{"id":10924,"date":"2007-07-26T22:22:01","date_gmt":"2007-07-26T22:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/"},"modified":"2015-10-27T06:19:35","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T11:19:35","slug":"masechet_yevamot_8591","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Yevamot 85a-91b"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The Coming Week&#8217;s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>This month\u2019s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, The Lewy Family Foundation, and Marilyn and Edward Kaplan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 85a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> teaches that a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/jl.htm#kohen\">kohen<\/a><\/em> cannot marry a <em>halalah<\/em> \u2013 a woman who is the product of a forbidden sexual relationship or one who has engaged in a forbidden sexual relationship. The question with which our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> grapples is whether the daughter of a <em>kohen<\/em> has a similar prohibition from marrying a <em>halal<\/em>. We find that two young scholars \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=53&amp;letter=P\">Rav Papa<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=963&amp;letter=H\">Rav Huna<\/a>, the son of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=127&amp;letter=A\">Rav<\/a> \u2013 were visiting their teacher, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=77&amp;letter=I\">Rav Idi bar Abin<\/a>, when they were discussing this issue. Rav Papa suggested that the answer can be learned from our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a>, where it lists which groups of people can marry one another. Since the Mishnah does not specifically permit this case, we can conclude that it is forbidden. Rav Huna disagreed, arguing that the Mishnah proves nothing, since it is only teaching about groups of people whose relationships will be the same no matter whether the man and woman are from one group or the other. Given the fact that a <em>kohen<\/em> cannot marry a <em>halalah<\/em>, even if the daughter of a <em>kohen<\/em> is allowed to marry a <em>halal<\/em>, it would not appear on this list.<\/p>\n<p>Upon presenting their discussion to Rav Idi bar Abin, he looked at them and said <em>&#8220;dardiki<\/em> (youngsters), are you not familiar with the teaching of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=626&amp;letter=J\">Rav Yehuda<\/a> in the name of Rav that the daughter of a <em>kohen<\/em> is permitted to marry a <em>halal<\/em>?!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Rav Idi bar Abin was a Babylonian <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/a.htm#amora\">amora<\/a><\/em> of the third and fourth generation. The story is told about his father, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=317&amp;letter=A\">Rav Abin Nagra<\/a>, that he was extremely meticulous about the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mitzvah\">mitzvah<\/a><\/em> of lighting candles for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/s.htm#shabbat\">Shabbat<\/a>, and Rav Huna told him that because of his diligence he would merit children who would become Sages. In fact we know of two of his children \u2013 Rav Chiya and Rav Idi \u2013 both of whom fulfilled that prophecy.<\/p>\n<p>Rav Idi was a student of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=801&amp;letter=H\">Rav Chisda<\/a>, although we find that he quotes other Sages&#8217; teachings, as well. We find him actively involved in discussions with his peers, and in particular with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=120&amp;letter=A\">Abayye<\/a>. He lived an extraordinarily long life, which is why we find him referring to his students Rav Papa and Rav Huna as <em>dardiki<\/em> \u2013 youngsters.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 86a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As we have learned, a portion of the annual produce is set aside for the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/jl.htm#kohen\">kohanim<\/a><\/em> and is called <em>terumah<\/em>. Aside from the <em>terumah<\/em>, ten percent of the harvest is set aside for the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/jl.htm#levi\">levi&#8217;im<\/a><\/em>, as <em>ma&#8217;aser<\/em>. Our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> quotes a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=247&amp;letter=B\">baraita<\/a><\/em> where we learn that this is only the opinion of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=1033&amp;letter=A\">Rabbi Akiva<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=139&amp;letter=E\">Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah<\/a> rules that <em>ma&#8217;aser<\/em> need not be given only to a <em>Levi<\/em>, as it can also be given to a <em>kohen<\/em>, since the priestly families are all from the tribe of Levi.<\/p>\n<p>This was not simply a theoretical discussion between the two Sages; the Gemara relates that Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya \u2013 who, himself, was a <em>kohen<\/em> \u2013 regularly took <em>ma&#8217;aser<\/em> from a certain field. When Rabbi Akiva heard this, he arranged for the entrance to the field to be switched so that it opened onto a cemetery, which effectively barred Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya from benefiting from it (because of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=523&amp;letter=P#1953\">prohibition<\/a> for a <em>kohen<\/em> to come into contact with the dead). Finding himself cut off from a source of sustenance that he felt was rightfully his, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya is quoted as saying, &#8220;Akiva has his <em>tarmil<\/em>, but how will I survive?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A <em>tarmil<\/em> is a leather bag in which things are carried or stored (according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=83&amp;letter=H\">Rav Hai Ga&#8217;on<\/a> it was made to hold a measure of five <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=81&amp;letter=W#261\">kabin<\/a><\/em>). A <em>tarmil<\/em> was used mainly by people who traveled over significant distances, like shepherds, who needed to carry food with them during their travels. The <em>tarmil<\/em> is also identified with converts who did not have a set ancestral home in which to live. Thus, there is a double meaning in identifying Rabbi Akiva \u2013 who was both a shepherd and a convert \u2013 with a <em>tarmil<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>There may be another reference here, as well. In the Gemara, the Sage <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=273&amp;letter=I\">Isi ben Yehudah<\/a> compares Rabbi Akiva to a person who walks through his field gathering everything that he can find, and when he arrives at home, he empties the <em>tarmil<\/em> and organizes his belongings. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah may have been suggesting that Rabbi Akiva&#8217;s method of study was to collect teachings from many different sources, and only later did he sit down and organize them. This is in contrast to Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah&#8217;s own background, in which he learned everything from his father and grandfather.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 87a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have learned that the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mitzvah\">mitzvah<\/a><\/em> of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=293&amp;letter=L\">yibum<\/a><\/em> (levirate marriage) is for a surviving brother to marry his childless brother&#8217;s widow so that his brother&#8217;s name will be not be &#8220;blotted out.&#8221; That is to say, the idea is for the <em>yavam<\/em> to stand in his brother&#8217;s stead, and by having children, the family will continue. Thus, if a man dies and he has children, the <em>mitzvah<\/em> of <em>yibum<\/em> does not come into effect.<\/p>\n<p>What will the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#halachah\">halakha<\/a><\/em> be if a man dies having fathered children, but subsequently those children die? Should we say that, in such a case, the <em>mitzvah<\/em> of <em>yibum<\/em> is revived in order to continue the family?<\/p>\n<p>On this question the <em>halakha<\/em> is clear \u2013 such a situation does not call for a revival of <em>yibum<\/em>. Interestingly, the source for this that is brought by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> is from <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/s.htm#sefer\">Sefer<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/mishlei.htm\">Mishlei<\/a><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt2803.htm#17\">3:17<\/a>): <em>derakheha darkhei no&#8217;am ve-khol netivoteha shalom<\/em> \u2013 &#8220;the ways of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> are pleasant, and all of its paths are peaceful.&#8221; This is understood to mean that the Torah would not create a situation whereby a woman who is permitted to go and marry will then be called back to have <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=137&amp;letter=H\">halitzah<\/a><\/em> (or even <em>yibum<\/em>!) with her late husband\u2019s brother, which would create tensions in her new marriage since the implication is that the second marriage is questionable in some way.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/rabbis\/ritva.htm\">Ritva<\/a> points out that the suggestion that even a woman with children would be required to undergo <em>chalitzah<\/em> when she is widowed since we are concerned that they may die in the future is not a viable option either. After all, in such a case, there is no obligation of <em>yibum<\/em> at the time that her first husband died, so <em>chalitzah<\/em> would have no meaning at that time.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the source that is brought for this <em>halakha<\/em> \u2013 <em>derakheha darkhei no&#8217;am ve-khol netivoteha shalom<\/em> \u2013 we cannot interpret it to mean that the Torah never presents us with a law that is difficult or unpleasant to fulfill. There are many potential situations for a <em>yevamah<\/em> that may very well be unpleasant. Rather the intention of this teaching is (as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#baaleitosafot\">Tosafot<\/a> teach on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/dynamic\/DafYomi_details.asp?Id=622\">2a<\/a>) that the rules of <em>yibum<\/em> are equal for all, i.e. we do not find that one potential <em>yevamah<\/em> is free to marry anyone and another in the same setting may need to undergo <em>chalitzah<\/em> at a later date.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Yevamot 88a-b<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Perek ha-Isha Rabbah<\/em>, the tenth chapter of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#masechet\">Masechet<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/dynamic\/DafYomi_details.asp?Id=621\">Yevamot<\/a><\/em>, began on the previous <em>daf<\/em>. (It is called <em>ha-Isha Rabbah<\/em> because it is one of several chapters in <em>Masechet Yevamot <\/em>that begins with the word <em>ha-Isha<\/em> \u2013 &#8220;a woman&#8221; \u2013 and in order to distinguish it from the others, as the largest <em>perek<\/em>, or chapter, in the <em>masechet<\/em>, it is called <em>rabbah<\/em> \u2013 &#8220;the large one&#8221; or &#8220;great one.&#8221;) As opposed to the first <em>perakim<\/em> of the <em>masechet<\/em>, which all dealt with questions of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=293&amp;letter=L\">yibum<\/a><\/em> when we know that the husband had died, this <em>perek<\/em> focuses on questionable circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>What if we get word that one spouse has died, but that testimony is later contradicted? Under such circumstances we may find that the alleged widow will marry, even as she is still a married woman. Similarly, the husband may find himself in a forbidden relationship with his wife&#8217;s sister, who he married while under the misimpression that his wife had passed away. Even though these marriages may have taken place with the permission of the Jewish courts, under most circumstances, a mistaken ruling by those <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#beitdin\">batei din<\/a><\/em> cannot permit this forbidden relationship.<\/p>\n<p>One circumstance that can lead to this type of situation is when a single witness comes and testifies that the husband is dead and based on this testimony the courts permit the alleged widow to remarry. Ordinarily <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#halachah\">halakha<\/a><\/em> demands that two witnesses testify in order to clarify a situation. Why is this case different?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=80&amp;letter=Z\">Rabbi Zeira<\/a> explains that <em>mitokh homer she-hekmarta aleha be-sofah, hekaltah aleha ba-tehila<\/em> \u2013 since the court leaves serious consequences if the testimony is found to be untrue, it is willing to be lenient in allowing her to marry. According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a>, this concept is based on a more basic principle of <em>mishum iguna akilu bah rabbanan<\/em> \u2013 that out of concern for the &#8220;anchored woman&#8221; who is &#8220;chained&#8221; to a man who we believe to be dead, the Sages were willing to offer her whatever opportunity they could to allow her to resume a normal life.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 89a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do the Rabbinic Sages have the power to uproot a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> law?<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> on our <em>daf <\/em>suggests that we find a case of this in the first <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> of our <em>perek<\/em>. The Mishnah teaches that in a case where a man travels overseas and is reported dead, and the widow remarries based on the permission that she gets from the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#beitdin\">bet din<\/a><\/em>, should the husband reappear, she is forbidden to them both, and both husbands must write her a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=200&amp;letter=G\">get<\/a><\/em> (a divorce). Furthermore, children that she has with either of these men will be considered <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=414&amp;letter=B\">mamzerim<\/a><\/em> \u2013 children born from an adulterous relationship.<\/p>\n<p>There are differences, however. It is clear that any child born from the second husband is a <em>mamzer<\/em>, since he was living with a married woman \u2013 albeit based on misinformation. Future children who are born from the first husband, however, should not be considered <em>mamzerim<\/em> \u2013 after all, the woman did not engage in forbidden relations on purpose. Thus, the ruling that these children are <em>mamzerim<\/em> is only rabbinic.<\/p>\n<p>The Gemara on our <em>daf<\/em> argues that declaring someone to be a <em>mamzer<\/em> when this is not true on a Torah level is effectively giving the Sages power to uproot a Biblical law. This is because ruling that someone is a <em>mamzer<\/em> will prohibit them from marrying a member of the larger community, but will permit them to marry a <em>mamzeret<\/em> \u2013 a female <em>mamzer<\/em> \u2013 something that is really forbidden.<\/p>\n<p>The Gemara responds that this does not prove the point since both <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=204&amp;letter=S\">Shmuel<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=357&amp;letter=J\">Rabbi Yochanan<\/a> understand the ruling in the Mishnah declaring him a <em>mamzer<\/em> to apply in a stringent fashion in all directions \u2013 i.e. to forbid him from marrying not only a woman from the larger community, but also a <em>mamzeret<\/em>, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Although this answers the immediate question from our Mishnah, the larger question of whether the Rabbinic Sages have the power to uproot a Torah law is the topic of an extended discussion in our Gemara.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 90a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As we learned on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/dynamic\/DafYomi_details.asp?Id=709\">yesterday&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em><\/a>, our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> is concerned with the question of whether <em>yesh koach be-yad chachamim la-akor davar min ha-Torah<\/em> \u2013 do the Sages of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/dynamic\/content.asp?id=50\">Talmud<\/a> have the ability to uproot a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> law? The discussion continues on our <em>daf<\/em>, with a series of examples presented.<\/p>\n<p>One source that the Gemara brings in an attempt to prove that such power is in the hands of the Sages is from a story that appears in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/s.htm#sefer\">Sefer<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=226&amp;letter=K\">Melakhim<\/a><\/em> (see <em>I Melakhim<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt09a18.htm\">chapter 18<\/a>). There we find that the prophet <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=245&amp;letter=E\">Eliyahu<\/a> brings a sacrifice on an altar outside of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#beithamikdash\">Temple<\/a> at a time when it was forbidden to do so. This sacrifice was permitted according to the Gemara based on the passage in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#devarim\">Devarim<\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt0518.htm#15\">18:15<\/a>) that says <em>elav tishma&#8217;un<\/em> \u2013 &#8220;you must listen to him (i.e. to the prophet)&#8221; \u2013 even if his instructions require you, on occasion, to transgress a Biblical commandment. The Gemara responds that the only reason that the prophet can be listened to in that situation is because of the unique command of <em>elav tishma&#8217;un<\/em> \u2013 a passage that applies specifically to a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/np.htm#navi\">navi<\/a><\/em>, and not to the Sages. To the suggestion that we should try to derive a more general application from that passage, the Gemara responds that it is limited to cases where the prophet can immediately limit the people from transgressing and cannot be applied to a general concern of the Sages about a given act.<\/p>\n<p>A basic question is raised by the commentators \u2013 both <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/r.htm#rishon\">rishonim<\/a><\/em> and <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/a.htm#acharon\">achronim<\/a><\/em> \u2013 regarding this discussion. How can the Sages assume that a Biblical command that allows a prophet to transgress a commandment might be applied to the Sages themselves?<\/p>\n<p>According to the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/tw.htm#yerushalmi\">Talmud Yerushalmi<\/a><\/em> it appears that the suggestion is based on the Talmudic statement <em>chacham adif mi-navi<\/em> \u2013 a Sage is superior to a prophet (see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=40&amp;letter=B\">Bava Batra<\/a> 12a). This teaching implies that anything a <em>navi<\/em> can accomplish with his prophecy, the Sages can do through their methods of study and analysis. Furthermore, while a prophet is limited in his ability to establish <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#halachah\">halakhot<\/a><\/em> beyond the immediate instance, the Sages have the ability to institute rules and regulations that will remain in effect for generations.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><u>Yevamot 91a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the arguments that is made on behalf of a woman who received permission from the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#beitdin\">bet din<\/a><\/em> to remarry, only to discover that her husband was still alive, is presented by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=619&amp;letter=S\">Rav Sheshet<\/a>. The argument is a simple one \u2013 <em>mai havei lah le-me&#8217;evad?<\/em>&#8211; what could she possibly have done to protect herself?<\/p>\n<p>In an attempt to show that <em>mai havei lah le-me&#8217;evad <\/em>is not a sufficient argument to free the wife from her responsibility, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=12&amp;letter=U\">Ulla<\/a> brings another case where the woman finds herself in a similar predicament, through no fault of her own. If a woman receives a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=200&amp;letter=G\">get<\/a><\/em> \u2013 a divorce document \u2013 which had the date written incorrectly, i.e. it was dated based on a <em>malkhut she-eina hogenet<\/em> \u2013 according to the Median era, or according to the Greek era, according to the era of the building of the Temple, or the destruction of the Temple \u2013 the divorce is invalid; if the woman remarried based on that <em>get<\/em>, she will need to get divorced from both her original husband and her second husband.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> responds to Ulla&#8217;s argument by saying that in this case there was something she could have done \u2013 she should have arranged for the <em>get<\/em> to be examined by a competent person.<\/p>\n<p>The concept of a <em>malkhut she-eina hogenet<\/em> \u2013 an &#8220;inappropriate kingdom&#8221; \u2013 is explained by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/rashi.htm\">Rashi<\/a> as referring specifically to Rome, which was seen by the Sages as being an uncultured society, its strength and stature notwithstanding. The basic rule is that the date must match the requirements of the local government; thus, writing the date based on a different country \u2013 and certainly if it was based on an historical event or a government that no longer existed \u2013 would invalidate the document.<\/p>\n<p>With regard to the rule that the date in a divorce document needs to be precise and recognized by the government, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#baaleitosafot\">Tosafot<\/a> explain that, given the importance of such a document, the civil authorities were exacting in the way it was written, which made the Sages insist on a valid date.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>In addition to his monumental translation and commentary on the Talmud, Rabbi Steinsaltz has authored dozens of books and hundreds of articles on a variety of topics, both Jewish and secular. For more information about Rabbi Steinsaltz&#8217;s groundbreaking work in Jewish education, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-admin\/www.steinsaltz.org\">www.steinsaltz.org<\/a> or contact the Aleph Society at 212-840-1166.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Coming Week&#8217;s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud. This month\u2019s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, The Lewy Family<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":41099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-torah","series-steinsaltz-daf-yomi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Masechet Yevamot 85a-91b - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Coming Week&#039;s Daf Yomi (Yevamot 85a-91b) by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, based upon insights &amp; chidushim published in the Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Masechet Yevamot 85a-91b - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Coming Week&#039;s Daf Yomi (Yevamot 85a-91b) by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, based upon insights &amp; chidushim published in the Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-07-26T22:22:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-10-27T11:19:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/chalitza-shoe-1024x627.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yevamot_8591\/\",\"name\":\"Masechet Yevamot 85a-91b - 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