Day: May 16, 2022
Yevamot 68 & 69
If I had to pick a theme that emerges from our study of Yevamot 68 & 69, it would be ‘transitions’, and in particular, how reaching a certain physical age is indicative of having reached a certain transitional stage, and similarly, how particular life transitions, such as marriage, are reflective of starting a new stage…
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Yevamot 67
Throughout today’s daf (Yevamot 67a), reference is made to the laws of inheritance, and specifically, to the laws of inheritance for daughters.Interestingly, elsewhere in the Gemara we find that an association is made between the laws of yibum and the laws of inherence for daughters. Specifically, we are taught in Bava Batra 119b that when…
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Yevamot 66
Today’s daf (Yevamot 66b) quotes from Mishna Terumot 11:9 to teach us that a cow rented by a Israel from a Kohen may still eat terumah food, while conversely, a cow rented by a Kohen from a Israel may not. Given this, the question we must consider is why is this the case, and what…
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Yevamot 65
In today’s daf (Yevamot 65b), Rabbi Abba quotes from Mishlei 9:8 which states, אַל תּוֹכַח לֵץ פֶּן יִשְׂנָאֶךָּ הוֹכַח לְחָכָם וְיֶאֱהָבֶךָּ – ‘do not rebuke a scoffer lest he hate you; rebuke a wise person and he will love you’, to teach that it is an obligation not to rebuke someone who will not listen…
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Yevamot 64
The Mishna (Yevamot 6:6) in today’s daf (Yevamot 64a) states that if a couple are married for ten years and are unable to have children, they should divorce in order to give each other a chance to become parents.Significantly, the Rambam (Ishut 15:7) formulates this halacha with even stronger language than the Mishna, stating that:…
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Yevamot 63
Many of us – myself included – worry. Still, among the various teachings from the Book of Ben Sira that are cited in today’s daf (Yevamot 63b) is one that directly challenges the worrier: אל תצר צרת מחר – ‘do not be agitated by the worries of tomorrow’, כי לא תדע ילד יום – ‘for…
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Yevamot 62
Today’s daf (Yevamot 62a) tells the story of the death of Rabbi Akiva’s students, and while I have previously attempted to understand aspects of this story, there have been some parts that have nevertheless eluded me. Then, this year, I purchased a copy of Rabbi Ephraim Oved’s ‘Torat HaAggadah’ where he sheds light on parts…
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Yevamot 61
Of those who read my daily daf insights, they differ significantly in terms of age, background, and location. Yet beyond this, they also differ in family situation. Some are single, some are married, some are divorced and some are widows. And in terms of children, some don’t have children. Some do. Some have sadly lost…
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Yevamot 60
Early on in today’s daf (Yevamot 60a) an attempt is made to understand the reasoning of one of Rabbi Eliezar ben Yaakov’s rulings especially since, as we are told in the Gemara, his rulings are considered קב ונקי – literally ‘small measured and clean’ and meaning that though he rendered fewer rulings than most of…
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Yevamot 59
Much of today’s daf (Yevamot 59a) focusses on the laws of marriage for a Kohen Gadol about whom the Torah instructs: וְהוּא אִשָּׁה בִבְתוּלֶיהָ יִקָּח – ‘He may marry a woman only in her virginity’ (Vayikra 21:13), and which is then reiterated in the following verse that, אַלְמָנָה וּגְרוּשָׁה וַחֲלָלָה זֹנָה אֶת אֵלֶּה לֹא יִקָּח…
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Yevamot 58
Today’s daf (Yevamot 58b) discusses the complex halachot concerning a woman who is a בת כהן (the daughter of a Kohen) – meaning that before her marriage she ate Terumah (the tithes given to the Kohanim) in her parents’ home, who then married a Kohen (which meant that after her marriage she ate Terumah in…
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Yevamot 57
While various cases are presented in today’s daf (Yevamot 57a) relating to Kohanim, I would like to focus on just two, and by examining these two cases, I hope to share a valuable perspective that I think is often overlooked. However, in order to do so a little background is necessary in order to explain…
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Yevamot 56
Three years ago I attended a conference where Rabbi Dr. Rafi Feuerstein spoke about a topic close to his heart; a topic so close that he’d just edited a book on the subject.*Titled, ‘Breaking the Glass Wall: Intimacy and Marriage for People with Disabilities’ (Hebrew), this book addresses the legal, halachic, social & practical questions…
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Yevamot 55
The Torah’s model of yibum, which our Massechet has discussed at length, involves a woman marrying her deceased husband’s brother in the case where she and her late husband did not have a child. In doing so, a family connection is maintained, along with the possibly of a child being born that can continue the…
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Yevamot 54
Amid the various complex and – at times – startling cases discussed in today’s daf (Yevamot 54a), Rav Ashi teaches us about the difference between dozing and sleeping:‘Dozing is when someone is asleep but not completely asleep, and awake but not completely awake (נים ולא נים תיר ולא תיר). For example, if someone asks a…
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Yevamot 53
If you’ve been following my commentary on Massechet Yevamot (and especially my remarks on Yevamot 3 – https://rabbijohnnysolomon.com/yevamot-3/, Yevamot 8 – https://rabbijohnnysolomon.com/yevamot-8/ and Yevamot 39, https://rabbijohnnysolomon.com/yevamot-39/) then you understand that while the Mishna and Gemara often speak about the legal consequences of cohabitation (in terms of them transforming the automatic partial marital bond between a…
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