The Masechta opens by listing close relatives with whom yibum is not allowed — including cases of eishes ach (a brother’s wife) outside the mitzvah of yibum.

This immediately raises the core question: How can yibum ever work? Yibum is, by definition, marrying an eishes ach, which is normally an issur punishable by kares.

Tosfos based on Kovetz He’aros 9

Yibum works through the rule of aseh docheh lo sa’aseh — a positive mitzvah overriding a prohibition.

The issur of eishes ach remains fully in place; it is simply overridden in this scenario.

Tosafos asks: If yibum overrides ervah, why not apply it to other forbidden relatives, like a wife's sister?

Tosafos answers: Yibum is allowed only because the Torah explicitly commands it. The override applies only here, nowhere else.

Yad Ramah’s Approach (Sanhedrin 53a):

Yibum is not based on aseh docheh lo sa’aseh.

Rather, the Torah’s prohibition of eishes ach never applied to a case where yibum is possible.

The issur applies only when the woman has children and yibum is off the table.

Ramban’s View (Toras Ha’adam):

Agrees with the Yad Ramah.

Compares it to a kohen becoming tamei for a mes mitzvah: it’s not an exception — that case simply wasn’t included in the original prohibition.

So too, eishes ach simply doesn’t apply in a scenario of yibum.

Nafka Minas (Practical Differences Between the Views):

Kiddushin with a Yevama:

Rashi says kiddushin cannot take effect, because the issur of eishes ach still exists (fits with Tosafos/Rav Elchonon).

According to Ramban/Yad Ramah, kiddushin might work, since eishes ach isn’t present at all in a yibum case.

Yibum for the Wrong Reasons:

The Gemara warns it’s like living with an ervah.

Rambam says it’s not actually an ervah at all — once the brother dies, the issur disappears.

Rambam fits with Ramban: the issur is simply gone in a yibum case.

Tosafos/Rashi fit the stricter language of the Gemara — the issur exists but is overridden.

This sugya sets up a major theme of Yevamos:

Is yibum an override of eishes ach, or is eishes ach simply not present when the Torah commands yibum?

Chagigah 27a: Can you make the Shulchan completely out of Gold?

Chagigah 26b: 2 Dinim in Lechem HaPanim

Chagigah 26a: Geder of how the touch of an Am Haaretz can be Metmeh Lmafreia

A clear, accessible breakdown of Reb Chaim’s famous chiluk between meivi tumah and chotzetz, explaining why hovering alone isn’t enough to block tumah without a true shem ohel. We then explore the Noda B’Yehuda’s landmark application to umbrellas on Shabbos, showing how “ohel” for Shabbos works differently than “ohel” for tumah — two systems, two definitions, one sugya made simple.

A straightforward, step-by-step explanation of the sugya of ohel zaruk — the debate about whether a moving “tent” counts as an ohel to block or transmit tumah. We outline the basic machlokes, key nafka minas, and the two conceptual ways to understand tum’at ohel, all in simple, clear language.

Chagigah 25a: How were they Oleh LRegel from the Galil?

Chagigah 24b: Geder of Hechsher Tumah - Hilchos Tumah or Hilchos Ochlin?

Chagigah 24a: Tziruf Kli

Chagigah 23b: Meyuchad LeYeshiva

Chagigah 23a: How can the Eifer Chatas become Tamei?

Chagigah 22b: Why isn't the Am Haaretz trusted bc he has a Migu?

Chagigah 21b: The Brisker Rav 's Chiddush on Iruv Mikvaos

This episode breaks down one of the most complex and sensitive halachic questions in Hilchot Niddah: Does wearing a medical cast create a Chatzitzah?

We walk through the major positions of leading poskim — including Rav Eliezer Waldenberg, Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, Rav Zvi Pesach Frank, and the Sidrei Taharah — and explain why this issue is so difficult.

You’ll hear:

Why some poskim insist on removing the cast whenever possible

Why others argue that a cast may not be considered a Chatzitzah, since it’s medically necessary and not viewed as “objectionable”

This is a clear, structured guide to one of the hardest real-life Chatzitzah dilemmas.

Chagigah 20b: ב דינים בעניין שימור במצה

Chagigah 20a: שימור לשם מצת מצוה

How can kavannah after tevila still count? Isn’t intention supposed to come before the act? In this episode, we explore the halachic mechanics of kavannah in tevila—whether it’s a condition in the act itself or a din of hesech hadaas. We’ll unpack how kavannah can sometimes take effect even after immersion, and what this teaches us about the deeper structure of mitzvos and the role of conscious intent in creating spiritual transformation.

If you washed your hands before Mincha and then sat down for Shalosh Seudos, do you need to wash again—and can you make a bracha? In this episode, we explore whether netilas yadayim requires specific kavannah for eating bread, or if any washing counts. We’ll look at the classic case of washing for one reason but then deciding to eat, and uncover when a new washing and bracha are required—and when your first one still works.

Before eating bread, we wash our hands—but why? In this episode, we explore the reason behind netilas yadayim l’seudah: is it about cleanliness, holiness, or both? We’ll discuss the decree of Chazal rooted in the purity laws of terumah, how it connects us back to the Beis HaMikdash, and why this simple act turns an ordinary meal into something sacred.

Is the prohibition of melacha on Chol HaMoed from the Torah or rabbinic? We’ll explore both sides of the debate—and why it matters. The nafka mina is huge: if it’s d’Oraisa, any doubt must be treated strictly (safek d’Oraisa l’chumra). If it’s d’Rabbanan, we’re lenient in cases of doubt. It also affects whether one may benefit from melacha done improperly and how seriously we treat violations. This episode breaks down the core question and its real-world halachic impact.