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Text Excerpt
אמר ליה, תניתוה: היתה אחת כשרה ואחת פסולה, אם היה חולץ — חולץ לפסולה, ואם היה מייבם — מייבם לכשרה. מאי ״כשרה״ ומאי ״פסולה״? אילימא ״כשרה״ — כשרה לעלמא, ״פסולה״ — פסולה לעלמא, כיון דלדידיה חזיא — מאי נפקא ליה מינה?
R' Ami said to R' Ḥiyya bar Abba: We learned it in the same baraita: In a case where one of the women was fit and the other disqualified, if he would like to perform ḥalitza he performs ḥalitza with the disqualified woman, and if he would like to enter into levirate marriage, he enters into levirate marriage with the fit woman. What is fit and what is disqualified? If we say that fit means fit to all men, and disqualified means disqualified to all men, since for him she is suitable, what difference does it make for him whether she is disqualified from or fit for marriage to others?
אלא לאו: ״כשרה״ — כשרה ליה, ״פסולה״ — פסולה ליה. ומאי ניהו — מחזיר גרושתו. וקתני: אם היה מייבם — מייבם לכשרה.
Rather, is it not the case that fit means fit for him, and disqualified means disqualified for him? And what is that case in which a woman is fit or disqualified only with regard to him but not to any other man? This is referring to the case of one who remarries his divorcée. And it is taught that if he would like to enter into levirate marriage, he enters into levirate marriage with the fit woman. This answers R' Yoḥanan’s question.
לא: כשרה לעלמא, פסולה לעלמא. ודקאמרת, כיון דלדידיה חזיא, מאי נפקא ליה מינה — משום דרב יוסף. דאמר רב יוסף: כאן שנה רבי לא ישפוך אדם מי בורו ואחרים צריכים להם.
The Talmud rejects this argument: No; actually, fit means fit to all men, and disqualified means disqualified in general, e.g., a woman who had already been divorced is disqualified from marrying any priest. And that which you said: Since for him she is suitable, what difference does it make for him, this is significant because of that statement of Rav Yosef. As Rav Yosef said: Here R' Yehuda HaNasi taught a valuable moral lesson, that a person should not pour the water from his well when others are in need of it.