[Avodah] Halizah

[Yitzhak Grossman]

On Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:55:51 -0700 RMB wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 07, 2007 at 11:57:52AM +0300, saul mashbaum wrote:
> : I believe that this is not to be taken entirely literally. "Eino
> : mitzva" be "eino mitzva kol kach"; yibum is preferable to chalitza. The
> : monei hamitzvot count chalitza as one of the taryag mitzvot, and I am
> : unaware that there is a qualification "*only* if mitzvat yibum for some
> : reason yibum cannot be done".
> 
> Yibum is a mitzvah chiyuvis, chalitzah is qiyumis / materes.

What's your source for the assertion that Halizah is only kiyumis /
materes?  The Hinuch concludes his discussion of Yibum(598) with the
statement that:

ve'over al zeh ve'lo yibem yevimto, kelomar shelo ba aleha biah ahas
shehi ikar mizvas aseh zeh o she'lo patrah be'halizah, bitel aseh zeh

and his discussion of Halizah (599) with:

ve'over al zeh ve'lo razah le'yabem yevimto ve'lo la'haloz be'ro'a
le'vavo, bitel aseh zeh

They seem pretty parallel to me.  Additionally, the Minhas Hinuch (598)
writes (regarding Halizah):

zarich le'chavein la'zeis ye'dei ha'mizvah, ki hi mizvas aseh ve'hi
ke'kol ha'mizvos

> When yibum isn't an option -- either because she is his wife's sister,
> cheirem deR' Gershom, or because we are chosheshim like Abba Shaul
> of desires that make it ke'ein arayos -- that materes is a major
> chessed. Chalitzah is thus mandatory today (even though yibum qodemes),
> either an asei of chessed and/or a lav of hezeq.

Minor nitpick - one's wife's sister doesn't require Halizah.

Yitzhak
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