משנה: הַחוֹלֵץ לִיבִמְתּוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא כְאֶחָד מִכָּל־הָאַחִין לַנַּחֲלָה. וְאִם יֵשׁ שָׁם אָב הַנְּכָסִים שֶׁלָּאָב. הַכּוֹנֵס אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ זָכָה בְנִיכְסֵי אָחִיו. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר בֵּין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ אִם יֵשׁ שָׁם אָב הַנְּכָסִים שֶׁלָּאָב. MISHNAH: He who performs ḥalîṣah with his sister-in-law is like any of the other brothers for the inheritance and, if there is a father, the property goes to the father106The father is not mentioned in the biblical rules of inheritance (Num. 27:6–11) but since the paternal uncles are mentioned it is clear that one assumes that the father died before his son. Since the rules imply that thedescendants of the son rank before all other relatives, it is logical to assume that the father ranks before all his descendants and other relatives; Baba batra 8:2.. He who marries his sister-in-law acquires his brother’s property. Rebbi Jehudah says, in any case if there is a father, the property goes to the father107Subject to the lien of the widow’s ketubah. The problem does not appear in the case of ḥalîṣah since the widow has to be paid in full before the inheritance is distributed. In the Tosephta, 6:3, R. Jehudah also denies that the levir gets all the inheritance if there is no father..
הלכה: הַחוֹלֵץ לִיבִמְתּוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא כְאֶחָד מִכָּל־הָאַחִין לַנַּחֲלָה כול׳. שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר. חֲלִיצָה פְטוֹר וּבִיאָה פְטוֹר. כְּמָה דְתֵימַר הַכּוֹנֵס אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ זָכָה בְנִיכְסֵי אָחִיו. וְדִכְװָתָהּ הַחוֹלֵץ לִיבִמְתּוֹ זָכָה בְנִיכְסֵי אָחִיו. לְפוּם כֵּן צָרִיךְ מֵימָר הֲרֵי הוּא כְאֶחָד מִכָּל־הָאַחִין לַנַּחֲלָה. HALAKHAH: “He who performs ḥalîṣah with his sister-in-law is like any of the other brothers for the inheritance,” etc. That one should not say, ḥalîṣah is freeing, intercourse is freeing108Chapter 1, Note 104. The argument is quoted in Babli, 40a, and refuted. The accepted argument is that one might think that the levir who refuses to honor his duty of levirate should be punished by being excluded from inheriting his part, but this is not so.; just as you say, “he who marries his sister-in-law acquires his brother’s property,” so he who performs ḥalîṣah with his sister-in-law acquires his brother’s property. Therefore, it is necessary to say “he is like any of the other brothers for the inheritance”.
רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר בְּשֵׁם שְׁמוּאֵל. הָעוֹשֶׂה מַאֲמָר בִּיבִמְתּוֹ לֹא זָכָה בְנִיכְסֵי אָחִיו. וְאַף בֵּית שַׁמַּי מוֹדֵיי בָהּ. וְאַף רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מוֹדֵיי בָהּ. וְלֹא כְרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ. דְּרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ אוֹמֵר. הַמַּאֲמָר קוֹנֶה קִינְייָן גָּמוּר בִּיבָמָה. הָיוּ שְׁתֵּי יְבָמוֹת. עָשָׂה מַאֲמָר בְּזוֹ וּבָעַל לְזוֹ. מַה נַפְשֵׁךְ. אִם בְּמַאֲמָר יִזְכֶּה אִם בְּבִיאָה יִזְכֶּה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵה. מֵאַחַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְקַייֵם אֶת אַחַת מֵהֶן לֹא זָכָה בְנִיכְסֵי אָחִיו. Rav Jehudah said in the name of Samuel: He who “bespeaks” his sister-in-law does not acquire his brother’s property109Since qiddushin do not give the husband any property rights, the weaker “bespeaking” cannot do it either.. Even the House of Shammai agree to that110They hold that “bespeaking” is a biblical requirement for levirate. Still they cannot hold that “bespeaking” is stronger than qiddushin. The same argument is good for R. Simeon who only allows for the possibility that “bespeaking” might be like qiddushin(Chapter 2, Note 16).; even Rebbi Simeon agrees to that, but not Rebbi Eleazar ben Arakh. As Rebbi Eleazar ben Arakh said, “bespeaking” acquires the sister-in-law totally. If there were two sisters-in-law, he “bespoke” one and came to the other. As you take it, either by “bespeaking” he acquires or by intercourse he acquires. Rebbi Yose said, since he cannot keep either one111The second one is forbidden to him rabbinically for the House of Hillel, biblically for the House of Shammai. The first one is forbidden to him biblically for the House of Hillel., he did not acquire his brother’s property.
רִבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר טֵבֶלֵיי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. טַעֲמָא דְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד. מַקִּישׁוֹ לַבְּכוֹר. מַה הַבְּכוֹר אֵינוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ בְּחַיֵי אָבִיו אַף זֶה אֵינוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ בְּחַיֵי אָבִיו. אִי מַה בְּכוֹר יוֹרֵשׁ לְאַחַר מִיתַת אָבִיו אַף זֶה יוֹרֵשׁ לְאַחַר מִיתַת אָבִיו. אָמַר רִבִּי זְעוּרָה. מִינָהּ. מַה הַבְּכוֹר לֹא יוֹרֵשׁ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא רָאוּי לֵירֵשׁ אַף זֶה אֵינוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא רָאוּי לֵירֵשּׁ. עוֹד אֵינוֹ יוֹרֵשׁ. רִבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא רִבִּי חִייָה בַּר אַשִּׁי בְשֵׁם רַב. הֲלָכָה כְּרִבִּי יְהוּדָה. רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר. הֲלָכָה כְּרִבִּי יוּדָה. רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בְשֵׁם רִבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה. הֲלָכָה כְּרִבִּי יוּדָה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. זִימְנִין סַגִּין יָֽתְבִית קוֹמֵי רִבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה וְלֹא שָֽׁמְעִית מִינֵּיהּ הָדָא מִילְתָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ. וְלֵית בַּר נַשׁ דּוּ שָׁמֵע מִילָּה וְלֵית חַבְרֵיהּ שְׁמִיעַ לֵיהּ. Rebbi Isaac ben Tevele in the name of Rebbi Eleazar: The reason of Rebbi Jehudah: “112Deut. 25:6. The verse connects the birth of a first-born with the inheritance of the dead brother. The first-born whom she will bear shall be”; He compared it to a first-born. Since the first-born does not inherit during his father’s lifetime, so this one does not inherit during his father’s lifetime. But since the first-born inherits after his father’s death, does this one inherit after his father’s death113Since the first-born inherits an extra portion from the estate, does the levir inherit the separate inheritance of his wife’s first husband separately?? Rebbi Ze‘ira said, since the first-born does not inherit when it was time to inherit, so this one does not inherit when it was time to inherit114The separatee inheritance of the first-born is restricted (Deut. 21:17) to “all that is found of his property.” This is interpreted as excluding claims that are not yet collected; cf., e. g., Babli Baba batra 55a. Since the inheritance of the dead brother is under his wife’s lien for her ketubah, it is not considered as “found of his property”.. Afterwards he cannot inherit. Rebbi Abba bar Cahana, Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Ashi in the name of Rav: Practice follows Rebbi Jehudah. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, practice follows Rebbi Judah. Rebbi Abbahu, Rebbi Eleazar in the name of Rebbi Hoshaia, practice follows Rebbi Judah. Rebbi Joḥanan said, many times I sat before Rebbi Hoshaia and never heard that from him. He said to him, does nobody exist who heard something his partner did not hear115The Babli, 40a, strongly disagrees since practice follows the anonymous majority. This is the position of R. Joḥanan’s teacher R. Yannai.?