The Gem. asks 'Why should Chalitzah be forbidden (even if it is not needed')?!- meaning to say that there is no reason not to do Chalitzah even if its not necessary!
To me it seems that the procedure of Chalitzah is a bizayon to the brother who refuses to perform Yibum and even to the point that we give the brother a derogatory name of 'Chalutz Hanoal'!
And we know from Tamar that 'it is preferable for a person that he throw himself into a fiery furnace but let him not embarass his friend in public'.
So how could the Gem. say there is nothing wrong with doing Chalitzah even if its not needed?!
Kol Tuv
alex lebovits, toronto, canada
If the Mishnah would say Asurah Lachlotz, it would imply that even the brother cannot opt to perform Chalitzah (since he is the one who normally must choose to do Chalitzah). Why can't he forgo his honor if he so chooses?
Mordecai Kornfeld
Rabbi Kornfeld, my chavrusa showed me a Mishnah in Bava Kama 90 b seems to indicate that even if one forgoes his own honor; still others shechovlu bo are chayavim.
Kol Tuv
Alex Lebovits
The Mishnah there says one may not harm himself physically. It does not say that one may not embarass himself.
The Mishnah in Bava Kama 92a says that even if a person permits another person to break his arm, the one who breaks the arm is Chayav. That is not relevant to our discussion because (a) we are not discussing physical injury and (b) the Yavam is embarrasing himself, without outside intervention.
Best wishes,
Mordecai Kornfeld