Study Yevamot folio 102A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
By Torah law a convert may judge his fellow convert, as it is stated: “You shall set a king over you, whom YHWH your God shall choose; one from among your brothers you shall set king over you” (Deuteronomy 17:15). The Talmud deduces from the terminology of the phrase “over you,” i.e., when presidin
And if the convert’s mother was from Israel, he may even preside as a judge in a court to adjudicate legal matters involving a native-born Jew. But with regard to ḥalitza, he may not act as a judge unless both his father and his mother were from Israel from birth, as it is stated with regard to ḥal
§ Rabba said that Rav Kahana said that Rav said: If Elijah the Prophet should come and say: One may perform ḥalitza using a soft leather shoe, the Rabbis would listen to him. But if he says: One may not perform ḥalitza using a hard leather sandal, they would not listen to him, for the people alrea
And Rav Yosef said that Rav Kahana said that Rav said: If Elijah the Prophet should come and say: One may not perform ḥalitza using a soft leather shoe, they would listen to him. But if he says: One may not perform ḥalitza using a hard leather sandal, they would not listen to him, for the people al
The Talmud asks: What is the practical difference between these two opinions? Seemingly, they both say the same thing. The Talmud answers: The practical difference between them is with respect to performing ḥalitza with a soft leather shoe ab initio. According to Rabba’s opinion, one may not perfor