Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer Siman 158

Siman 158

Presented here for study, not as a practical ruling. The Shulchan Aruch rules by Sephardi custom, the Rema's glosses by Ashkenazi custom, and the Kitzur follows Ashkenazi custom. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.

א כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר: מֵת בַּעְלִי, שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא; כָּךְ נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר: מֵת בַּעְלִי, שֶׁתִּתְיַבֵּם, וְהַיָּבָם נִכְנָס לַנַּחֲלָה עַל פִּיהָ. אֲבָל אֵינָהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר: מֵת יְבָמִי, שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לַשּׁוּק. וְאֵין הָאִישׁ נֶאֱמָן לוֹמַר: מֵת אָחִי וַאֲיַבֵּם אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ. לְפִיכָךְ, הָלְכָה הִיא וּבַעְלָהּ וִיבָמָהּ לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם, וּבָאָה וְאָמְרָה: מֵת בַּעְלִי וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת יְבָמִי, אוֹ מֵת יְבָמִי וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת בַּעְלִי, אֵינָהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת:
1 Similar to that a woman is believed to say: "my husband died", [in order] that she may marry, so she is believed to say: "my husband died", [in order that] she may be married in a levirate marriage, and the yovom (brother who enters into a levirate marriage) enters into the inheritance on her word. But she is not believed to say: "my yovom died" [in order] that she marry to the market. And the man is not believed to say: "my brother died and I will enter into levirate marriage with his wife". Therefore, if she went with her husband and her yovom to a country of the sea, and she came and said: "my husband died and then my yovom died", or, "my yovom died and then my husband died", she is not believed.
ב הָלְכָה הִיא וּבַעְלָהּ לִמְדִינַת הַיָּם לְבַד, וּבָאָה וְאָמְרָה: נִתַּן לִי יָבָם וָמֵת, בֵּין שֶׁאָמְרָה: מֵת בַּעְלִי וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת יְבָמִי, בֵּין שֶׁאָמְרָה: מֵת יְבָמִי וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת בַּעְלִי, נֶאֱמֶנֶת:
2 If she and her husband went overseas by themselves, and she came [back] and said "a *yavam* was given to me, and he died," whether she said "my husband died, and then my *yavam*," or whether she said "my *yavam* died, and then my husband died," she is believed.
ג נֶאֱמָן עֵד אֶחָד לְהָעִיד לִיבָמָה שֶׁמֵּת בַּעְלָהּ, וּמִתְיַבֶּמֶת עַל פִּיו; אוֹ שֶׁמֵּת יְבָמָהּ, שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לַשּׁוּק; אוֹ לוֹמַר: מֵת בַּעֲלִיךְ וְאַחַר כָּךְ מֵת בְּנֵךְ; וַאֲפִלּוּ עֶבֶד אוֹ שִׁפְחָה אוֹ אִשָּׁה אוֹ כּוּתִי מֵסִיחַ לְפִי תֻּמּוֹ, אוֹ עֵד מִפִּי עֵד, נֶאֱמָן לְהָעִיד בְּמִיתַת הַיָּבָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמָן בְּמִיתַת הַבַּעַל, וְדִין עֵדוּת זוֹ כְּדִין אוֹתוֹ עֵדוּת לְעִנְיַן עֵדִים הַמַּכְחִישִׁים זֶה אֶת זֶה בְּמִיתַת הַיָּבָם לְכָל דָּבָר. הַגָּה: וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים דְּאֵין עֵד אֶחָד נֶאֱמָן לוֹמַר שֶׁמֵּת יְבָמָהּ, לְהַתִּירָהּ לְעָלְמָא:
3 A single witness witness is trusted to testify that a *yevamah's* husband died, and she can enter levirate marriage based on his testimony. Or, [to testify] that her husband died, [permitting her] to marry [anyone from] the marketplace. Or to say "Your husband died, and afterward, your son died." And even a male slave, female slave, woman, Samaritan speaking off-the-cuff, or a witness [testifying to] what another witness said is trusted to testify that the *yavam* died, just as he is trusted regarding the death of the husband. And the rule for this testimony is the same as the rule for that testimony regarding witnesses who contradict each other about the death of the *yavam*, for all matters. Rema: And there are those who say that a single witness id not trusted to say that her *yavam* died, to permit her to [marry anyone in] the world.
ד חָמֵשׁ נָשִׁים שֶׁאֵינָן מְעִידוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ שֶׁמֵּת בַּעְלָהּ, כָּךְ אֵינָן מְעִידוֹת שֶׁמֵּת יְבָמָהּ:
4 The five women who cannot testify for each other that [one's] husband died, similarly cannot testify that [one's] *yavam* died.
ה שְׁתֵּי יְבָמוֹת שֶׁבָּאוּ מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם, זוֹ אוֹמֶרֶת מֵת בַּעְלָהּ, וְזוֹ אוֹמֶרֶת מֵת בַּעְלָהּ, זוֹ אֲסוּרָה מִפְּנֵי בַּעְלָהּ שֶׁל זוֹ, וְזוֹ אֲסוּרָה מִפְּנֵי בַּעְלָהּ שֶׁל זוֹ, שֶׁאֵין יְבִמְתָּהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת לְהָעִיד לָהּ שֶׁמֵּת יְבָמָהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר. הָיָה לְאַחַת מֵהֶן עֵד שֶׁמֵּת בַּעְלָהּ, זוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ עֵד אֲסוּרָה מִפְּנֵי יְבָמָהּ, וְזוֹ שֶׁאֵין לָהּ עֵד מֻתֶּרֶת, שֶׁהֲרֵי הֵעִיד הָעֵד שֶׁמֵּת יְבָמָהּ, וְהִיא נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר שֶׁמֵּת בַּעְלָהּ. הָיוּ לָזוֹ בָּנִים וְלָזוֹ אֵין בָּנִים, וְלִשְׁתֵּיהֶן אֵין עֵדִים, זוֹ שֶׁאֵין לָהּ בָּנִים אֲסוּרָה, וְזוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ בָּנִים מֻתֶּרֶת:
5 Two sisters-in-law who came from a country [over]seas, this one saying her husband had died and the [other] saying her husband had died -- the [one] is forbidden because of the [other]'s husband and the [other] is forbidden because of the [first one]'s husband. [This is] because one's sister-in-law is not believed to testify for her that her brother-in-law died, as will be explained. [If] one of them had a witness that her husband had died, [then] the one who had a witness is forbidden because of her brother-in-law; the one had no [witness] is permitted, for the witness testified that her brother-in-law had died and she is believed to say her husband died. If the [one] had children and the [other] had no children -- and both had no witnesses -- the one who has no children is forbidden and the one who has children is permitted.
ו לֹא הָיוּ לָהֶם לֹא עֵדִים וְלֹא בָּנִים, וְהָיוּ כָּאן יָבָם אוֹ יְבָמִים וְיִבְּמוּ אוֹתָן, וּמֵתוּ גַּם הֵם בְּלֹא בָּנִים, וְאֵין לָהֶם אַחִים אֲחֵרִים, אֲסוּרוֹת לְהִנָּשֵׂא לְזָר כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ בִּתְחִלָּה. אֲבָל אִם הִנִּיחוּ אֵלּוּ בָּנִים, אוֹ שֶׁגֵּרְשׁוּם בְּגֵט, מֻתָּרוֹת לְהִנָּשֵׂא לְזָר:
6 If they had neither witnesses nor children, and a brother-in-law or brothers-in-law were present and effected levirate marriage with them and [then] died also without children and without further brothers, [then] they are barred from marrying an outsider as they were from the outset. But if these left children or divorced them with a bill [of divorce], they are permitted to marry an outsider.
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