1,888. A Woman Who Traveled Abroad With Her Husband and...

Yibum v’Chalitzah 3:12

Pursuant to the previous halacha, let’s say that a woman, her husband and her yavam all traveled abroad. She later returns and says her husband died and the yavam died subsequently, or that the yavam died and her husband died subsequently. In such a case, her testimony is inadmissible. However, if she and her husband went alone and she returns saying that a yavam was born to her while they were abroad but he died, she is taken at her word regardless of whether she reports that the yavam died first or her husband died first. The reason is that we only even know about the yavam because she told us, which she didn’t have to do.

Yibum v’Chalitzah 3:13

Let’s say that a woman traveled abroad with her husband and son but she returns and reports that her husband died followed by her son. In such a case, her word is accepted because when she left, the legal presumption was that she was able to marry another man. If she says that her son died followed by her husband, her testimony is not sufficient to obligate her in yibum. We are, however, concerned about the possibility so she should perform chalitzah only.