Yevamot 106B

מתני׳ מצות חליצה: בא הוא ויבמתו לבית דין, והן משיאין לו עצה ההוגנת לו, שנאמר: ״וקראו לו זקני עירו ודברו אליו״,

Mishnah: The mitzva of ḥalitza is performed as follows: He and his yevama come to the court, and the scholars of the court give him advice appropriate for him, whether to enter levirate marriage or to perform ḥalitza, as it is stated: “And the Elders of his city should call him and speak to him” (Deuteronomy 25:8).

והיא אומרת: ״מאן יבמי להקים לאחיו שם בישראל לא אבה יבמי״, והוא אומר: ״לא חפצתי לקחתה״. ובלשון הקדש היו אומרים. ״ונגשה יבמתו אליו לעיני הזקנים וחלצה נעלו מעל רגלו וירקה בפניו״, רוק הנראה לדיינים. ״וענתה ואמרה ככה יעשה לאיש אשר לא יבנה את בית אחיו״. עד כאן היו מקרין.

If they decide to perform ḥalitza, she says: “My brother-in-law refused to establish a name for his brother in Israel, he did not wish to consummate the levirate marriage” (Deuteronomy 25:7), and afterward he says: “I do not wish to take her” (Deuteronomy 25:8). And they would say these statements in the sacred Hebrew language and not in any other language. Afterward, the shoe is removed and she spits before him, as is written: “His yevama should approach him, before the Elders, and remove his shoe from on his foot and spit before him” (Deuteronomy 25:9), which indicates that this spittle must be visible to the judges. “And she should respond and say: So should it be done to the man who does not build his brother’s house” (Deuteronomy 25:9). Up until this point the judges would prompt the parties to recite the text that they are required to say.

וכשהקרא רבי הורקנוס תחת האלה בכפר עיטם, וגמר את כל הפרשה, הוחזקו להיות גומרין כל הפרשה. ״ונקרא שמו בישראל בית חלוץ הנעל״. מצוה בדיינין, ולא מצוה בתלמידים. רבי יהודה אומר: מצוה על כל העומדים שם לומר ״חלוץ הנעל״.

And when R' Hyrkanus once prompted the participants in ḥalitza under the ela tree in the village of Eitam, he prompted them to finish reciting the whole Torah passage, after which they established the custom of completing the whole Torah passage. Therefore, they continue and say the following verse: “And his name should be called in Israel: The house of he who had his shoe removed” (Deuteronomy 25:10). This mitzva of saying: The house of he who had his shoe removed, applies to the judges, but not to the students, i.e., the students of the judges and other onlookers who are present. R' Yehuda says: It is a mitzva upon all those present to say: He who had his shoe removed.