Sifrei Devarim 289

והיה הבכור אשר תלד. יכול אם היה שמו יוסי, יקרא שמו "יוסי"; יוחנן, יקרא שמו "יוחנן"? ת"ל יקום על שם אחיו (מ"מ) [ולא על שם אחי אביו]. א"כ למה נאמר והיה הבכור? מלמד שמצוה על הגדול ליבם.

(Devarim 25:6) "And it shall be, the first-born that she bears shall be invested in the name of his dead brother": I might think that if his (the dead brother's) name were Yossi, he (the child) should be called Yossi, or (if his name were) Yochanan, the child should be called Yochanan; it is, therefore, written "in the name of his (the yavam's) dead brother" and not "in the name of the dead brother of his (the child's) father." [(The "first-born," then, in this instance, is an epithet for the yavam.)] If so, why is it written "the first-born" (instead of "the yavam")? To indicate that it is a mitzvah for the oldest brother to perform the yibum.

אשר תלד. פרט לאילונית שאינה ראויה לילד.

"that she bears": to exclude (from yibum) a woman who cannot bear.

יקום על שם אחיו. (ולא על שם אחי אביו.) [לנחלה. נאמר כאן "שם אחיו", ונאמר להלן "על שם אחיהם יקראו בנחלתם". מה "שם" האמור להלן, לנחלה; אף "שם" האמור כאן, לנחלה].

(The yavam) "shall be invested in the name of his dead brother": for inheritance (i.e., he receives his dead brother's share as well as his own.) It is written here "in the name of his brother," and, elsewhere (Bereshith 48:6) "in the name of their brothers (Ephraim and Menasheh) shall they be called in (taking) their inheritance." Just as there, the reference is to taking inheritance, so, here.

המת. לפי שנאמר להלן, אשת אחד מתיבמת ולא אשת שנים. מנין מת ראשון - ייבם שני, מת שני - ייבם שלישי? ת"ל "המת" "המת" ריבה הכתוב.

"his dead brother": Because it is stated elsewhere that the wife of one undergoes yibum and not the wife of two, whence do I derive that if the first brother died, the second performs yibum; if the second died, the third performs yibum? From (the repetition of) "dead" (verse 5) - "dead" (here).

ולא ימחה שמו מישראל. פרט (לסריס) [לאשת סריס] ששמו מחוי.

"and his name will not be wiped out in Israel": to exclude (from yibum) the wife of one who is impotent, whose name is already "wiped out."

ואם לא יחפץ האיש. ולא שלא חפץ בה המקום. מוצא אני את העריות, שחייבים עליהם מיתות ב"ד; ועדיין לא אוציא את העריות, שהם (בלא תעשה) [בכרת]! ת"ל לא אבה יבמי, ולא שלא אבה בה המקום.

(Ibid. 7) "And if the man shall not desire to take his yevamah": and not "if the L-rd shall not desire her.": (From this) I would exclude (from chalitzah [yibum release]) those arayoth which are liable to judicial death penalties, but I would not exclude those which are liable (only) to kareth; it is, therefore, written "He does not desire to have me in yibum," and not "the L-rd does not desire her."

לקחת את יבמתו. (מה) [למה] אני צריך? מפני שנ' והיה הבכור אשר תלד, יכול שאני מוציא עקרה וזקנה (בנ"א ל"ג ואילונית) וקטנה ושאינה ראויה לילד? ת"ל "יבמתו" "יבמתו", ריבה הכתוב.

"to take his yevamah": What is the intent of this? (Why not just "to take her"?) Because it is written (6) "and it shall be the bechor that she shall bear," I might think to exclude (from chalitzah) a woman who can no longer bear, and an old woman, and (the tzarah of) a woman incapable of conception, and a minor who is not yet able to bear; it is, therefore, written (here, twice) "his yevamah," "his yevamah" to include (the above as requiring chalitzah).

ועלתה יבמתו השערה. מצוה בב"ד שיהא בגובהה של עיר ושיהיה בזקנים.

"then his yevamah shall go up to the gate (of beth-din) and to the elders": It is a mitzvah for the beth-din to preside in the heights of the city and to be composed of elders."

מאן יבמי להקים לאחיו שם בישראל. (פרט לסריס, שאם רצה להקים אינו יכול. שם.) ר' יהודה אומר, נאמר כאן "שם" ונאמר להלן "שם". מה "שם" האמור להלן (נחלה, אף "שם" האמור כאן נחלה. מה "שם" האמור לשם זרע, אף "שם" האמור כאן זרע.) [(מה "שם" האמור להלן) זרע, אף כאן זרע; פרט לסריס, שאם רצה להקים לאחיו שם, אינו יכול].

"My yavam does not desire to invest for his brother a name in Israel": R. Yehudah says: It is written here "name," and elsewhere (in connection with the daughters of Tzelafchad, Bamidbar 27:4) "name." Just as "name" there refers to seed, so, "name" here — to exclude (from chalitzah) a castrate, who, even if he wanted to perpetuate a "name" for his brother, could not.

בישראל. ולא בגרים. מכאן אמרו, שני אחים גרים שהיתה הורתן שלא בקדושה ולידתן בקדושה - פטורים מן החליצה ומן היבום. שנאמר "בישראל", ולא בגרים.

"in Israel": and not among converts — whence it was ruled: Two brothers, converts, whose conception was not in holiness and whose birth was in holiness, are exempt from chalitzah and from yibum, it being written "in Israel," and not among converts.

לא אבה יבמי. ולא שלא אבה בה המקום.

"My yavam does not desire," and not "the L-rd does not desire" (by reason of arayoth).