Halitzah shoe from the collection of Ethnography Museum in Hungary.

According to biblical law, if a married man dies childless, his widow is obliged to marry his brother in order to perpetuate his line (a practice known as yibbum, or levirate marriage). If the brother (or, nowadays, the woman) cannot or will not go through with the marriage, they can be released from that obligation in a special ceremony called halitzah (meaning “removal”). During the ceremony, held in the presence of judges and witnesses in a rabbinical court, the widow removes from her brother-in-law’s right foot a laced shoe worn especially for that purpose. She then spits on the ground and declares: “... Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house!” (Deuteronomy 25:9). The ritual publicly releases the woman from the obligation of marrying her brother-in-law, allowing her to marry someone else.