משנה: בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא עַל יְבִימְתּוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּא עָלֶיהָ אָחִיו שֶׁהוּא בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד פָּסַל עַל יָדוֹ. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר לֹא פָסַל. בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא עַל יְבִימְתּוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּא עַל צָרָתָהּ פָּסַל עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר לֹא פָסַל. בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא עַל יְבִימְתּוֹ וָמֵת חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. נָשָׂא אִשָּׁה וָמֵת הֲרֵי זוֹ פְטוּרָה. בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא עַל יְבִימְתּוֹ וּמִשֶׁהִגְדִּיל נָשָׂא אִשָּׁה אֲחֶרֶת וָמֵת אִם לֹא יָדַע אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה מִשֶּׁהִגְדִּיל הַשְּׁנִייָה אוֹ חוֹלֶצֶת אוֹ מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. וְהָרִאשׁוֹנָה חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר מְייַבֵּם לְאֵיזוֹ שֶׁיִּרְצֶה וְחוֹלֵץ לַשְּׁנִייָה. אֶחָד שֶׁהוּא בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד וְאֶחָד שֶׁהוּא בֶּן עֵשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְלֹא הַבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת. MISHNAH: If [a male] nine years and one day old212As explained in Mishnah 18, if he is older than nine full years as long as he did not grow two pubic hairs. copulated with his sister-in-law and after that his brother, who [also] was nine years and one day old, copulated with her, [the brother] disabled her for [the first levir]. Rebbi Simeon says, he did not disable213As will be repeated in the Halakhah, the majority holds that intercourse of an almost grown up male is like “bespeaking” of an adult and therefore follows the rules of “bespeaking” which disables but does not fully acquire. For R. Simeon, intercourse of a minor either acquires by biblical standards or it does not acquire at all, but we do not know which assertion holds (Halakhah 3:5). If it acquires, then the sister-in-law is the first levir’s wife and the action of a minor has no legal consequence; if it does not acquire for the first it did not acquire for the second, both are legally minors and their actions as minors cannot influence the status of the widow when the levirs become grownups.
The same argument holds for R. Simeon in the cases following..
If [a male] nine years and one day old copulated with his sister-in-law, and after that he copulated with her co-wife, he disabled her for himself. Rebbi Simeon says, he did not disable.
If [a male] nine years and one day old copulated with his sister-in-law and died, she performs ḥalîṣah but not levirate214Since the widow’s legal status is one of “bespoken” but not fully married, if the levir dies she becomes the widow of two brothers and may not marry in levirate (cf. Halakhah 3:1).. If he married a woman and died, she is free215Outside of levirate, the marriage of a minor is invalid; the woman is not a widow..
If [a male] nine years and one day old copulated with his sister-in-law and after he became an adult married another woman and died, if he never had intercourse with the first after he became an adult, the second [wife] either performs ḥalîṣah or levirate, the first performs ḥalîṣah but not levirate216In the Babylonian Mishnah, the order of the actions is inverted. The order of the Yerushalmi is more reasonable. The second is a real wife, who can be married in levirate if the husband dies childless. For the majority, the first one is only “bespoken”; she becomes the widow of two brothers and is disqualified from levirate.. Rebbi Simeon says, he takes in levirate the one he likes and performs ḥalîṣah with the other217For R. Simeon, the first one either was the wife of the deceased or she was not. If she was not, she is the widow of her first husband and can be married in levirate; if she was, she is the widow of her second husband and can be married in levirate. The second certainly can be married in levirate. But only one of the co-widows can be married. In this case, the other is not free since maybe the first one was not a wife.. It makes no difference whether he is nine years and one day or twenty years old, as long as he did not grow two pubic hairs.
הלכה: שְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר. דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי מֵאִיר. עָשׂוּ בִיאַת בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּמַאֲמָר בְּגָדוֹל. וּכְמַה דְאַתְּ אָמַר. עָשׂוּ בִיאַת בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּמַאֲמָר בְּגָדוֹל. וְדִכְװָתָהּ נַעֲשֶׂה חֲלִיצָה בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּגֵט בְּגָדוֹל. וְרַבָּנִין אָֽמְרִין. אֵין חֲלִיצַת בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּלוּם. וְלָמָּה עָשׂוּ בִיאַת בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּמַאֲמָר בְּגָדוֹל. שֶׁכֵּן בִּיאָה בְגָדוֹל קוֹנָה בֵּין לְדַעַת בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא לְדַעַת. נַעֲשֶׂה חֲלִיצָה בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד כְּגֵט בְּגָדוֹל. וַחֲלִיצָה בְגָדוֹל אֵינָהּ פּוֹטֶרֶת אֶלָּא לְדַעַת. HALAKHAH: 218The text is from Halakhah 5:5, Notes 79–83. Samuel said, the words of Rebbi Meïr: They made the intercourse of a child of nine years and one day like “bespeaking” of an adult. And as you said, they made the intercourse of a child of nine years and one day like “bespeaking” of an adult, they made the ḥalîṣah of a child of nine years and one day like a bill of divorce of an adult. But the rabbis said, the ḥalîṣah of a child of nine years and one day is nothing. And why did they make the intercourse of a child of nine years and one day like “bespeaking” of an adult? Because the intercourse of an adult acquires whether intentional or not intentional. The ḥalîṣah of a child of nine years and one day was made like a bill of divorce by an adult. But ḥalîṣah by an adult can free only if it is intentional.
אִילּוּ שׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם שֶׁנָּֽפְלָה לִפְנֵי כַמָּה יְבָמִין שֶׁמָּא אֵינָהּ מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי חִיָּא. אֵשֶׁת מֵת אֶחָד מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. וְלֹא אֵשֶׁת שְׁנֵי מֵתִים. שְׁנִיָּה לָמָּה אֵינָהּ מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. אָמַר רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. דְּרִבִּי מֵאִיר הִיא. דְּאָמַר רִבִּי מֵאִיר. כָּל־שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְייַבְּמֵנִי אֵין מְייַבֵּם צָרָתִי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. מִינִּי שְׁמָעָהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָֽמְרָהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵה. מַתְנִיתָא אָֽמְרָה כֵן. בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא עַל יְבִמְתּוֹ. מִשֶׁהִגְדִּיל וְנָשָׂא אִשָּׁה אֲחֶרֶת. אִם לֹא יָדַע הָרִאשׁוֹן מִשֶׁהִגְדִּיל. הַשְּׁנִייָה אוֹ חוֹלֶצֶת אוֹ מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. הָרִאשׁוֹנָה חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. הָכָא אִיתְמַר חוֹלֶצֶת. וְהָכָא אִיתְמַר מִתְייַבֶּמֶת. הֵן דְּתֵימַר חוֹלֶצֶת רִבִּי מֵאִיר וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. וְהֵן דְתֵימַר מִתְייַבֶּמֶת רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְרַבָּנִן. 220The text is from Halakhah 3:10, Notes 140–148. Can a woman waiting for a levir who became available to several brothers-in-law not be married in levirate? Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: The wife of one dead [husband] is married in levirate, not the wife of two dead. Rebbi Eleazar said, this follows Rebbi Meïr, since Rebbi Meïr said, “any one who cannot marry me in levirate, cannot marry my co-wife in levirate.” Rebbi Joḥanan said, Rebbi Eleazar formulated what he had heard from me. Rebbi Yose said, a Mishnah said so: “If [a male] nine years and one day old copulated with his sister-in-law and after he became an adult married another woman and died, if he never had intercourse with the first after he became an adult, the second [wife] either performs ḥalîṣah or levirate, the first performs ḥalîṣah but not levirate. The first one must perform ḥalîṣah and cannot be married in levirate.” Here you say, she performs ḥalîṣah; there you say, she is married in levirate! Where you say she performs ḥalîṣah, Rebbi Meïr and Rebbi Simeon; where you say, she is married in levirate, Rebbi Simeon and the rabbis.
פְּשִּׁיטָא הָדָא מִילְּתָא. פָּחוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שֶׁהֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת לְמַפְרֵיעוֹ הוּא נַעֲשֶׂה אִישׁ. וְיוֹתֵר מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שֶׁהֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת מִיכָּן וְהֵילַךְ הוּא אִישׁ. מַה פְלִיגִין. בְּבֶן עֶשְׂרִים. שְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר. לְמַפְרֵיעוֹ הוּא נַעֲשֶׂה אִישׁ. רַב אָמַר. מִיכָּן וְהֵילַךְ הוּא אִישׁ. מַתְנִיתָא פְלִיגָא בֵּין עַל דֵּין בֵּין עַל דֵּין. הַסָּרִיס אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה בֶּן סוֹרֶר וּמוֹרֶה שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ הַקָּפַת זָקָן. וְיַתִּיר בּוֹ שֶׁמָּא יָבִיא שְּׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת בְּתוֹךְ שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִּׁים. כְּמָאן דָּמַר. אֵין מְקַבְּלִין הַתְרָייָה עַל הַסָּפֵק. מַתְנִיתִין פְלִיגָא עַל שְׁמוּאֵל. אֶחָד בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בֶּן שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֶה שָׁנָה וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיא שְּׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת לְמַפְרֵיעוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה אִישׁ. כְּמַה דְּתֵימַר. בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וְיוֹם אֶחָד וְעַד בֶּן שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֶה שָׁנָה וְיוֹם אֶחָד שֶׁהֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת לְמַפְרֵיעוֹ הוּא נַעֲשֶׂה אִישׁ. וְדִכְװָתָהּ בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת מִיכָּן וְהֵילַךְ הוּא נַעֲשֶׂה אִישׁ. מַה עֲבַד לָהּ שְׁמוּאֵל. פָּתַר לָהּ סָמוּךְ לְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה. The following is obvious: If a person younger than twenty years of age developed two pubic hairs, he becomes a man retroactively. Older than twenty years of age, he becomes a man from that point into the future221The Babli, 80b and Niddah 47b, disagrees and treats the man who at age 20 has no pubic hair and shows the body characteristics of a castrate as castrated by nature who never will be accepted as a man; otherwise he will be a minor until age 35, half the normal life span. (There is an Amora who disagrees and holds that many cases of impotent men without pubic hair can be treated medically.). Where do they disagree? If he is twenty. Samuel said, he becomes a man retroactively. Rav said, he becomes a man from that point into the future222In the Babli, 80a, Rav holds that if he or she are late to grow pubic hair but do so before they reach 20, they retroactively become adult and can be prosecuted for any crimes committed earlier; Samuel holds that they remain underage until they grow pubic hair or reach age 18 when they immediately become adults.. A baraita disagrees with both of them: The castrate cannot become a rebellious son223Deut. 21:18–21. Since he is called “son” rather than “child”, it is concluded that he must be an adult. The Babli concurs, 80a. since he has no pubic hair. Should one not warn him, maybe he will develop two pubic hairs within the next three months? Following him who says, one does not accept conditional warnings224The opinion of R. Simeon ben Laqish in the next Chapter; Babli Makkot 16a. In the Babli, that opinion is unopposed.. Our Mishnah225That the legal status of one 20 years old is not different from one 9 years old if he did not grow two pubic hairs. disagrees with Samuel: Does it make no difference whether he is nine years and one day or twelve years and one day old, if by then he did not grow two pubic hairs, he becomes a man retroactively? Could you say: If he did grow two pubic hairs between the ages of nine years and one day until twelve years and one day226Even though the text is formulated in the masculine, it must refer to girls since for a boy standard adulthood is at age 13., he becomes a man retroactively? Similarly, if he is older than twenty years of age and did not grow two pubic hairs, he becomes a man from that point into the future. How does Samuel handle this? He explains it: soon after he turns twenty227But if he grows pubic hair by his 20th birthday, he retroactively becomes an adult from age 13..