גמ׳ מַאי גְּרִיעוּתָא דְּפוּנְדָּקִית? אָמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא: פּוּנְדָּקִית גּוֹיָה הָיְתָה, וּמְסִיחָה לְפִי תּוּמָּהּ הָיְתָה: ״זֶה מַקְלוֹ, וְזֶה תַּרְמִילוֹ, וְזֶה קֶבֶר שֶׁקְּבַרְתִּיו בּוֹ״. וְכֵן תָּנֵי אַבָּא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב מִנְיוּמִי בַּר חִיָּיא: פּוּנְדָּקִית גּוֹיָה הָיְתָה, וּמְסִיחָה לְפִי תּוּמָּהּ הָיְתָה: ״זֶה מַקְלוֹ, וְזֶה תַּרְמִילוֹ, וְזֶה קֶבֶר שֶׁקְּבַרְתִּיו בּוֹ״.

The mishna assumed that an innkeeper is less trustworthy than an ordinary woman, such that the Rabbis argued that if the innkeeper was deemed credible, it should be obvious that an ordinary woman should be deemed credible. The Gemara asks: What was unfavorable about the innkeeper that made her less trustworthy than an ordinary woman? Rav Kahana said: She was a gentile innkeeper, and she was therefore deemed credible only because she was speaking offhandedly when she said that the man died and this is his staff, and this is his bag, and this is the grave in which I buried him. And similarly, Abba, son of Rav Minyumi, son of Ḥiyya, taught: She was a gentile innkeeper, and she was speaking offhandedly, saying that this is his staff, and this is his bag, and this is the grave in which I buried him.

וְהָא ״אַיֵּה חֲבֵרֵנוּ״ קָאָמְרִי לָהּ! כֵּיוָן דַּחֲזִיתִינְהוּ בָּכְיָא. אָמְרוּ לָהּ: ״אַיֵּה חֲבֵרֵנוּ״? אָמְרָה לָהֶם: ״מֵת וּקְבַרְתִּיו״?

But didn’t they say to her: Where is our friend? This indicates that she was answering their question rather than speaking offhandedly. The Gemara explains: Once she saw them, she cried. They said to her: Where is our friend? Then she said to them: He died, and I buried him. Since she cried before being questioned, the crying was considered the beginning of her account, and she is considered to have been speaking offhandedly.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאָדָם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא לְהָעִיד עַל הָאִשָּׁה לִפְנֵי רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, הֵיאָךְ אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ בְּעֵדוּת אִשָּׁה זוֹ? אָמַר: אֲנִי וְהוּא הָיִינוּ הוֹלְכִים בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְרָדַף אַחֲרֵינוּ גַּיִיס, וְנִתְלָה בְּיִיחוּר שֶׁל זַיִת וּפְשָׁחוֹ, וְהֶחֱזִיר אֶת הַגַּיִיס לַאֲחוֹרָיו.

§ The Sages taught: An incident occurred involving a certain individual who came to testify before Rabbi Tarfon with regard to a woman whose husband had died. He said to him: My son, how do you come to know testimony that the husband of this woman died? He said: He and I were traveling on the road together, and a troop of soldiers chased after us. He hung onto an olive branch, and tore it off to use as a heavy staff to intimidate the soldiers, and forced the troop to withdraw.

אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: אַרְיֵה, יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ! אָמַר לִי: מִנַּיִן אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאַרְיֵה שְׁמִי? כָּךְ קוֹרִין אוֹתִי בְּעִירִי: יוֹחָנָן בְּרַבִּי יְהוֹנָתָן, אַרְיֵה דְּמִכְּפַר שִׁיחַיָּא. לְיָמִים חָלָה וָמֵת, וְהִשִּׂיא רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ,

After this heroic act I said to him, admiring his bravery: Lion [ arye ], may your strength continue to be firm. He said to me: From where do you know that my name is Arye? That is what they call me in my city: Yoḥanan, son of Rabbi Yehonatan, the lion from the village Shiḥayya. After a while, he fell sick and died, and consequently the fellow traveler knew his name and could testify about him. And Rabbi Tarfon allowed his wife to marry based on this testimony.

וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן לָא בָּעֵי דְּרִישָׁה וַחֲקִירָה? וְהָתַנְיָא: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאָדָם אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא לִפְנֵי רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן לְהָעִיד עֵדוּת אִשָּׁה, אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, הֵיאָךְ אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ עֵדוּת זוֹ? אָמַר לוֹ: אֲנִי וְהוּא הָיִינוּ הוֹלְכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְרָדַף אַחֲרֵינוּ גַּיִיס, וְנִתְלָה בְּיִיחוּר תְּאֵנָה וּפְשָׁחוֹ, וְהֶחֱזִיר אֶת הַגַּיִיס לַאֲחוֹרָיו. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ אַרְיֵה! אָמַר לִי: יָפֶה כִּוַּונְתָּ לִשְׁמִי, שֶׁכָּךְ קוֹרִין אוֹתִי בְּעִירִי: יוֹחָנָן בֶּן יוֹנָתָן אַרְיֵה דְּמִכְּפַר שִׁיחַיָא. לְיָמִים חָלָה וָמֵת.

The Gemara asks: But didn’t Rabbi Tarfon require inquiry and interrogation of the witness? Isn’t it taught in a baraita : An incident occurred involving a certain person who came before Rabbi Tarfon to present testimony that a woman’s husband died. He said to him: My son, how do you know this testimony? He told him: He and I were traveling on the road together, and a troop of soldiers chased after us. He hung onto a fig branch, and tore it off, and forced the troop to withdraw by intimidating the soldiers with the branch. I said to him: May your strength continue to be firm, lion. He said to me: You have intuited my name well, for that is what they call me in my city: Yoḥanan, son of Yonatan, the lion from the village Shiḥayya. The man concluded his story: After a while, he fell sick and died.

אָמַר לוֹ: לֹא כָּךְ אָמַרְתָּ לִי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן יוֹנָתָן דְּמִכְּפַר שִׁיחַיָא אַרְיֵה? אָמַר לֵיהּ: ״לֹא, אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ: יוֹחָנָן בֶּן יוֹנָתָן אַרְיֵה דְּמִכְּפַר שִׁיחַיָא״. וְדִקְדֵּק עָלָיו שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פְּעָמִים, וְכִיוֵּן אֶת דְּבָרָיו, וְהִשִּׂיא רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ!

Rabbi Tarfon said to him, in order to check his story: Did you not tell me that the dead man said that his name was Yoḥanan, son of Yonatan, from the village Shiḥayya, which is called Lion? He replied to him: No. Rather, this is what I told you: He told me that he is called Yoḥanan, son of Yonatan, the lion from the village Shiḥayya. Then Rabbi Tarfon cross-examined him in this manner two or three times, and the witness repeatedly kept his statements consistent, so Rabbi Tarfon allowed his wife to marry. In this version of the story, the mere report of events does not seem sufficient. An interrogation of the witness is also necessary.

תַּנָּאֵי הִיא, דְּתַנְיָא: אֵין בּוֹדְקִין עֵדֵי נָשִׁים בִּדְרִישָׁה וַחֲקִירָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר: בּוֹדְקִין.

The Gemara answers: This is a dispute between tanna’im , as it is taught in a baraita : The court does not examine witnesses who give testimony concerning the marital status of women by means of the standard procedures of inquiry and interrogation; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Tarfon says: The court must examine them utilizing these means.

וְקָמִיפַּלְגִי בִּדְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: דְּבַר תּוֹרָה אֶחָד דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת וְאֶחָד דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת בִּדְרִישָׁה וַחֲקִירָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״מִשְׁפָּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לָכֶם״.

The Gemara comments: And they disagree about the statement of Rabbi Ḥanina, as Rabbi Ḥanina said: By Torah law, both cases of monetary law and cases of capital law require scrutiny by means of inquiry and interrogation of witnesses, as it is stated: “You shall have one law” (Leviticus 24:22), indicating that the legal procedures must be the same for each area of halakha . Consequently, since inquiry and interrogation are required for capital law (Deuteronomy 13:15), they are required for cases of monetary law as well.

וּמַה טַּעַם אָמְרוּ דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת אֵין צְרִיכִין דְּרִישָׁה וַחֲקִירָה – שֶׁלֹּא תִּנְעוֹל דֶּלֶת בִּפְנֵי לֹוִין.

And for what reason did the Sages say that cases of monetary law do not require inquiry and interrogation of witnesses? So as not to lock the door in the face of potential borrowers. If the procedures for litigation in cases of monetary law were too rigorous, people would be very hesitant to lend money.

וּבְמַאי קָמִיפַּלְגִי? מָר סָבַר: כֵּיוָן דְּאִיכָּא כְּתוּבָּה לְמִשְׁקָל – כְּדִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת דָּמֵי, וּמָר סָבַר: כֵּיוָן דְּקָא שָׁרֵינַן אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ לְעָלְמָא – כְּדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת דָּמֵי.

And with regard to what do they disagree in the case of testimony that allows a woman to remarry? They disagree as follows: One Sage, Rabbi Akiva, holds that since there is the payment of the marriage contract for the woman to take when her husband dies, it is considered to be like cases of monetary law and does not require inquiry and interrogation procedures. And one Sage, Rabbi Tarfon, holds that since, based on this testimony, we permit a previously married woman to marry anyone in the world, and if her previous husband is still alive, her subsequent relationship will be considered adultery, which is a capital offense, it is considered to be like cases of capital law, which require the inquiry and interrogation procedures.

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְכָל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי ה׳ וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ״. הדרן עלך האשה בתרא וסליקא לה מסכת יבמות

The tractate finishes on a positive note: Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is stated: “And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). This indicates that because the children will be Torah scholars, who are taught of the Lord and His Torah, they will live in great peace, and peace will thereby be increased for the entire world.