משנה: הַחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנֶּחֱלַץ וְהַחֵרֶשֶׁת שֶׁחָֽלְצָה וְהַחוֹלֶצֶת לַקָּטָן חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. קְטַנָּה שֶׁחָֽלְצָה תַּחֲלוֹץ מִשֶּׁתַּגְדִּיל וְאִם לֹא חָֽלְצָה חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁירָה. MISHNAH: ḥalîṣah is invalid if performed for a deaf-mute man101Since the deaf-mute (who does not understand sign language) cannot perform any legal act, the passive voice is required here., or by a deaf-mute woman, or for an underage male102In v. 9 the male is called “man”, which means “adult”.. The underage woman who performed ḥalîṣah should repeat ḥalîṣah once she becomes of age but if she did not repeat it, the ḥalîṣah is valid103In the Mishnah in the Babli: “invalid”. That version is explained in the Halakhah as representing the opinion of R. Meїr..
הלכה: אָמַר רִבִּי לִיעֶזֶר כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ כול׳. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. שֶׁאֵינָן יְכוֹלִין לוֹמַר וְאָמַר וְאָֽמְרָה. וְקִרְייָה מְעַכֶּבֶת. אָמַר רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק. הָרָאוּי לְקִרְייָה אֵין קִרְייָה מְעַכֶּבֶת וּשֶּׁאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לְקִרְייָה קִרְייָה מְעַכֶּבֶת. HALAKHAH: “Rebbi Eliezer said, “so shall be done to the man,” etc. Rebbi Joḥanan said, if they cannot fulfill “he shall say, and she shall say”99This does not refer to the discussion of the Mishnah but to the text quoted as required recitation by the widow. (The levir has to say “I do not like to take her”, v. 8). The statement that the verse excludes a person unable to speak from ḥalîṣah is attributed to R. Yannai, R. Joḥanan’s teacher, in the Babli (104b).. Does the recitation prevent [validity]? Rebbi Samuel ben Rav Isaac said, for anybody able to recite, the recitation does not prevent [validity] but for anybody unable to recite, the requirement of recitation does prevent100In the Babli (104b, Nedarim 93a, Qiddušin 25a, Baba Batra 81b, Makkot 18b, Ḥulin 83b, Menaḥot 18b, 103b, Niddah 66b) the rule is attributed to R. Ze‘ira: In general, the omission of a required action does not prevent the validity of the ceremony if it would have been possible to perform it as required; cf. Bikkurim 1:6, Note 114. This is the source of the next Mishnah..
הַחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנֶּחֱלַץ כול׳. תַּמָּן תַּנִּינָן הַכֹּל חַייָבִין בְּרֵאָייָה חוּץ מֵחֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן. חֲבֵרַייָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. לְמַעַן יִשְׁמְעוּן וּלְמַעַן יִלְמְדוּן. עַד כְּדוֹן בִּמְדַבֵּר וְאֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ. שׁוֹמֵעַ וְאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר. רִבִּי הִילָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. לְמַעַן יִלְמְדוּן לְמַעַן יְלַמֵּידוּן. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹנָה. הָדָא אָֽמְרָה. לֵית כְּלָלִין דְּרִבִּי כְּלָלִין. דְּתַנִּינָן תַּמָּן. חֵרֵשׁ הַמְּדַבֵּר וְאֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ לֹא יִתְרוֹם. וְסָֽבְרִנָן מֵימַר. מְדַבֵּר וְאֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ חֵרֵשׁ. שׁוֹמֵעַ וְאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר חֵרֵשׁ. וְתַנִּינָן חֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנֶּחֱלַץ וְהַחֱרֵשֶׁת שֶׁחָֽלְצָה וְהַחוֹלֶצֶת לְקָטָן חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. וְאָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. שֶׁאֵין יְכוֹלִין לוֹמַר וְאָמַר וְאָֽמְרָה. וְתַנִּינָן. חֵרֵשׁ שֶׁדִּיבְּרוּ בוֹ חֲכָמִים בְּכָל־מָקוֹם שֶׁאֵינוֹ לֹא שׁוֹמֵעַ וְלֹא מְדַבֵּר. הָדָא מְסַייְעָא לְרִבִּי יוֹנָה. דְּרִבִּי יוֹנָה אָמַר. לֵית כְּלָלִין דְּרִבִּי כְּלָלִין. 104This is from Terumot 1:2, Notes 94–102. There, we have stated: “Everybody is obligated for appearance except the deaf-mute, the insane, and the minor.” The colleagues in the name of Rebbi Eleazar (Deut. 31:12): “So they should hear and learn.” So far one who speaks but cannot hear; what about one who hears but cannot speak? Rebbi La in the name of Rebbi Eleazar (Deut. 31:12): “So they should learn,” so they should teach. Rebbi Jonah said, this means that the principles of Rebbi are no principles, since we have stated: “A ḥereš who speaks but cannot hear should not give heave,” and we thought that one who speaks but does not hear is ḥereš, one who hears but does not speak isḥereš. But we have stated: “Ḥalîṣah is invalid if performed for a ḥereš man, or by a ḥereš woman, or for an underage male.” And Rebbi Joḥanan said, because they cannot say (Deut. 25:8): “he shall say”, (Deut. 25:7,9) “she shall say.” We also have stated: “A ḥereš mentioned anywhere by the Sages is a deaf-mute.” This supports Rebbi Jonah, for Rebbi Jonah said that the principles of Rebbi are no principles.
רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֵּירִבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי. מַה בֵּין קָטָן מַה בֵּין קְטַנָּה. אָמַר לֵיהּ. אִישׁ כָּתוּב בַּפָּרָשָׁה. בְּרַם הָכָא וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו. מִּכָּל־מָקוֹם. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose105In the Babli, 105b, he is reported to say that the Yerushalmi version of the Mishnah is his father’s. asked before Rebbi: What is the difference between underage males and females? He said to him, “a man106Deut. 25:9. This argument is attributed to “the Rabbis” in the Babli, 105b.” is written in the paragraph. But about her, “his sister-in-law shall come before him,105In the Babli, 105b, he is reported to say that the Yerushalmi version of the Mishnah is his father’s.” in any case.
רִבִּי מָנָא אָמַר לָהּ סְתָם. רִבִּי יִצְחָק בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי חִייָה מַטֵּי בָהּ בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹנָה. דְּרִבִּי מֵאִיר הִיא דְּאָמַר. אֵין חוֹלְצִין וְלֹא מְייַבְּמִין אֶת הַקְּטַנָּה שֶׁמָּא תִימָּצֵא אַיילוֹנִית. Rebbi Mana said it without attribution, Rebbi Isaac the son of Rebbi Ḥiyya came to it in the name of Rebbi Jonah: It is107The Mishnah which requires that the underage girl repeat the procedure once she grows up. Rebbi Meїr’s who said that one does not perform ḥalîṣah or levirate with an underage girl because she might turn out to be a she-ram108Cf. Chapter 1, Note 65. R. Meїr is reputed to take note of cases which occur only very infrequently. In the Tosephta, 12:12, this is quoted as the opinion of R. Eliezer..