Ki Seitzei 25:07 · unit 19

TT #718 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · Seventh Aliyah · Passuk 25:07

The Complete Passuk

וְאִם־לֹ֤א יַחְפֹּץ֙ הָאִ֔ישׁ לָקַ֖חַת אֶת־יְבִמְתּ֑וֹ וְעָלְתָה֩ יְבִמְתּ֨וֹ הַשַּׁ֜עְרָה אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים וְאָֽמְרָה֙ מֵאֵ֨ן יְבָמִ֜י לְהָקִ֨ים לְאָחִ֥יו שֵׁם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א אָבָ֖ה יַבְּמִֽי׃

And if the man does not desire to take his yevamah, then his yevamah shall go up to the gate to the elders and say: “My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother for me.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Yevamot 79b.

TT lemma: לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם.

Sefaria

Core Text of Chazal

סְרִיס אָדָם חוֹלֵץ וְחוֹלְצִין לְאִשְׁתּוֹ – וְאַף עַל גַּב דִּכְתִיב לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם וְהַאי לָאו בַּר הָכִי הוּא, מִשּׁוּם דִּשְׁעַת הַכֹּשֶׁר דְּמֵעִיקָּרָא מִילְּתָא הִיא.

English: A man-made eunuch performs chalitzah and his wife receives chalitzah — even though it is written “to establish a name for his brother” and he is not capable of that, because the prior state of fitness is what matters.

On the daf / in context: A man who was once capable of procreation remains within the law of chalitzah even after becoming a eunuch by human action.

Type of Learning

Derash preserving the status of a former capable man.

What Is Learned

A man who became a eunuch through human action (or his widow) is still subject to chalitzah because he once had the capacity to establish a name.