Ki Seitzei 25:05 · unit 20

TT #660 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · Seventh Aliyah · Passuk 25:05

The Complete Passuk

כִּי־יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו וּמֵ֨ת אַחַ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ וּבֵ֣ן אֵֽין־ל֔וֹ לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֧ה אֵֽשֶׁת־הַמֵּ֛ת הַח֖וּצָה לְאִ֣ישׁ זָ֑ר יְבָמָהּ֙ יָבֹ֣א עָלֶ֔יהָ וּלְקָחָ֥הּ ל֛וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וְיִבְּמָֽהּ׃

When brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be outside to a strange man; her husband’s brother shall come upon her and take her to himself as a wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother for her.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Yevamot 17b / 29b.

TT lemma: יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ.

Sefaria

Core Text of Chazal

אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: כָּל יְבָמָה שֶׁאֵין אֲנִי קוֹרֵא בָּהּ בִּשְׁעַת נְפִילָה יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ, הֲרֵי הִיא כְּאֵשֶׁת אָח שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בָּנִים וַאֲסוּרָה.

English: Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Any yevamah of whom I cannot say at the moment of the fall “her yavam shall come upon her” is treated as the wife of a brother who has children and is forbidden.

On the daf / in context: Complex cases (e.g., successive deaths involving sisters) in which the zikah never properly attaches render the woman forbidden as a regular brother’s wife.

Type of Learning

Derash limiting the application of the verse to cases where the zikah is viable at the moment of the fall.

What Is Learned

If at the time of the brother’s death the yavam is already forbidden to the widow, the verse does not apply and she is treated as a regular forbidden brother’s wife.