"Rabbi Elazar said, in the name of Rabbi Chaninah: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it says, 'and all your children shall be…
Yevamot 116: One Witness Is Enough
We have previously referred to the special leniency that allows a woman to remarry on the testimony of one witness. This was a most revolutionary…
Yevamot 115: To Believe or Not to Believe
Back in the tenth chapter of Yevamot, we discussed the case of a woman who remarried on the basis of the testimony of one witness who declared that…
Yevamot 114: Put Out the Fire
One of the basic tenets of our legal system is that those who are not of a sound mature mind are not to be held responsible for their…
Yevamot 109: Torah Study
"Talmud Torah kneged kulam" (Mishnah Peah 1:1). This teaching is generally understood to mean that the study of Torah is equal to all…
Yevamot 105: Don't Get It in Writing
One would not think that a discussion about the intricacies of the laws of chalitzah would lead to a discussion regarding…
Yevamot 101: If the Shoe Fits
For those who do not live in Toronto--and perhaps for many who do--you may not be familiar with the Bata Shoe Museum. This unique museum is the place…
Yevamot 99: A Healthy Diet
In our last post, we discussed why Rav Yochanan was so angry when his student, Rav Elazar, repeated a teaching of his without attribution.…
Yevamot 96: Beyond the Grave
Perhaps the greatest fear of man is that he will be forgotten, that ultimately his life will be devoid of meaning. Even, perhaps especially, the most…
Yevamot 90: Changing with the Times
"Rav Elazar ben Yaakov said: I heard that the beit din may hit and punish not according to the [laws of the] Torah, not to…
Yevamot 88: One Equals Two
"A woman whose husband went overseas, and one[1] came and told her, 'Your husband has died' and she marries [another]...…
Yevamot 87: The Ways of Peace
"G-d did not find a vessel more pleasing for the Jewish people than peace" (Uktzin 3:11). Such is the concluding teaching of the…
Yevamot 89: The Top Three
"Three signs are there for this nation: they are rachmanim, merciful; bayshanim, have a sense of shame[1]; and gomlei…
Yevamot 69: The Sweet Taste of Shmitta
One of the key distinctions between the land of Israel and the Diaspora is the ability to observe the many mitzvot between man and the land. The…
Yevamot 65: Childless Isn't Barren
One of the famous concepts of Jewish law is the exemption of women from time-bound positive mitzvoth. The reason for such is specified neither in the…
Yevamot 63: I Want Pea Soup
"The signature of G-d is truth" (Sanhedrin 64a). "Accept the truth from wherever it comes" (Rambam, Introduction to Avot). There…
Yevamot 63: Why Have Children?
"And G-d blessed them; and G-d said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over…
Why Can't We Marry? Yevamot 59
To Western man the notion that one must marry somebody in specific or even that restrictions be placed on the choice of a marriage partner is an…