"The wife of the dead man shall not be to an outsider"—Deuteronomy 25:5.
It is forbidden for anyone – besides the deceased's brother – to engage in sexual relations with the widow of a childless man, unless she has performed chalitzah.
ב"ה
Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)
Day 84: Negative Commandment 357
From the Sichos in English Collection
Negative Commandment 357 (Digest)
Relations with a Widow who has not Performed Chalitzah
From Sefer Hamitzvot, published and copyright by Sichos in English. To purchase the Sefer Hamitzvot two-volume set, please click here.
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Rambam Study Tracks
Daily Quote
Said Rabbi Yitzchak: The Torah ought to have started with "This month shall be to you..." (Exodus 12:2), which is the first mitzvah commanded to the people of Israel. Why, then, does it begin with, "In the beginning [G-d created the heavens and the earth]"? ... So that if the nations of the world say to Israel, "You are thieves, for having conquered the lands of the seven nations", they would reply to them: "The entire world is G-d's; He created it, and He grants it to whoever He desires. It was His will to give it to them, and it was His will to take it from them and give it to us"
–Rashi's commentary on Genesis 1:1
The Parshah