Halakhah for Yevamot 124:1

בני בנים הרי הן כבנים כי תניא ההיא להשלים

Grandchildren are like children!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 70a. It is now assumed that whenever one's own child died the grandchild may take his place in exempting his grandfather from the duty of propagation. From this it follows that only living children or grandchildren exempt a man from the duty of further propagation. How then could R. Huna maintain that dead children also exempt one from this duty? ');">1 — This was taught only in respect of supplementing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If a man had only one son he is exempt from the duty of propagation if his son had a daughter. If, however, he once had a male and a female who subsequently died he is in any case exempt. ');">2 An objection was raised: Grandchildren are like children. If one of them died or was found to be a saris3

Peninei Halakhah, Women's Prayer

The most significant human reciprocal completion is the one between male and female, for with it human beings can reveal the divine image within them and achieve perfection. Not only concerning humanity, but in all of creation, from the sublime realms down to this earth, there is a division into male and female; neither sex can exist and endure independently, without the completion of the other. This fundamental principle is clarified at length in the wisdom of the Kabbala. That is what R. Elazar meant when he said: “Every man without a woman is not a [complete] person, as it is written: ‘Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and called them man’ (Bereishit 5:2)” (Yevamot 63a). Likewise, the Sages teach us: “Every man without a woman is inundated by unhappiness, without blessing, without goodness…without Torah, without fortification” (Yevamot 62b).

Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Full Chapter Next Verse