Yevamot 168

Chapter 168

א וכי תימא קסבר האי תנא נישואין הראשונים מפילין הרי חלל שנשא כשרה ולא אמרינן נישואין הראשונים מפילין

1 And should you reply that this Tanna holds the opinion that the original marriage1 causes the subjection;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the woman to the levirate marriage, i.e., the widow's status at the time of her husband's death is determined by the status in which she found herself when he married her, not by that in which his death placed her, consequently if at the time of the marriage she was a virgin she would not have been regarded as a widow and would, therefore, have been permitted to marry a priest. ');">2

ב הא ודאי משום סיפא משום דקבעי למיתנא סיפא כ"ג שנשא את האלמנה יש לו אח כ"ג או כהן הדיוט דוקא אלמנה אבל בתולה חזיא ליה משום הכי קתני אלמנה

2 behold, [it may be pointed out, the case of] the HALAL WHO MARRIED A WOMAN OF LEGITIMATE STATUS3 where it is not said that 'the original marriage causes the subjection'!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Had this been the case, his brother should have been permitted to marry her, owing to the fact that at the time of her marriage with the deceased (when she presumably became subject to the levirate marriage) she was no halalah. ');">4

ג מתקיף לה רב פפא אם איתא להא דכי אתא רב דימי אמר ר' יוחנן מצרי שני שנשא מצרית ראשונה בנה שני הוי לתני נמי

3 — This5 is certainly due to the final clause. As it was desired to teach in the final clause, IF A HIGH PRIEST WHO MARRIED A WIDOW HAD A BROTHER A HIGH PRIEST OR A COMMON PRIEST, where [the prohibition6

ד מצרי שני שנשא שתי מצריות אחת ראשונה ואחת שנייה והיו לו בנים מראשונה ושנייה אי נסוב כי אורחייהו מותרות לבעליהן ואסורות ליבמיהן

4 applies to] a WIDOW only7 but [not to] a virgin who is eligible to marry him,8

ה ואי איפוך ונסוב מותרות ליבמיהן ואסורות לבעליהן מותרות לאלו ולאלו גיורות אסורות לאלו ולאלו אילוניות

5 therefore, WIDOW was taught [here also].9 R. Papa demurred: If the law is in agreement with the following ruling10

ו תנא ושייר מאי שייר דהאי שייר שייר פצוע דכא

6 which R. Dimi, when he came,11 reported in the name of R. Johanan, viz., that if an Egyptian of the second generation married an Egyptian woman of the first generation her son is regarded as belonging to the second generation,12

ז אי משום פצוע דכא לאו שיורא דהא תנא ליה חייבי לאוין

7 [our Mishnah] should also have taught: If an Egyptian of the second generatlon married two Egyptian women, one of the first, and the other of the second generation, and he had sons from the first and from the second, [the wives of these sons], if they13 married in the proper manner,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if the son of the Egyptian of the second generation, who thus belongs to the third and is permitted to enter the assembly (v. Deut. XXIII, 9), married the daughter of an Israelite; while the other who belongs to the second generation married an Egyptian of the second generation. ');">14

ח אטו חייבי לאוין מי לא קתני והדר תני והא קתני כהן הדיוט שנשא אלמנה וחלל שנשא כשרה

8 are permitted to their husbands but forbidden to their levirs,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Should one of the brothers die without issue. The son of the third generation is forbidden to marry the Egyptian of the second generation, while the son of the second generation is forbidden to marry the daughter of an Israelite. ');">15 and if they married in the reverse order<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if the son of the second generation married the daughter of an Israelite, while the son of the third generation married an Egyptian of the second generation. ');">16

ט ההוא איצטריכא ליה לאשמועינן כדרב יהודה אמר רב דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לא הוזהרו כשרות להנשא לפסולין

9 [the wives] are permitted to their levirs17 and forbidden to their husbands;18

י והא קתני חלל שנשא כשרה וישראל שנשא בת ישראל ויש לו אח ממזר הא נמי לא מהדר מיתנא היא דאשמועינן לאו שאין שוה בכל וקמשמע לן לאו השוה בכל

10 proselyte women19 are permitted to the one as well as to the other,20

יא הא קתני ישראל שנשא ממזרת ויש לו אח ישראל (וממזר שנשא ממזרת ויש לו אח ישראל) אלא לאו שמע מינה תנא ושייר ש"מ:

11 and women who are incapable of procreation are forbidden to the one as well as the other!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The son of the second generation may not marry her because she is the daughter of an Israelite, while after his death she is forbidden to his brother because a woman who is incapable of procreation is not subject to the levirate marriage and is consequently forbidden to him as his brother's wife. ');">21 — He taught some cases and omitted others. What else did he omit that he should have omitted this also? — He omitted [the case of the man] wounded in the stones.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In respect of such a maimed person, prohibition and permission similar to those in our Mishnah could be stated: If he is maimed and his brother is fit the woman is forbidden to him (v. Deut. XXIII, 2) and permitted to his brother; if he is fit and his brother maimed she is permitted to him and forbidden to his brother; if both are maimed etc. proselyte women are permitted to both. ');">22

יב גופא אמר רב יהודה אמר רב לא הוזהרו כשרות להנשא לפסולין לימא מסייע ליה חלל שנשא כשרה מאי לאו כהנת [הראויה לו] ומאי כשרה כשרה לכהונה

12 If this is all that can be pointed out,23 the case of the man wounded in the stones cannot be regarded as an instance of an omission, since those that are subject to the penalty of negative precepts were [already] mentioned!24

יג לא ישראלית ומאי כשרה כשרה לקהל

13 — Were not several specific cases mentioned25 of those that are subject to the penalty of negative precepts? Surely it was stated, IF A COMMON PRIEST MARRIED A WIDOW and then again IF A HALAL MARRIED A WOMAN OF LEGITIMATE STATUS!26

יד אי הכי יש לו אח כשר נמי כשר לקהל מכלל דהוא פסול לקהל אלא לאו כהן ומדהוא כהן היא כהנת מידי איריא הא כדאיתא והא כדאיתא

14 That case27 was required [for the specific purpose] of informing us [that the law is] in agreement with [the ruling] Rab Judah reported in the name of Rab. For Rab Judah reported in the name of Rab: Women of legitimate [priestly] status were not forbidden to be married to men of tainted birth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kid. 731, 76a, infra 85a. The purpose of our Mishnah in giving the law of the halal was not to teach the prohibition of the woman to the levir (which, of course, as pointed out supra, was unnecessary) but her permission to marry a husband though he is a halal and she is of legitimate status or of pure priestly stock. The prohibition to marry one of impure stock is incumbent upon the man and not upon the woman. ');">28

טו מתיב רבין בר נחמן לא יקחו לא יקחו מלמד שהאשה מוזהרת על ידי האיש

15 But, surely, he taught regarding A HALAL WHO MARRIED A WOMAN OF LEGITIMATE STATUS and then again regarding AN ISRAELITE WHO MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF AN ISRAELITE AND HE HAD A BROTHER A BASTARD!29 — This also is not a repetition of what was already taught, since thereby he taught us [first] regarding a negative precept which is not applicable to all30

טז אמר רבא כל היכא דהוא מוזהר היא מוזהרת וכל היכא דהוא לא מוזהר היא לא מזדהרא

16 and then he taught us regarding a negative precept which is applicable to all. But did he not teach31 IF AN ISRAELITE WHO MARRIED A BASTARD HAD A BROTHER AN ISRAELITE!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Also a case of a negative precept! (cf. n. 7). Cur. edd. insert In parenthesis 'and a bastard who married a bastard and he has a brother an Israelite', which Rashal omits. ');">32

יז והא מהכא נפקא מדרב יהודה אמר רב נפקא דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב וכן תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל (במדבר ה, ו) איש או אשה כי יעשו מכל חטאות האדם השוה הכתוב אשה לאיש לכל עונשין שבתורה

17 Con sequently33 it must be concluded that he taught some cases while others he omitted. This proves it.

יח אי מההיא הוה אמינא לאו השוה בכל אבל לאו שאינו שוה בכל לא

18 [Reverting to] the main text, 'Rab Judah reported in the name Of Rab: Women of legitimate [priestly] status were not forbidden to be married to men of tainted birth'. Might it be suggested that the following provides support for his view? [It was stated], A HALAL WHO MARRIED A WOMAN OF LEGITIMATE STATUS; does not [this refer to] a priestess (who was fitting unto him);<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though he may marry the daughter of an Israelite he should preferably marry the daughter of a priest. Cf. Pes. 49a. [The bracketed words are rightly omitted in MS.M]. ');">34 and is not the meaning of35 LEGITIMATE STATUS eligible for priesthood!36 — No; [it might refer to] the daughter of an Israelite, and LEGITIMATE STATUS means35 eligible for the assembly.37 If so, HAD A BROTHER OF LEGITIMATE STATUS would also [mean] 'eligible for the assembly', from which it would follow that he himself is ineligible for the assembly!38 Consequently it must refer to a priest; and since he is a priest she also must be a priestess.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., since the term 'legitimate status in the case of the man has reference to a priest, so the reference in the case of the woman must be to a priestess which shews that a priestess may marry one of tainted birth. ');">39 What an argument! Each phrase may bear its own peculiar interpretation.40 Rabin b. Nahman raised an objection: They shall not take … they shall not take41 teaches42 that the prohibition was addressed to the woman through the man!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is now assumed to mean that as the untainted priest may not marry a halalah so may not the untainted priestess marry a halal. An objection against the opinion of Rab. ');">43 — Raba replied, [This is the meaning]: Where the prohibition is applicable to him it is also applicable to her, but where it is not applicable to him it is also inapplicable to her.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The halalah whom an untainted priest is forbidden to marry is herself forbidden to marry such a priest. The untainted priestess however, whom a halal is not forbidden to marry, may also marry the halal. ');">44 Is this,45 however, deduced from this text? Surely it was deduced from a text which Rab Judah expounded in the name of Rab! For Rab Judah stated in the name of Rab and so it was taught at the school of R. Ishmael: When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit;46 Scripture compared the woman to the man in respect of all the punishments in the Torah!47 — If deduction had been made from that [text]46 it might have been assumed [to apply only to] a prohibition that is equally applicable to all, but not to a prohibition that is not equally applicable to all.48

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