The Chalitza Ceremony

טקס חליצה-ייבום

The Court explains to the woman and asks her to repeat the following verse:

My Yibbum refuses to establish for his brother a Name in Israel; My Yibbum refuses to

Perform the levirate marriage with me

מֵאֵן יְבָמִי לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי

1377=18

The Court then appoints the witnesses to the ceremony.

The brother of the deceased “The Yabam” is then given a special shoe and he puts it on his right foot and ties the laces over his ankle. The shoe has a high heel made from leather which is known sown with cotton thread.

The man is asked if he is willing to perform Yibbum (levirate marriage) with his sister in law in order to establish his brother’s name in Israel.

He answers with the following words from the Torah that are read out to him:

I do not want to take her

לֹא חָפַצְתִּי לְקַחְתָּהּ

1162=10=1

The woman is then directed to approach the man and she unthreads the laces of the shoe. This is an act symbolizing the humiliation of the man. The wife then throws the shoe to the ground and spits on the ground in the direction of the shoe as is written in the verse above.

Then his brother's wife shall approach him in the presence of the Elders and she shall remove his shoe from off his foot and she shall spit in front of him

וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו

 2394=18

The wife then says the following words:

This shall be performed to the man

כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ

771+3 words=18

That refuses to build up the household of his brother and his name in Israel shall be called:

The house of the one of the removed shoe

אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל: בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל

3384=18

The house of the one of the removed shoe

בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל

701=8 or 1511=8

The Court then signs the certificate and gives it to the woman.