers do חליצה, paternal brothers do יבום
21. StatementPriests do חליצה, non-priests do יבום
22. StatementPriests and maternal brothers both do only חליצה