1,900. If the Yavam Has No Foot

Yibum v’Chalitzah 4:17

If the yavam is missing his right leg, he may not perform chalitzah with the left leg; if he does so, it is invalid. If he’s bowlegged, if his foot turns to one side, or if he always walks on the tips of his toes, chalitzah cannot be performed because chalitzah requires that the man press his heel to the ground and this man is incapable of doing so. If a man with one of these disabilities in his legs performs chalitzah, it is invalid.

Yibum v’Chalitzah 4:18

A yevama who is missing her hands may still perform chalitzah by using her teeth because the Torah never specifies that she has to remove the shoe with her hands. If she removes a cloth shoe (rather than a leather shoe), she has not performed chalitzah at all. If she removes a shoe that has no heel, one that was sewn with linen thread, or one that was made from goat hair, palm bark, cork or wood, the chalitzah is invalid. Chalitzah is also invalid if the shoe is too big for the yavam to walk in, too small to cover the greater part of his foot, so torn that it doesn’t cover the greater part of his foot, or if the sole is opened so that it doesn’t cover the greater part of his foot.