## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 288

###### Sifrei Devarim 288:1
[Sifrei Devarim 288:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:1)

(דברים כה ה) **כִּי יֵשְׁבוּ אַחִים**, פְּרָט לְאֵשֶׁת אָחִיו שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בְּעוֹלָמוֹ. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: שְׁנֵי אַחִים וּמֵת אֶחָד מֵהֶם וְנוֹלַד לָהֶם אָח, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִבֵּם הַשֵּׁנִי, כּוּלַּ׳ מַתְנִי׳.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 25:5) "When brothers dwell together and one of them dies, and he has no son, the wife of the dead one shall not be outside to a strange man. Her levir (her husband's brother) shall come upon her and he shall take her for himself as a wife, and he shall have her in levirate marriage (*yibum*)."


###### Sifrei Devarim 288:2
[Sifrei Devarim 288:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:2)

**יַחְדָּו**, פְּרָט לְאָחִיו מֵאִמּוֹ. לְפִי שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ אַחִים בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁעָשָׂה בָהֶם אָח מִן הָאֵם כְּאָח מִן הָאָב, יָכוֹל אַף כָּאן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **יַחְדָּו**, פְּרָט לְאָחִיו מֵאִמּוֹ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"When brothers dwell *together*": to exclude a brother who was not in his world (i.e., who was not concurrently alive). From here they ruled: If there were two brothers and one of them died and another one was born, after which the second brother performed *yibum* with the wife of the first, after which *he* died, then the first wife (i.e., the wife of the brother who died first) is exempt (from *yibum*) by reason of her being "the wife of his brother who was not in his world," and the second wife (i.e., the wife of the second brother) by reason of her being her (the first wife's) *tzarah* (co-wife). "together": in inheritance — to exclude maternal brothers. Because we find in *arayoth* (illicit relations) that a maternal brother is equated with a paternal brother, I might think that here, too, this is so. It is, therefore, written "together" (in inheritance), to exclude his maternal brother.


###### Sifrei Devarim 288:3
[Sifrei Devarim 288:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:3)

**וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא בִּזְמַן שֶׁהֵם שְׁנַיִם וּמֵת אֶחָד מֵהֶם, מִנַּיִן אֲפִלּוּ הֵם מְרֻבִּים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם**. מִנַּיִן אֲפִלּוּ מֵתוּ כֻלָּם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם**. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר **אַחַד מֵהֶם**? אֵשֶׁת אֶחָד מִתְיַבֶּמֶת וְלֹא אֵשֶׁת שְׁנַיִם. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: שְׁלֹשָׁה אַחִים נְשׂוּאִים שָׁלֹשׁ נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת וּמֵת אֶחָד מֵהֶם וְעָשָׂה בָהּ שֵׁנִי מַאֲמָר וּמֵת, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ חוֹלְצוֹת וְלֹא מִתְיַבְּמוֹת. **וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא בֵּן, בֶּן הַבֵּן וּבַת הַבֵּן וּבֶן הַבַּת וּבַת הַבַּת מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ** מִכָּל מָקוֹם. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר **וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ**? פְּרָט לְשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מִן הַשִּׁפְחָה וּמִן הַנָּכְרִית.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and one of them dies": This tells me (that *yibum* obtains) only where there are two brothers and one of them dies. Whence do I derive (that *yibum* obtains) even if they are many and they die (that *yibum* obtains with the remaining brothers)? From "and if there die … of them." If so, why is it written "one"? *Yibum* obtains with the wife of one of them and not with the "wife" of two (see what follows). From here they ruled: If three brothers were married to three unrelated women, and one of them died, and the second made a *ma'amar* (betrothal of his *yevamah* by writ or money — short of cohabitation), and he, too, died, then she (the *yevamah* of the first,) receives *chalitzah* (*yibum* release), but not *yibum*, it being written "and *one* of them dies" — She who is linked to only one *yavam* (undergoes *yibum*), but not she who is linked to two, (as in the above instance, where the woman is linked to the remaining brother by the *yibum* tie and to the *ma'amar* brother by the *ma'amar* tie.)


###### Sifrei Devarim 288:4
[Sifrei Devarim 288:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:4)

**לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר**, לָמָּה אֲנִי צָרִיךְ? לְפִי שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ לְהַלָּן אֵשֶׁת אֶחָד מִתְיַבֶּמֶת וְלֹא אֵשֶׁת שְׁנַיִם, יָכוֹל אַף כָּאן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר**, כֵּיצַד הִיא עוֹשָׂה? אוֹ חוֹלֶצֶת אוֹ מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. הַנּוֹתֵן גֵּט לִיבִמְתּוֹ פְּסָלָהּ לְעַצְמוֹ וּפְסָלָהּ עַל יְדֵי אַחִים, יָכוֹל יְהֵא גֵּט פּוֹטְרָהּ? וְדִין הוּא, וּמָה חֲלִיצָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ פּוֹטֶרֶת בָּאִשָּׁה פּוֹטֶרֶת בַּיָּבָם, גֵּט שֶׁפּוֹטֵר בָּאִשָּׁה אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּפְטֹר בַּיָּבָם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר** אֶלָּא בַּחֲלִיצָה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"the wife of the dead one shall not be outside to a strange man": What is the intent of this? Because it was ruled: *Yibum* obtains with the wife of one but not with the "wife" of two (see above), I might think that she (the woman in the above instance) is (entirely) exempt. It is, therefore, written "the wife of the dead one shall not be outside to a strange man." What is to be done? She undergoes *chalitzah* (*yibum* release) but not *yibum*. If one gives a *get* (to his *yevamah*), he forbids her to himself and to his brothers. I might think that she is (entirely) exempt, and that this follows, viz.: If *chalitzah*, which does not exempt a woman (from the marriage tie) exempts her from the *yibum* tie, then *get*, which does exempt a woman (from the marriage tie), how much more so should it exempt her from the *yibum* tie! It is, therefore, written "the wife of the dead one shall not be outside to a strange man" — except by *chalitzah*. If one makes a *ma'amar* in his *yevamah*, he acquires her for himself and forbids her to the brothers. I might think that the *ma'amar* consummates the union. It is, therefore, written "her *yavam* shall come upon her" — Cohabitation consummates, and not *ma'amar*.


###### Sifrei Devarim 288:5
[Sifrei Devarim 288:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:5)

**יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ**, בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד בֵּין בְּאֹנֶס בֵּין בְּרָצוֹן, וַאֲפִלּוּ הוּא שׁוֹגֵג וְהִיא מְזִידָה הוּא מֵזִיד וְהִיא שׁוֹגֶגֶת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"her *yavam* shall come upon her": whether unwittingly, (thinking her to be a different woman), wantonly, (intending illicit intercourse), constrainedly, or wittingly — even if she is unwitting and he wanton or he unwitting and she wanton, (he acquires her as a wife).


###### Sifrei Devarim 288:6
[Sifrei Devarim 288:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/288:6)

וְלָקַח **וּלְקָחָהּ**, וְיִבֵּם **וְיִבְּמָהּ** – פְּרָט לְצָרַת כָּל הָעֲרָיוֹת. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה נָשִׁים פּוֹטְרוֹת צָרוֹתֵיהֶן וְצָרוֹת צָרוֹתֵיהֶן מִן הַחֲלִיצָה וּמִן הַיִּבּוּם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Instead bf being written) "and he shall take" (it is written) "and he shall take *her*"; (instead of) "and he shall perform *yibum*," (it is written) "and he shall perform *yibum* (with) *her*" — to exclude (from *yibum*) co-wives (*tzaroth*) and *arayoth* (illicit relations) — whence it was ruled: Fifteen women exempt (from *yibum*) their co-wives and the co-wives of their co-wives, etc.