Yerushalmi Sotah 8:6 ירושלמי סוטה ח׳:ו׳

MISHNAH: “¹⁸⁰Deut. 20:7. Who is the man who became betrothed¹⁸¹He married her in the preliminary ceremony (Note 146) but did not take her into his house. to a woman and did not take her,” etc. Not only one betrothed to a virgin, even one betrothed to a widow, even to one who waits for her brother-in-law¹⁸²The widow of his childless brother. The surviving brother can marry her based on the dead brother’s preliminary marriage; but rabbinically one requires a new preliminary “bespeaking”, cf. Yebamot 2:1, Note 6. The next sentence shows that the Mishnah does not refer to this rabbinic ceremony.. Even if he heard that his brother had died in the war he then returns and leaves. All those who listen to the Cohen in the front lines return and provide food and water and improve the roads¹⁸³They serve the army in the rear..

HALAKHAH: “Who became betrothed”. Not only a young man who married a young woman. From where even a young man who married a widow, a widower who married a young woman, a widower who married a widow? From where? The verse says, “a woman”, of any kind. Why does the verse say, “new”? That excludes him who remarries his divorcee¹⁸⁶Babli, 44a.. Rebbi Yose said, this implies that one who marries a sheram¹⁸⁷A woman without secondary female sex characteristics who is considered sterile; cf. Yebamot 1:1, Note 65. Her marriage has rabbinic status only. does not return since he has no religious obligation to live with her.

Even one who waits for her brother-in-law with five brothers¹⁸⁸This refers to the statement that a man who hears that his childless brother has died, returns from the army to marry his sister-in-law. This implies that every brother returns in this case. The Babli agrees, 43b.. Similarly, even one house for five brothers¹⁸⁹Why does Mishnah 4 not make a proviso that every man who built a house together with his brothers does return?? There not one of them would be able to live in it¹⁹⁰In the language of the Mishnah, בית always means a one-room house, in which only a single family can live.. But here, each one of them is able to marry in levirate¹⁹¹While only one man can marry the widow, each one could be the one taking her away from the others.. What would be like it? Somebody who preliminarily married a woman from now on in twelve months¹⁹²The prospective groom delivers an object of value to his bride and stipulates that what she receives and acknowledges at that time shall be valid for preliminary marriage in 12 months’ time. This is a valid contract and after 12 months he is preliminarily married and obligated to marry in final form. (If she sleeps with another man during the 12 months it would be criminal if and only if the preliminary husband is alive at the end of the 12 months’ period and the contract is activated.) and the time is up while he is in the war; he returns and goes.