חמש עשרה נשים פוטרות צרותיהן – for one of them was married to his brother, and he had two wives and died without children, both of them are exempt [Halitzah and levirate marriage] , as it states (Leviticus 18:18): “Do not marry a woman as a rival to her sister and uncover her nakedness in the other’s [lifetime],” for the inference does not teach us about her but rather to teach you that even his sister-in-law (i.e., the widow of a brother who died without issue) that is stated about her (Deuteronomy 25:5): “Her husband’s brother shall unite with her: [he shall take her as his wife and perform the levir’s duty].” If she is “do not marry a woman as a rival to her sister” and the same law applies to the rest of the forbidden relationships [in the Torah] that have [the punishment of] extirpation. But I don’t have anything but her, her rival-wife, from where do we learn this in the Torah? The inference teaches us לצור צרתה (I Samuel 1:6) – “her rival”; from where do we learn in the Torah צרתה? The inference teaches us (Leviticus 18:18): לצרור – “as a rival,” which implies “do not marry,” neither he nor her rival wife, nor the rival of her rival wife.

בתו ובת בתו וכו' – regarding his daughter from his outraged wife, and similarly, the daughter of his daughter and the daughter of his son, for whereas his daughter from his wife which is the daughter of his wife for since it is written (Leviticus 18:17): [“Do not uncover the nakedness of] a woman and her daughter,” there is no difference whether it is from him neither there is any difference if it is from another man, but his daughter from his outraged wife, one does not derive from this Biblical verse, because it implies a wife through betrothal/Kiddushin, but it is derived from (Leviticus 18:17): “[nor shall you marry] her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter [and uncover her nakedness: they are kindred; it is depravity].”

חמותו ואם חמותו ואם חמיו – all of these are forbidden to him because of (Leviticus 18:17): “Do not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; nor shall you marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter [and uncover her nakedness];” there is included within this his mother-in-law, the mother of his mother-in-law and the mother of his father-in-law.

אחותו מאמו – [his sister from his mother] who was married to his brother from his father, and he died, and similarly, the sister of his mother, for there is no levirate marriage, other than with his brother from his father for we derive “his brother, his brother” from the children of Jacob; just as there it is from the father, even though that there are none from the mother, so too here, there is no difference.

ואשת אחיו מאמו – [the wife of his brother from his mother] who died and she married his [the dead husband’s] brother from his father for she was a stranger regarding him, and he died without children and she fell before him for levirate marriage but she is forbidden to him because she was first the wife of his brother from his mother, and is prohibited to him forever, as it is written (Leviticus 18:16): “Do not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; [it is the nakedness of your brother],” and we expound, “your brother,” whether from the father or whether from the mother.

ואשת אחיו שלא היה בעולמו – such as, for example, Reuven who died without children and a brother was born to him after his death and his name is Levi, but Shimon performed levirate marriage with his wife and he has another wife and he died without children, and both of them fell before Levi, both of them are exempt, since the wife of Reuven who married Shimon is forbidden to Levi through [the punishment of] extirpation because Scripture had exempted him from Levirate marriage from Levi, as it states (Deuteronomy 25:5): “When brothers dwell together [and one of them dies and leaves no son the wife of the deceased shall not be married to a stranger, outside of her family: Her husband’s brother shall unite with her: he shall take her as his wife and perform the levir’s duty],” that they had one seating in the world; therefore, when Reuven died , she was forbidden upon Levi forever as the brother’s wife who has children and even though that now she fell from the power of the marriage of Shimon who was prohibited to him in his world on account of Reuven, and just as she is prohibited, so too is her rival wife forbidden.

וכלתו – [his former daughter-in-law – who then married his brother] whose son died, and she married his brother and his daughter-in-law is prohibited to him eternally and even after his son died.

וכולן אם מתו – such as, for example, this son died before the death of his brother ore she refused him, and even though there is no refusal other than with an minor female orphan whose mother or her mothers married her off, it is found regarding her that she refused him during the lifetime of her father, such as, for example, that her father married her off to another and she was divorced while still a minor, her father does not have control over her and she married off to the brothers of her father while she was still a minor, then she goes free through refusal and we call her further on an orphan during the lifetime of [her] father and if she refused his brother or was divorced from him or was found to be a barren woman whose acquisition was an errant purchase, it is as if she was never the wife of his brother, her rival/co-wife engages in a levirate marriage.

אילוני' – the language of a male ram from the sheep and her signs are explained clearly – that she does not have breasts like women and she does not have signs of puberty and her voice is thick like that of a male and she does not have the lower part of her abdomen like women , meaning to say, that this place does not protrude from her body like the lewdness of other women.

ואי אתה יכול לומר וכו' – that they already give birth from another prior to her being married to his brother; therefore, these are not barren women and there is also no refusal, for they are adults and only a minor [woman] may refuse, but our Tanna/teacher does not consider his mother amidst the women who exempt their rival/co-wives, for he holds like the one who holds that a man does not marry the outranged woman of his father and seduced woman of his father, but according to the one who says , that a man may marry the outraged wife of his father and the seduced wife of his and this is Halakha. It is possible that his mother married his brother from his father, and when he dies without children, it is found that his mother falls before her son for levirate marriage, and there are found sixteen women who exempt their rival/co-wives, and is mother is one of them, and this is the Halakha.

כשם שבתו פטורה – for [his daughter] is prohibited to him and there is no brother other than him, hence her rival/co-wife is also exempt.

הלכה צרת בתו ונשאת לקאחיו השני – where there is another brother that both of them are permitted to hi, and are not exempt, for there is here the commandment of levirate marriage and one of them engages in levirate marriage and the other is exempt, as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:9): “[Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up] his brother’s house;” he builds one house, but he does not build two homes, and if the second brother performed a levirate marriage with the rival wife of his daughter, and he [himself] has another wife, and he dies without children, and they returned and fell before him.

כשם שצרת בתו פטורה – that she became forbidden upon him from the time of the falling of his first brother, so too is the latter’s present associate/rival wife of his second brother’s wife is exempt, for this woman exempts her for the rivals of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity exempts her rival/co-wife.

ואפילו הם מאה – [and even if they are one-hundred] brothers, and the rivals of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity of his daughter went and engaged in levirate marriage with his third brother, and he has another wife, and he died without children, both of them are forbidden to each other, and similarly forever.

צרתה מותרת – to engage in levirate marriage for at the time of the levirate relation, she was not her rival wife.

וכל היכולה למאן – when she is a minor, [the woman forbidden to a man] and she is able to refuse, but she did not refuse, and his brother died, for since [her betrothal/Kiddushin] is not other than Rabbinic and her levirate relation is not other than Rabbinic, she does not exempt her rival/co-wife from Halitzah but to engage in levirate marriage is forbidden for she appears as forbidden on account of consanguinity.

שש עריות חמורות מאלו – and what is their stringency? That they are married to others (i.e., outsiders). But they are not able to marry the brother of this one from his father, and if their husbands died, who are “strangers” (i.e., outsiders) regarding this one, their rival/co-wives are permitted to marry to this one, for the rivals of a woman are not forbidden on account of consanguinity other than when she falls before him for levirate marriage from his brother. And our Rabbi/teacher, Moshe bar Maimon (i.e., Maimonides) explained, that if they married through sin to his brother and he died without children, and they fell [before him] for levirate marriage, their rival/co-wives are permitted, for these are not [forbidden] on account of consanguinity since their betrothal/Kiddushin do not take effect to his brother in those forbidden relations of incest.

אמו – she cannot marry his brother from his father, for she is to him the wife of the father, according to the one who says that the ravaged wife of his father is prohibited, and above (Mishnah two), I explained, that this is not the Halakha, but rather, his mother exempts her rival/co-wife, for she is able to marry to his brother from his father.

אשת אביו אשת אחיו מאביו – [that he had children] and the sister of his father, all of them are forbidden to his brother, like they are forbidden to him, and there is not side of Levirate marriage on this forever, and if others married them and they have other wives, and they (i.e., the husbands) died, their rival/co-wives are permitted to marry this one, and similarly, if his brother married them in sin, and he died without children, their rival/co-wives are permitted.

בית שמאי מתירין – the rival of a woman forbidden on account of consanguinity is to be married by the levir, for they (i.e., the School of Shammai) lack this exposition/Midrashic interpretation of (Leviticus 18:18): “[Do not marry a woman] as a rival [to her sister and uncover her nakedness in the other’s lifetime].”

חלצו – [they performed the ritual of Halitzah] the rival/co-wives from the brothers.

בית שמאי פוסלין – the rival/co-wives from the priesthood, since their [act of] Halitzah is [considered] Halitzah.

ובית הלל מכשירין – that their [act of] Halitzah was not a necessity and she is considered as one who performed Halitzah from a heathen/foreigner.

נתיבמו – to brothers.

בית שמאי מכשירין – [The School of Shammai validates them] to Kohanim, if they had become widowed from their levirs.

ובית הלל פוסלים – that they had engaged in sexual relationship with those forbidden to them, and one who engages in sexual relations with one prohibited to her makes her a harlot, and a harlot is prohibited to [marry] a Kohen.

לא נמנעו – and even though that the children of the rival/co-wives who had been married by the levir that according to the School of Shammai are Mamzerim/illegitimate according to the School of Hillel, and they are [included] in the prohibition of marrying the wife of one’s brother upon them, and the [violation of] the [marriage of the] wife of one’s brother is [liable to] extirpation, and those who are liable for extirpation are considered Mamzerim/illegitimate, nevertheless, [members of] the School of Hillel were not prevented from marrying women from the School of Shammai, because they would inform them of those women coming from the rival/co-wives and separate from them.

אלו על גבי אלו – they would loan their utensils one to the other. And in the Gemara (Tractate Yevamot 14a), raises an objection on that which is taught [in our Mishnah]: “The School of Shammai declares that the rival/co-wives are permitted [to enter into levirate marriage with] the brothers and the School of Hillel [prohibits] . They call it here (Deuteronomy 14:1): “You shall not gash yourselves/לא תתגדדו “ – do not form yourselves into religious [factions]. And they responded – such as the case of one Jewish court in one city – where half teach according to the School of Shammai and half teach according to the School of Hillel, but [where there are] two Jewish courts in one city, and all the more so, two Jewish courts in two towns, it does not matter.