## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 289

###### Sifrei Devarim 289:1
[Sifrei Devarim 289:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:1)

(דברים כה ו) **וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד**, יָכוֹל אִם הָיָה שְׁמוֹ יוֹסֵי יִקָּרֵא שְׁמוֹ יוֹסֵי, הָיָה שְׁמוֹ יוֹחָנָן יִקָּרֵא שְׁמוֹ יוֹחָנָן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **יָקוּם עַל שֵׁם אָחִיו** מִכָּל מָקוֹם. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר **וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד**? מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמִּצְוָה בַּגָּדוֹל לְיַבֵּם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 25:6) "And it shall be, the first-born that she bears shall be invested in the name of his dead brother": I might think that if his (the dead brother's) name were Yossi, *he* (the child) should be called Yossi, or (if his name were) Yochanan, the child should be called Yochanan; it is, therefore, written "in the name of his (the *yavam*'s) dead brother" and *not* "in the name of the dead brother of his (the child's) father." [(The "first-born," then, in this instance, is an epithet for the *yavam*.)] If so, why is it written "the first-born" (instead of "the *yavam*")? To indicate that it is a mitzvah for the oldest brother to perform the *yibum*.


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:2
[Sifrei Devarim 289:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:2)

**אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד**, פְּרָט לְאַיְלוֹנִית שֶׁאֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה לֵילֵד.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"that she bears": to exclude (from *yibum*) a woman who cannot bear.


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:3
[Sifrei Devarim 289:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:3)

**יָקוּם עַל שֵׁם אָחִיו**, וְלֹא עַל שֵׁם אֲחִי אָבִיו.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(The *yavam*) "shall be invested in the name of his dead brother": for inheritance (i.e., he receives his dead brother's share as well as his own.) It is written here "in the name of his brother," and, elsewhere (Bereshith 48:6) "in the name of their brothers (Ephraim and Menasheh) shall they be called in (taking) their inheritance." Just as there, the reference is to taking inheritance, so, here.


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:4
[Sifrei Devarim 289:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:4)

**הַמֵּת**, לְפִי שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ לְהַלָּן אֵשֶׁת אֶחָד מִתְיַבֶּמֶת וְלֹא אֵשֶׁת שְׁנַיִם, מִנַּיִן מֵת רִאשׁוֹן יְיַבֵּם שֵׁנִי, מֵת שֵׁנִי יְיַבֵּם שְׁלִישִׁי, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **הַמֵּת** **הַמֵּת** רִבָּה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"his *dead* brother": Because it is stated elsewhere that the wife of one undergoes *yibum* and not the wife of two, whence do I derive that if the first brother died, the second performs *yibum*; if the second died, the third performs *yibum*? From (the repetition of) "dead" (verse 5) - "dead" (here).


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:5
[Sifrei Devarim 289:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:5)

**וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שְׁמוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל**, פְּרָט לְסָרִיס שֶׁכְּבָר שְׁמוֹ מָחוּי.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and his name will not be wiped out in Israel": to exclude (from *yibum*) the wife of one who is impotent, whose name is already "wiped out."


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:6
[Sifrei Devarim 289:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:6)

(דברים כה ז) **וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ הָאִישׁ**, וְלֹא שֶׁלֹּא חָפֵץ בָּהּ הַמָּקוֹם. מוֹצִיא אֲנִי אֶת הָעֲרָיוֹת שֶׁחַיָּבִים עֲלֵיהֶן מִיתַת בֵּית דִּין, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא אוֹצִיא עֲרָיוֹת שֶׁחַיָּבִים עֲלֵיהֶן כָּרֵת בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **מֵאֵן יְבָמִי**, וְלֹא שֶׁמֵּאֵן בָּהּ הַמָּקוֹם. מוֹצִיא אֲנִי אֶת הָעֲרָיוֹת שֶׁחַיָּבִים עֲלֵיהֶן כָּרֵת בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, וַעֲדַיִן לֹא אוֹצִיא אֶת הָעֲרָיוֹת שֶׁהֵן בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי**, וְלֹא שֶׁלֹּא אָבָה בָּהּ הַמָּקוֹם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(*Ibid*. 7) "And if the man shall not desire to take his *yevamah*": and not "if the L-rd shall not desire her.": (From this) I would exclude (from *chalitzah* [*yibum* release]) those *arayoth* which are liable to judicial death penalties, but I would not exclude those which are liable (only) to *kareth*; it is, therefore, written "*He* does not desire to have me in *yibum*," and not "the L-rd does not desire her."


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:7
[Sifrei Devarim 289:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:7)

**לָקַחַת אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ**, מָה אֲנִי צָרִיךְ? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד״, יָכוֹל שֶׁאֲנִי מוֹצִיא עֲקָרָה וּזְקֵנָה וּקְטַנָּה שֶׁאֵינָן רְאוּיוֹת לֵילֵד, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **יְבִמְתּוֹ** **יְבִמְתּוֹ** רִבָּה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"to take his *yevamah*": What is the intent of this? (Why not just "to take *her*"?) Because it is written (6) "and it shall be the *bechor that she shall bear*," I might think to exclude (from *chalitzah*) a woman who can no longer bear, and an old woman, and (the *tzarah* of) a woman incapable of conception, and a minor who is not yet able to bear; it is, therefore, written (here, twice) "his *yevamah*," "his *yevamah*" to include (the above as requiring *chalitzah*).


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:8
[Sifrei Devarim 289:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:8)

**וְעָלְתָה יְבִמְתּוֹ הַשַּׁעְרָה**, מִצְוָה בְּבֵית דִּין שֶׁיְּהֵא בַּגָּבוֹהַּ שֶׁבָּעִיר וְשֶׁיְּהֵא בִּזְקֵנִים.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"then his *yevamah* shall *go up* to the gate (of *beth-din*) and to the elders": It is a mitzvah for the *beth-din* to preside in the heights of the city and to be composed of elders."


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:9
[Sifrei Devarim 289:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:9)

**מֵאֵן יְבָמִי**, וְלֹא שֶׁמֵּאֵן בָּהּ הַמָּקוֹם. **לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו**, פְּרָט לְסָרִיס שֶׁאִם רָצָה לְהָקִים אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל. **שֵׁם**, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: נֶאֱמַר כָּאן שֵׁם וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן שֵׁם, מַה שֵּׁם הָאָמוּר לְהַלָּן נַחֲלָה אַף שֵׁם הָאָמוּר כָּאן נַחֲלָה, וּמַה שֵּׁם הָאָמוּר כָּאן זֶרַע אַף שֵׁם הָאָמוּר לְהַלָּן זֶרַע.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"My *yavam* does not desire to invest for his brother a name in Israel": R. Yehudah says: It is written here "name," and elsewhere (in connection with the daughters of Tzelafchad, Bamidbar 27:4) "name." Just as "name" there refers to seed, so, "name" here — to exclude (from *chalitzah*) a castrate, who, even if he wanted to perpetuate a "name" for his brother, could not.


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:10
[Sifrei Devarim 289:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:10)

**בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל**, וְלֹא בְּגֵרִים. מִכָּן אַתָּה אוֹמֵר: שְׁנֵי אַחִים גֵּרִים שֶׁהָיְתָה הוֹרָתָם שֶׁלֹּא בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וְלֵידָתָם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה, פְּטוּרִים מִן הַחֲלִיצָה וּמִן הַיִּבּוּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל** וְלֹא בְּגֵרִים.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"in *Israel*": and not among converts — whence it was ruled: Two brothers, converts, whose conception was not in holiness and whose birth was in holiness, are exempt from *chalitzah* and from *yibum*, it being written "in *Israel*," and not among converts.


###### Sifrei Devarim 289:11
[Sifrei Devarim 289:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/289:11)

**לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי**, וְלֹא שֶׁלֹּא אָבָה בָהּ הַמָּקוֹם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"My *yavam* does not desire," and not "*the L-rd* does not desire" (by reason of *arayoth*).