1,891. A Pregnant Mother-in-Law Abroad

Yibum v’Chalitzah 3:18

If a woman’s mother-in-law went abroad while pregnant, the daughter-in-law must address that fact. She may therefore not remarry until she knows the outcome of her mother-in-law's pregnancy because a yavam might have been born before her husband died.

Yibum v’Chalitzah 3:19

Let’s say that a woman’s husband and son traveled abroad, after which witnesses arrived and reported that the husband died, followed by the son. If she remarried and later discovered that the son died first (obligating her in yibum), she must leave her new husband, though children born through their union are not considered illegitimate. Let’s say, however, that the witnesses said that the son died first, followed by the husband, so she performed yibum, but she later learned that the husband died first (so there was no levirate bond). In such a case, she must leave her new husband (the yavam) and any children born of their union, whether before or after they learned of the error, are considered illegitimate.