Yevamot 90 - Shavuot - June 5, 6 Sivan

Rav Chisda brings six more attempts to prove that rabbis can override Torah law. Each time Raba rejects his claim. The first is from a law regarding truma, the second regards impure blood that was sprinkled on the altar. The third is a list of laws that the rabbis instituted a decree that prevented the fulfillment of a mitzva. These and the previous case were rejected by Raba as they are not cases where a prohibition is permitted, it just prevents the fulfillment of a mitzva. This is known as “shev v’al taase” – sit and do nothing. If one cancels a get in a way that Rabban Gamliel prohibited, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says the get is not a valid get – thus again proving the power of the courts to override Torah law. Raba rejects this as he says in this case, the rabbis are uprooting the marriage. The last source is cases in which rabbis instituted the death penalty or lashes to someone who went against a rabbinic law. Raba rejected it as each case was a unique circumstance. The Gemara then continues to go through the list of laws (rights to various things) that are affected by the fact that the woman (whose husband went abroad and she thought he was dead and remarried...) is not considered the wife of either of the two men and explains each one and why it is that way.