Gentiles casually mention that a man they know died. Can his heirs inherit based on this?
Casual gentile testimony (meshichin l'fi tumam) is accepted for allowing a wife to remarry but NOT for inheritance. The heirs must bring clear proof of death.
Question 2
A woman says 'my husband died' and remarries her brother-in-law (yibbum). Does he inherit the deceased's estate?
When the brother performs yibbum, the verse 'he shall assume his brother's name' applies — his act itself certifies the death, so he inherits the estate based on her testimony.
Question 3
A person was seen drowning in a closed sea by witnesses and was never heard from again. Can his heirs inherit his estate?
For financial/inheritance matters, evidence that presumes death (like drowning witnessed in a closed sea) is sufficient even though it's insufficient to allow remarriage. The distinction: remarriage carries karet risk; inheritance does not.
Question 4
A person is taken captive. What does the court do with his produce-bearing fields?
The court entrusts movable property to a trustee and places relatives in the fields as sharecroppers. This prevents the land from deteriorating while preserving ownership. When the owner returns, they pay like any sharecropper.
Question 5
A person voluntarily left home and abandoned his fields, which were fallow. What does the court do with the fields?
The Torah does not obligate us to restore voluntary losses. The person chose to leave and let his fields remain fallow. The court has no obligation to correct what was his deliberate choice.