יבמות י״בYevamot 12

Mishnah 1א׳

מִצְוַת חֲלִיצָה בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה דַיָּנִין, וַאֲפִלּוּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּן הֶדְיוֹטוֹת. חָלְצָה בְמִנְעָל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. בְּאַנְפִּילִין, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. בְּסַנְדָּל שֶׁיֶּשׁ לוֹ עָקֵב, כָּשֵׁר. וְשֶׁאֵין לוֹ עָקֵב, פָּסוּל. מִן הָאַרְכֻּבָּה וּלְמַטָּה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. מִן הָאַרְכֻּבָּה וּלְמַעְלָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה:

The Mitzvah of Chalitzah [the ceremony releasing the widow of a childless man from the obligation of Levirate marriage, takes place before a court of] three judges, even if the three are laymen. If she performs Chalitzah with a shoe her Chalitzah is valid, but [if she used] a cloth slipper her Chalitzah is invalid. [If it was done] with a sandal which has a heel it is valid, but with no heel - it is not valid. [If she untied the shoe's straps] from the knee and below - her Chalitzah is valid, [but] if from the knee and above - her Chalitzah is invalid.

Mishnah 2ב׳

חָלְצָה בְסַנְדָּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, אוֹ בְסַנְדָּל שֶׁל עֵץ, אוֹ בְשֶׁל שְׂמֹאל בַּיָּמִין, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. חָלְצָה בְגָדוֹל שֶׁהוּא יָכוֹל לַהֲלוֹךְ בּוֹ, אוֹ בְקָטָן שֶׁהוּא חוֹפֶה אֶת רֹב רַגְלוֹ, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. חָלְצָה בַלַּיְלָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר פּוֹסֵל. בַּשְּׂמֹאל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה, וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מַכְשִׁיר:

[If] she performed Chalitzah with a sandal which is not his [the Yavam - one upon whom has fallen the obligation to perform Levirate marriage], or with a sandal of wood, or with the left [sandal worn] on the right foot - her Chalitzah is valid. [If] she performed Chalitzah with [a sandal] which was too large [for him] but with which he was able to walk [anyway], or with one too small [for him], but which [nevertheless] covers most of his foot, her Chalitzah is valid. [If] she performed Chalitzah at night her Chalitzah is valid, but Rabbi Eliezer deems it invalid. [If] she performed Chalitzah on his left [foot] her Chalitzah is invalid, but R. Eliezer deems it valid.

Mishnah 3ג׳

חָלְצָה וְרָקְקָה, אֲבָל לֹא קָרְאָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. קָרְאָה וְרָקְקָה, אֲבָל לֹא חָלְצָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. חָלְצָה וְקָרְאָה, אֲבָל לֹא רָקְקָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, חֲלִיצָתָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה. אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה (דברים כה), כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֶׂה, מְעַכֵּב. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, מִשָּׁם רְאָיָה, כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ, כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשֶׂה בָאִישׁ:

[If] she performed Chalitzah and spat [before the Yavam], but did not read [the verses associated with the ceremony], her Chalitzah is valid. [If] she read [the text] and spat but did not perform Chalitzah [loosen his shoe] her Chalitzah is invalid. [If] she performed Chalitzah and read [the text] but did not spit - Rabbi Eliezer says: Her Chalitzah is invalid; [but] Rabbi Akiva says: Her Chalitzah is valid. Rabbi Eliezer said [interpreted the words], "So shall it be done" (Devarim 25:9), [implies that] all actions are critical. Rabbi Akiva said to him: [Will you bring] a proof from there? [Does the phrase not conclude with the words] "So shall it be done to the man" [which implies that only] actions done to the man [are critical, which excepts spitting].

Mishnah 4ד׳

הַחֵרֵשׁ שֶׁנֶּחֱלַץ וְהַחֵרֶשֶׁת שֶׁחָלְצָה, וְהַחוֹלֶצֶת לַקָּטָן, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. קְטַנָּה שֶׁחָלְצָה, תַּחֲלֹץ מִשֶּׁתַּגְדִּיל. וְאִם לֹא חָלְצָה, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה:

[If] a deaf-mute [Yavam] underwent Chalitzah, or if a deaf-mute [Yevamah] performed Chalitzah, or if a [Yevamah] performed Chalitzah for a minor, her Chalitzah is invalid. [If] a minor [Yevama] performed Chalitzah, she must perform Chalitzah [again] when she attains majority. And if she does not perform Chalitzah [again] her Chalitzah is invalid.

Mishnah 5ה׳

חָלְצָה בִשְׁנַיִם, אוֹ בִשְׁלֹשָׁה, וְנִמְצָא אֶחָד מֵהֶן קָרוֹב אוֹ פָסוּל, חֲלִיצָתָהּ פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הַסַּנְדְּלָר מַכְשִׁירִין. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְאֶחָד שֶׁחָלַץ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵינָהּ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין, וּבָא מַעֲשֶׂה לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְהִכְשִׁיר:

[If] a [Yevamah] performed Chalitzah before [a court of] two, or [if] she performed Chalitzah before three but one of them is found to be a relative or ineligible [to serve as a judge] her Chalitzah is invalid. Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar deem it valid. It happened once that a man underwent Chalitzah from a woman when they were alone in prison, and when the case came before Rabbi Rabbi Akiva, he deemed it valid.

Mishnah 6ו׳

מִצְוַת חֲלִיצָה. בָּא הוּא וִיבִמְתּוֹ לְבֵית דִּין, וְהֵן מַשִּׂיאִין לוֹ עֵצָה הַהוֹגֶנֶת לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, (דברים כה) וְקָרְאוּ לוֹ זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְדִבְּרוּ אֵלָיו. וְהִיא אוֹמֶרֶת, מֵאֵן יְבָמִי לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי. וְהוּא אוֹמֵר, לֹא חָפַצְתִּי לְקַחְתָּהּ. וּבִלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים. וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו, רֹק הַנִּרְאֶה לַדַּיָּנִים. וְעָנְתָה וְאָמְרָה כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו, עַד כָּאן הָיוּ מַקְרִין. וּכְשֶׁהִקְרָא רַבִּי הֻרְקְנוֹס תַּחַת הָאֵלָה בִּכְפַר עֵיטָם וְגָמַר אֶת כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה, הֻחְזְקוּ לִהְיוֹת גּוֹמְרִין כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה. וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל. מִצְוָה בַדַּיָּנִין, וְלֹא מִצְוָה בַתַּלְמִידִים. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מִצְוָה עַל כָּל הָעוֹמְדִים שָׁם לוֹמַר, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל, חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל:

The Mitzvah of Chalitzah [is as follows]: He [the Yavam] and his Yevamah come to a court and they advise him according to circumstances, for it is said, "And the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him," (Devarim 25:8), and she says, "My husband's brother refuses to raise up for his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform for me the duty of a husband's brother" (Devarim 25:7). And he says, "I do not wish to take her" (Devarim 25:8). And they would recite [these statements] in the Holy language [Hebrew]. "Then shall the brother's wife approach him in the presence of the elders and loosen his shoe from his foot, and spit before him" (Devarim 25:9) - spit that can be seen by the judges. "And she shall respond and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother's house'" (Devarim 25:9). This is as far as they read, but when Rabbi Hurcanus had [the text] read under the terebinth in the village of Etam, and had the passage completed, it became customary to read the whole passage. "And his name shall be called in Israel 'The house of him who had his shoe loosed'", (Devarim 25:10). It is a Mitzvah upon the judges but it is not a Mitzvah upon the students. Rabbi Yehudah says: It is a Mitzvah upon all standing there to state, "The man who had his shoe loosed! The man who had his shoe loosed! The man who had his shoe loosed!"