וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ הָאִישׁ לָקַחַת אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ וְעָלְתָה יְבִמְתּוֹ הַשַּׁעְרָה אֶל הַזְּקֵנִים וְאָמְרָה מֵאֵן יְבָמִי לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי. וְקָרְאוּ לוֹ זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְדִבְּרוּ אֵלָיו וְעָמַד וְאָמַר לֹא חָפַצְתִּי לְקַחְתָּהּ. וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו וְעָנְתָה וְאָמְרָה כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו. וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל. (דברים כה, ז-י) And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Yisra᾽el, he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother. 8Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and he shall stand, and say, I do not wish to take her; then shall his brother’s wife approach him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, Thus shall it be done to that man that will not build up his brother’s house. And his name shall be called in Yisra᾽el, The house of him that had his shoe loosed. (Deuteronomy 25:7-10)
בפרק זה מבוארים דיני החליצה הלכה למעשה. אמנם, מדברי הכתובים ניתן ללמוד מה היא דרך החליצה בכללה, אלא שהפרטים צריכים בירור ודיוק. בתורה נזכרים ה״זקנים״ שבפניהם נעשית החליצה — ויש לבאר מה המנין ההכרחי של זקנים אלה, ומה הם התנאים למינויים. כיוצא בזה נזכרות בדיני החליצה נעלו של היבם ורגלו, והדבר מעורר כמה שאלות מעשיות: מה הוא הקרוי נעל, באיזו רגל חולצים, ומה הוא שיעורה של חליצה זו. אף יש לברר מה הם הזמן והמקום הראויים לעריכת החליצה. In this chapter, the Gemara discussed the details with regard to the proper performance of halitza. Although the Torah describes those who oversee the halitza as “Elders,” the judges overseeing halitza need not be ordained scholars; even laymen who are capable of dictating the Torah verses read during the halitza ceremony suffice. The Gemara concluded that although halakhically, as is customary in other legal matters, only three judges are necessary for the halitza ceremony, ideally five people should convene after establishing a specific location to conduct the halitza, in order to publicize it. The chapter cited a number of discussions with regard to the shoe used in the process of halitza, concluding that the shoe must fit adequately and cover the foot and be made entirely, or mostly, of leather. During the talmudic period halitza was generally performed with a sandal, but in the course of the generations it became accepted to use a special type of shoe for halitza, by which all the necessary conditions were met. For the purposes of halitza, the shoe must be removed from the right foot of the yavam, and although the yevama should also remove the shoe with her right hand ab initio, after the fact, even if she removed the shoe using her teeth, the halitza is valid. If someone's foot was amputated above the knee, or if his foot is extremely crooked, it is impossible for him to perform halitza. Although the halitza should also involve the spitting and recitation of verses ab initio, only the removal of the shoe is essential after the fact. Nevertheless, a yevama who spat before her yavam in the presence of a court may no longer enter levirate marriage, although she would require valid halitza in order to be permitted to remarry.
כמו כן יש צורך בהגדרה של מעמד היבם והיבמה — האם צריכים הם להיות מבוגרים, והאם מעשה החליצה צריך להיעשות מדעת ומרצון של שני הצדדים. אלה הן בעיות הנוגעות למעשה החליצה לכתחילה. אולם מתעוררות שאלות גם ביחס למרכיבים השונים של מצוות החליצה: האם עשיית כל הדברים וכל הפרטים מעכבת, או שמא יש עיקר וטפל במעשה זה. בירורן של השאלות הללו לפרטיהן הוא עניינו של פרק זה. Halitza may be performed only by men and women who have adequate intellectual capacity, to the exclusion of minors and those who are intellectually challenged. It must be executed with full understanding of its implications ab initio, as the yevama removes the shoe from the yavam consensually, with both the yavam and the yevama intending to remove the levirate bond. After the fact, however, even mistaken halitza, when, for example, a sum of money is promised to the yavam for the halitza and he does not receive it, is still efficacious.Many other details with respect to how the mitzva of halitza should be performed, including the recitation of the halitza verses in Hebrew and the removal of the shoe and spitting, were discussed in the chapter.