Study Yevamot folio 25A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מנעלים הפוכים תחת המטה, אמר רבי: הואיל ומכוער הדבר — תצא. מנעלים הפוכים? ליחזי דמאן נינהו! אלא: מקום מנעלים הפוכים (תחת המטה, אמר רבי: הואיל ומכוער הדבר — תצא).
The same applies if the husband found the shoes reversed under the bed, so that the toe of the shoe faced the bed; this is a sign that a stranger came in and placed them like that. R' Yehuda HaNasi said: Since this is a distasteful matter, she must be divorced. The Talmud questions this: Shoes turned around? Let him see whose they are and clarify who the stranger was and then find out what he was doing there. Rather, the case was that he found the place of the shoes, i.e., shoe prints, reversed under the bed and cannot recognize whose shoe prints they are. R' Yehuda HaNasi said: Since this is a distasteful matter, she must be divorced.
The Talmud concludes: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rav, that they must divorce only if there were witnesses, and the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda HaNasi, that they must divorce if there is a matter that is distasteful. The Talmud challenges this: One halakha is difficult, as it contradicts the other halakha. The Talmud answers: This contradiction is not difficult. This one relates to a case where the rumor ceases and the woman is sent away only if there are witnesses, but that one relates to a case where the rumor does not cease, in which case he divorces her even if there are no witnesses. The Talmud elucidates the cases: In cases of a rumor that does not cease, even if there are no witnesses the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda HaNasi and he divorces her. If the rumor ceases and there are witnesses, the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rav, and he divorces her because there are witnesses.