Mishnah.org Logo

Today's Mishnah Yomi

Yevamos 8:4 - 8:5

The Mishnah Yomi for Wednesday, November 22, 2023 is Yevamos 8:4 - 8:5

＜ Previous DayTodayNext Day ＞

Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Yevamos Perek 8 Mishnah 4

יבמות פרק ח׳ משנה ד׳

4
Rabbi Yehoshua said: I heard two rulings from my teachers. One ruling is that a eunuch performs ḥalitza with his yevama, and his brothers perform ḥalitza with his wife, and the other ruling is that a eunuch does not perform ḥalitza with his yevama, and his brothers do not perform ḥalitza with his wife. And I cannot explain these two rulings, as I do not remember the circumstances to which each ruling applies. Rabbi Akiva said: I will explain. A eunuch caused by man, i.e., one who became emasculated after birth, performs ḥalitza with his yevama and his brothers perform ḥalitza with his wife, because he had an hour of fitness, a time when he was fertile. On the other hand, a eunuch by natural causes, i.e., who was entirely lacking in sexual capacity from birth, does not perform ḥalitza with his yevama and his brothers do not perform ḥalitza with his wife, because he did not have an hour of fitness, as he never had the potential to father children. Rabbi Eliezer says: No; rather, the opposite is the case: A eunuch by natural causes performs ḥalitza with his yevama and his brothers perform ḥalitza with his wife because he can be cured, whereas a eunuch caused by man does not perform ḥalitza with his yevama and his brothers do not perform ḥalitza with his wife because he cannot be cured. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Beteira testified about a man named ben Megusat, who lived in Jerusalem and was a eunuch caused by man, that his brothers nevertheless entered into levirate marriage with his wife, in order to fulfill and confirm the statement of Rabbi Akiva.
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁהַסָּרִיס חוֹלֵץ, וְחוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, וְהַסָּרִיס לֹא חוֹלֵץ וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, וְאֵין לִי לְפָרֵשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֲנִי אֲפָרֵשׁ. סְרִיס אָדָם חוֹלֵץ וְחוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ שְׁעַת הַכֹּשֶׁר. סְרִיס חַמָּה לֹא חוֹלֵץ וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה לוֹ שְׁעַת הַכֹּשֶׁר. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר, לֹא כִי, אֶלָּא סְרִיס חַמָּה חוֹלֵץ, וְחוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֶּשׁ לוֹ רְפוּאָה. סְרִיס אָדָם לֹא חוֹלֵץ וְלֹא חוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ רְפוּאָה. הֵעִיד רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן בְּתֵירָא עַל בֶּן מְגוּסַת שֶׁהָיָה בִירוּשָׁלַיִם סְרִיס אָדָם, וְיִבְּמוּ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ, לְקַיֵּם דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא:
ד׳

סריס – there is a eunuch who performs the rite of Halitzah and has his shoe taken off for refusing the leviratical marriage.

והסריס לא חולץ וכו' – as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:6): “that his name (i.e., the dead brother’s) not be blotted out [in Israel],” except for that whose name is blotted out (see Talmud Yevamot 24a).

ואין לי לפרש – I do not know how o interpret which eunuch is required to perform Halitzah and which is exempt.

סריס אדם – who was castrated after he was born.

סריס חמה – from the womb of his mother, that never saw the sun, but rather, when he is a eunuch and its signs are explained: anyone who lacks the “beard” (i.e., the hair of the genitals) and his hair is abnormal (see Tractate Yevamot 80b) and his flesh is smoothened, and his urine does not produce scum and when he urinates it doesn’t make a pile and the spouting forth of the urine does not travel from afar until it makes a circle like a pile and his semen is feeble and his urine does not ferment, and he washes in the rainy season and his flesh does not produce vapor and is voice is not abnormal and is not recognized as either than of a man or of a woman. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiva who states that a eunuch castrated by a man performs Halitzah and his wife removes the shoe of the deceased husband’s brother who refuses to perform levirate marriage, and they perform levirate marriage with his wife but [he] does not perform the role of the levir, for he is disqualified to enter into the community [of Israel].

שהסריס. יש סריס שחולץ וחולצין לאשתו:

והסריס לא חולץ וכו׳ דכתיב (דברים כ״ה:ו׳) ולא ימחה שמו, פרט לזה ששמו מחוי:

אין לי לפרש. איני יודע לפרש איזה סריס בן חליצה ואיזה פטור:

סריס אדם. שנסתרס לאחר שנולד:

סריס חמה. ממעי אמו שלא ראה חמה אלא כשהוא סריס. וסימניו מפורשין, כל שאין לו זקן ושערו לקוי ובשרו מחליק ואין מימי רגליו מעלין רתיחה וכשמטיל מים אינו עושה כיפה שאין קילוח השתן הולך למרחוק עד שיעשה עגול כמין כיפה ושכבת זרעו דיהה ואין מימי רגליו מחמיצין ורוחץ בימות הגשמים ואין בשרו מעלה הבל וקולו לקוי ואינו ניכר בין איש לאשה. והלכה כרבי עקיבא שאומר סריס אדם חולץ וחולצין לאשתו ומיבמין לאשתו. אבל הוא אינו מיבם שהרי פסול לבוא בקהל:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Yevamos Perek 8 Mishnah 5

יבמות פרק ח׳ משנה ה׳

5
A sexually underdeveloped man does not perform ḥalitza or enter into levirate marriage with his yevama. And similarly, a sexually underdeveloped woman [aylonit], who is incapable of bearing children, does not perform ḥalitza or enter into levirate marriage with her yavam. If a sexually underdeveloped man performed ḥalitza with his yevama, he has not thereby disqualified her from marrying into the priesthood, as his ḥalitza is invalid. However, if he had intercourse with her, he has disqualified her. This is because it is considered licentious sexual intercourse, since such intercourse does not fulfill the mitzva of levirate marriage and is therefore categorized as forbidden relations with one’s sister-in-law. And similarly, with regard to a sexually underdeveloped woman, if one of the brothers performed ḥalitza with her he has not thereby disqualified her from marrying into the priesthood. However, if he had intercourse with her, he has disqualified her because the intercourse is considered licentious sexual intercourse.
הַסָּרִיס לֹא חוֹלֵץ וְלֹא מְיַבֵּם. וְכֵן אַיְלוֹנִית לֹא חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. הַסָּרִיס שֶׁחָלַץ לִיבִמְתּוֹ, לֹא פְסָלָהּ. בְּעָלָהּ, פְּסָלָהּ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא בְעִילַת זְנוּת. וְכֵן אַיְלוֹנִית שֶׁחָלְצוּ לָהּ אַחִין, לֹא פְסָלוּהָ. בְּעָלוּהָ, פְּסָלוּהָ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבְּעִילָתָהּ בְּעִילַת זְנוּת:
ה׳

סריס – castrated by nature does not either perform Halitzah nor perform levirate marriage, and does not perform Halitzah or levirate marriage to his wife.

אילונית – her signs we explained in the first chapter (see Tractate Yevamot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1).

סריס. חמה, אינו לא חולץ ולא מיבם, ולא חולצין ומיבמין לאשתו:

אילונית. סימניה פירשנו בפ״ק:

בעלוה פסלוה. שהואיל והיא פטורה מן היבום עומדת עליהם באיסור אשת אח:

Mishnah Yomi FAQ

Still have a question? Contact Us