Topics covered: Chapter 16, Mishna 1, 2, 3 If a woman’s childless husband went overseas with her co-wife, and witnesses report he died, the woman must be concerned that the co-wife had a baby, thus prohibiting the first woman to …

Topics covered: Chapter 15, Mishna 6, 7, 8, 9 A co-wife’s testimony cannot free a widow to remarry, and this causes difficult situations, especially if the husband was a priest. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon disagree in a case where …

Topics covered: Chapter 15, Mishna 3, 4, 5 In the case of a dead husband, where a single witness’ testimony can allow the wife to remarry, some witnesses are not deemed credible due to potential bias. These include the wife …

Chapter 15, Mishna 1, 2 Are we concerned that a messenger from a foreign land who testifies that a man died over there, whose wife is here and waiting to remarry, might be talking about another man with the same …

Chapter 15, Mishna 1 If a wife is the sole witness that her husband died, sometimes she is believed and sometimes not. What are the circumstances? Why would she lie? What would lead her to make a false assumption? How …

Topics covered: Chapter 14, Mishna 1, Chapter 15, Mishna 1 Do we have an obligation to prevent a minor from eating meat from an unslaughtered animal? This matters because a deaf-mute was similar to a minor before the law in …

Topics covered: Chapter 14, Mishna 1 Examining marriage by Torah law vs. marriage by Rabbinic law in the cases of a minor, a deafmute, and an imbecile. The latter is is regarded as “uncertain,” and this has consequences in the …

Topics covered: Chapter 13, MIshna 8, Chapter 14, Mishna 1 What if a yavam and yevama marry, but never consummate the union? Do they require a bill of divorce, or chaltizah, or both? What if the yevama has a co-wife? …

Topics covered: Chapter 13, MIshna 6, 7, 8 These cases of incomplete marriage between a husband and a minor or a deafmute – whether because partial or uncertain – create additional complexities when the husband dies childless and leaves a …