Translation:Mishnah/Seder Nashim/Tractate Yevamot

Chapter 1, Mishnah 1:

Fifteen women exempt their co-wives and their co-wives co-wives from chalitzah and levirate marriage, until the end of the world, and these are them: His [the levir's] daughter, his daughter's daughter, his son's daughter, his wife's daughter, his wife's son's daughter, his wife's daughter's daughter, his mother-in law, his mother-in-law's mother, his father-in-law's mother, his sister from his mother, his mother's sister, his wife's sister, and his brother-from-his-mother's wife, and his bother who was not in his world's wife, and his daughter-in law. Behold, these exempt their co-wives and their co-wives' co-wives from chalitzah and levirate marriage until the end of the world. And all of these, if they die or refused, or were divorced, or were found to sterile--their co-wives are permitted [to be taken in levirate marriage]. And if you can say of his mother-in-law or his father in law's mother "she was found sterile" or "she refused".

Chapter 1, Mishnah 2:

How do they exempt their co-wives? His daughter or one of these 15 forbidden relatives was married to his brother, and he had another wife, and he died-since his daughter is exempt, so too is her co-wife exempt. His daughter's co-wife went and married his second brother, and he had another wife, and he died--since his daughter's co-wife is exempt, so too is her co-wife's co-wife exempt, even if they are 100. How is it that if they die their co-wives are permitted? His daughter or one of these forbidden relatives was married to his brother, and he has another wife, and his daughter died, or was divorced, and after that his brother died-her co-wife is permitted. And everyone who could refuse and didn't refuse, her co-wife does chalitzah and does not enter into levirate marriage.

Chapter 1, Mishnah 3:

Six forbidden relations are more severe than these, because if they are married to others, their co-wives are permitted: his mother, his father's wife, his mother's sister, his sister from his father, his father's brother's wife, and his brother-from-his-father's wife.

Chapter 1, Mishnah 4:

Beit Shammai permit their co-wives [ie require the co-wives of the severely prohibited women to participate in levirate marriage]; Beit Hillel prohibit [exempt them from levirate marriage]. If [their levirs] did chalitzah, Beit Shammai consider them invalid to marry a cohen, and Beit Hillel consider them valid. If they are married in levirate marriage, Beit Shammai consider them valid to marry a cohen, and Bait Hillel consider them invalid. Even though these prohibit and these permit; these consider valid and these consider invalid, Beit Shammai were not prevented from marrying women from Beit Hillel; and neither Beit Hillel from Beit Shammai. All of the purities and impurities that these would consider pure and these would consider impure, these were not prevented from using the purities of these on account of these.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 1:

How does it work with his brother who was not in his world's wife? Two brothers, and one of them died, and another was born to them, and after that the second took his brother's wife in levirate marriage, and died--the first wife goes out because she is the wife of his brother who was not in his world, and the second wife because of her co-wife. If he did the verbal part of marriage, then died [without consummating the marriage], the second is subject to chalitzah and not levirate marriage.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 2:

Two brothers, and one of them died, and the second took his brother's wife in levirate marriage, and after that another brother was born to them and [the older brother] died: the first wife goes out because she is the wife of his brother who was not in his world, and the second because of her co-wife. If he did the verbal part of marriage, then died [without consummating the marriage] the second wife is subject to chalitzah and not levirate marriage. Rabbi Shimon says: He does levirate marriage with whichever of them he wants, or he does chalitzah with whichever of them he wants.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 3:

The general rule they said in Yevamot: Every woman prohibited because of [biblically forbidden] nakedness, she is not subject to chalitzah and she is not taken in levirate marriage; every woman prohibited because of a [rabbinic] command or a prohibition of holiness, is subject to chalitzah and is not taken in levirate marriage.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 4:

A prohibition of commandment: teachings from the words of the scribes. A prohibition of holiness: A widow to the high priest; a divorcee or subject of chalitzah to a regular priest; a mamzer or nathin to a regular Israelite, or a daughter of Israel to a nathin or mamzer.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 5:

Anyone who has a brother, is connected to his brother's wife in levirate marriage; and he is is brother in every matter, except his brother from a maidservant or from a non-Jew. Everyone who has a son--[the son] exempts his father's wife from levirate marriage, and is liable to punishment for striking and cursing him, and his his son in ever matter, except for a son who is his from a maidservant or a non-Jew.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 6:

Someone who contracted marriage with one of two sisters, and does not know which one of them he contracted marriage with -- gives a get to this one and a get to this one. He died, and he had another brother - he does chalitzah with both of them. If he had two brothers - one does chalitzah and the other performs levirate marriage. If they both went ahead and entered into marriage with them--they are not taken away from them.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 7:

Two who contracted marriage with two sisters, this one doesn't know which he contracted with and this one doesn't know which he contracted with - this one gives two divorce documents and this one gives two divorce documents. They died, and this one had a brother and this one had a brother: This one does chalitzah with both, and this one does chalitzah with both. This one had two brothers--the single brother does chalitzah with both, and the two--one does chalitzah and the other enters into levirate marriage. If they both went ahead and entered into marriage, they are not removed from their hands. This one had two brothers and this one had two brothers: This one's brother does chalitzah with one, and this one's brother does chalitzah with one; the brother of this one performs levirate marriage with the one the other did chalitzah with, and the brother of this one performs levirate marriage with the one the other did chalitzah with. If two went ahead and did chalitzah, [the other] two do not perform levirate marriage but rather one does chalitzah and the other enters into levirate marriage. If they went ahead and entered into marriage, they are not removed from their hands.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 8:

The mitzvah of levirate marriage is upon the eldest brother, but if the younger does it first it takes effect. One who has relations with a maidservant and she is freed, or a non-Jew and she is converted--he does not marry her, but if he did, she is not taken from his hand. One who has relations with a married woman and [her husband] sends her away, she is taken away from [the adulterer] even if he married her.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 9:

One who brings a divorce document from parts foreign and says, 'it was written and signed in front of me' cannot marry his wife. [If he says], 'I killed him', or 'we killed him' -- he can't marry his wife. Rabbi Yehudah says: [one who says] 'I killed him' can't marry his wife, but [one who says] 'We killed him' can marry his wife.

Chapter 2, Mishnah 10:

The sage who prohibits a woman to her husband with a vow can't marry her. If before the sage she refuses [a husband she has been married off to as a minor] or does chalitzah, he can marry her, because he is [acting as part of] a court. And everyone who had wives and they died--they can marry them. And everyone who had wives but divorced them or they were found to be sterile--they can marry them. And all of these are permitted to their sons or their brothers.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 1:

Four brothers: Two of them marry two sisters, and the ones married to the sisters die. These do chalitzah and are not taken in levirate marriage. And if they went ahead and married them, they are removed. Rabbi Eliezer says: The House of Shammai say: [the marriages] stand, and the House of Hillel say: they are removed.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 2:

One of [the sisters] was prohibited to him from one of the prohibited relationships-he is prohibited to her and permitted to her sister, and the second is prohibited to both of them. A rabbinically prohibited relation or prohibited because of holiness [of the priests]--they do chalitzah and not levirate marriage.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 3:

One of [the sisters] was prohibited to this [brother] as a forbidden relation, and the second [sister] was prohibited on [the other brother] as a forbidden relation, the [sister] forbidden to this [brother] is permitted to this [brother], and the [sister] forbidden to this [brother] is permitted to this [brother]. This is what they meant when they said: Her sister like she is her leviress: she may do chalitzah or levirate marriage.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 4:

Three brothers: Two of them marry two sisters, or a woman and her daughter, or a woman and her daughter's daughter, or a woman and her son's daughter, these women perform chalitzah and not levirate marriage. And Rabbi Shimon exempts. If one of them was prohibited to him from the forbidden relations, he is prohibited to her and permitted to her sister. If she was prohibited to him by a [rabinnical] commandment or by a prohibition of holiness, [both women] do chalitzah and not levirate marriage.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 5:

Three brothers: Two of them marry two sisters, and the other [brother] is unmarried, one of the husbands of the sisters dies, and the single brother performed verbal designation, and afterwards his second brother dies, Beit Shammai say: His wife is with him, and that one goes out as the sister of a wife. And Beit Hillel say: He takes out his wife with a bill of divorce and with chalitzah, and his brother's wife with chalitzah. This is what they meant by: Woe to him on his wife, and woe to him on his brother's wife.

Chapter 3, Mishnah 6:

Three brothers: Two of them marry two sisters, and one marries an outside woman, one of the husbands of the sisters dies, and the one who married the outside woman marries his wife and dies, the first one goes out as a wife's sister, and the second as her co-wife. If he [only] performed verbal designation, the outside woman does chalitzah and not levirate marriage. Three brothers: Two of them marry two sisters, and one marries an outside woman, the brother married to the outsider dies, and one of the husbands of the sisters marries his wife and dies, the first one goes out as the sister of a wife, and the second as her rival. If he [only] performed verbal designation, the outside woman does chalitzah and not levirate marriage.