Yevamot 122b — the Talmud in English

And the Gemara explains the words of the Sages:

What is the deficiency of the innkeeper woman,

that they said to him, “And is a priestess not like an innkeeper woman”?

Rav Kahana said: This innkeeper woman

was

a gentile woman.

And she was speaking innocently: “This is his staff, and this is his bag, and this is the grave in which I buried him.”

And likewise Abba, son of Rav Minyumi bar Hiyya, taught: The innkeeper woman was a gentile woman, and she was speaking innocently: “This is his staff, and this is his bag, and this is the grave in which I buried him.”

And the Gemara raises an objection:

But they said to her, “Where is our companion”!?

And it is thereby proven that they asked her, and this was not speech innocently.

And the Gemara answers that this is how the incident took place:

When she saw them,

when she saw them returning,

she was crying.

That is to say, the beginning of the words came from her, as speech innocently.

And then

they said to her: “Where is our companion?”

She said to them: “He died, and I buried him.”

The Sages taught: There was an incident involving a certain man who came to testify concerning the woman,

that her husband had died,

before Rabbi Tarfon.

He said to him: “My son, how do you know this testimony concerning this woman?”

He said: “I and he”,

the dead husband,

were walking along the road, and a troop pursued us, and he hung

the husband of this woman

on a branch,

on a branch,

and he split it,

and detached it from the tree and made a staff from it,

and he drove back

with the staff he had made

the troop behind him.

I said to him: “Lion, may your strength be straight!”

He said to me: “From where do you know that my name is Lion?”

Indeed,

thus they call me in my city: Yohanan bar Rabbi Yehonatan, Lion of Kefar Shihya.

After some time he became ill,

that witness,

and died.

And Rabbi Tarfon permitted his wife to marry

his companion’s wife, on the basis of the testimony of this witness.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

And

whether

did Rabbi Tarfon not require examination and investigation

in the testimony concerning a woman?

But it was taught in a beraita: There was an incident involving a certain man who came before Rabbi Tarfon to give testimony concerning a woman.

He said to him: “My son, how do you know this testimony?”

He said to him: “I and he were walking along the road, and a troop pursued us, and he hung on a fig branch, and he split it, and he drove the troop back.”

I said to him: “May your strength be straight, Lion!”

He said to me: “You intended well with regard to my name, for thus they call me in my city: Yohanan son of Yonatan, Lion of Kefar Shihya.”

After some time he became ill, and died.

He said to him

Rabbi Tarfon, when he inclined toward death: “But

did you not say this to me

that your name was

Yohanan son of Yonatan of Kefar Shihya, Lion?”

He said to him: “No”,

that is not what I said.

Rather, this is what I said to you:

my name is

Yohanan son of Yonatan, Lion of Kefar Shihya. And he examined him two

and three times, and he directed his words correctly.

And

only then

Rabbi Tarfon permitted the wife

of the deceased concerning whom this man had testified to marry!

And we answer: It is a dispute among

the tannaim.

For it was taught in a beraita: The witnesses concerning women are not examined through examination and investigation; these are the words of Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Tarfon says: They are examined.

And they disagree concerning [the teaching] of Rabbi Hanina.

For Rabbi Hanina said: By Torah law, both monetary cases and capital cases require examination and investigation, as it is stated [A0077]Leviticus 24

in Leviticus 24:

“One judgment shall there be for you.”

And for what reason did they say

the Sages that

monetary cases do not require examination and investigation?

In order

that you should not lock the door before borrowers.

And concerning what do they disagree?

One master,

Rabbi Akiva,

holds: Since

there is

a marriage contract to collect—

it is similar to monetary cases,

and they were lenient concerning it, so that examination and investigation would not be required.

And one master,

Rabbi Tarfon,

holds: Since we permit

through this testimony

a married woman to the world—

it is similar to capital cases,

since the one who has intercourse with her is liable for strangulation, and examination and investigation are required in it.

Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Hanina: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is stated [A0100]Isaiah 54

in Isaiah 54:

“And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

We will return to you, chapter “The Last Woman,” and the tractate Yevamot is concluded.