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Yevamos 3:5-6

Yevamos 3:5

Let’s say that there are three brothers, two of whom are married to sisters and one of whom is not married. If one of the married brothers dies and the unmarried brother married her with money or a document (but did not yet consummate the marriage) and then the second married brother died, Beis Shammai say that he may remain married to the first woman and the second woman is exempt from yibum/chalitzah as the sister of his wife. Beis Hillel say that he must divorce the first woman and perform chalitzah with her, plus perform chalitzah with the second woman as well. This is what the Sages meant when they said, “Woe to him because of his wife, and woe to him because of his brother’s wife!”

Yevamos 3:6

Let’s say that there are three brothers, two of whom are married to sisters and one of whom is married to an unrelated woman. (a) If one of the brothers married to one of the sisters dies and the one married to an unrelated woman marries the widow and then he dies, the first woman is exempt from yibum or chalitzah because she is the surviving brother’s wife, and the other woman is exempt as the first’s co-wife. (b) If the husband of the unrelated woman married the widow of the first brother with money or a document (but did not yet consummate the marriage) and then he died, the wife who is not related performs chalitzah with the surviving brother and not yibum. (c) If the brother married to the unrelated woman died and one of the brothers married to sisters married her and then he died, the first woman is exempt as his wife’s sister and the other is exempt as that woman’s co-wife. If he married her with money or a document (but did not yet consummate the marriage) and died, the unrelated woman performs chalitzah but not yibum.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz