daf bit: Yevamot 18

[cellio]

Tractate Yevamot is the first one in the order Nashim (Women). It covers levirate marriages (among other topics). When a man dies without a child his brother is supposed to marry his widow, with the goal of producing a child in the deceased's name. The man can refuse, and there are cases where he must refuse. (The woman can also refuse.)
The

Comments

[browngirl]

I am trying to think of the demographics here and boggling.

[cellio]

One of my grandmothers was the last of 11 children. Her oldest brother was 20 years older than her. Combine big families with early marriage and I can see it. (And off hand I don't know what the law is if there exists a brother who can marry the widow but he's not old enough yet.)