יום ג Date: 13 Tishrei, 5774 (10/7/14) – Yevamos#3 {Tani}

PURE INTENTIONS

[3a bottom] Abba Shaul:The Mishnah speaks about Chalitzah before Yebum to teach that the mitzvah of Chalitzah takes precedence. If one marries his Yevamah for the sake of beauty or any other personal motivation, he is considered as if he cohabited with an Ervah (a forbidden relationship). Yebum needs pure intent, and since most people do not have such pure intentions, the Mitzvah of Chalitzah is done instead nowadays.

Prac-T-cal Tidbits: How often do we do a Mitzvah or a favor for someone with real pure intentions? It is extremely important to have the right frame of mind when involved in a Mitzvah. We should focus on at least one daily Mitzvah and try to fully guide ourselves to do it for the right reasons (i.e. when saying shema, focus on accepting Hashem as the one true King).