Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Commentary for Yevamot 107:15

אלא אתיא מאחות אב ואחות אם דכתיב (ויקרא כ, יט) וערות אחות אמך ואחות אביך לא תגלה כי את שארו הערה איכא למיפרך מה לאחות אב ואחות אם שכן איסור הבא מאליו

is made from 'a brother's wife' concerning whom it is written, <i>And if a man shall take his brother's wife, she is a menstruant</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XX, 21. [H] E.V., it is impurity. ');"><sup>41</sup></span> Now is a brother's wife always menstruant?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely not. Why then was she so described? ');"><sup>42</sup></span> But [the meaning is] 'like a menstruant as with a menstruant the first stage constitutes the offence, so does the first stage constitute an offence with a brother's wife. But a brother's wife [it may be objected] is different since it is in his<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The brother's. ');"><sup>43</sup></span> power to increase the number, for should he wish, he could go on betrothing as many as a thousand!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The number of relatives forbidden through marriage may be indefinitely increased. Hence only such relatives (e.g., a father's wife, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law) may be inferred from a brother's wife who also is a relative forbidden through marriage. What proof, however, does this provide that restrictions applicable to these are also applicable to relatives forbidden from birth (e.g, a mother, sister, daughter) whose number it is not in one's power to increase? ');"><sup>44</sup></span>

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