It's not just a custom; it's a mitzva (command) from the Torah (Deuteronomy ch.25). It is done only if the brother had no children.
Today we don't perform this mitzva because of the fear that we'd be doing it for purposes of enjoyment rather than the pure fulfillment of the command. If done for less-than-pure motives, it reverts to incest.
Taking on thy brother's wife typically refers to the act of marrying the widow of one's deceased brother, a practice known as levirate marriage. This custom is rooted in various cultural and religious traditions where the surviving brother is expected to marry his deceased brother's widow to continue the family lineage and provide for her.
Both Mahlon and Chilion were deceased sons of Naomi. Boaz was performing a duty according to the custom of the day by marrying the widow Ruth to raise up an inheritance for Naomi and the family of her husband..
It is legal for a man in France to marry his widow's sister. These people are not related and there is no problem with marrying.
In Greece, people are allowed to marry three times in church, therefore marrying a widow presents no special problem.
If you like. You have no blood relation.
If it's his widow...he's dead; he ain't marrying anybody!
One of the cultural practices pointed out in The Black Hermit is the brother's marrying the widow of their deceased brother.
The cast of The Three Brothers - 1915 includes: Cora Drew as The Widow Gaudet
Hansel and Gretel, by the Brothers Grimm.
He wasnt , he married her out of duty. She was his brothers widow. When his brother passed away he married her.
The Hindu custom of suttee (cremating a widow on her husband's funeral pyre) and the levying of illegal taxes.
The Hindu custom of suttee (cremating a widow on her husband's funeral pyre) and the levying of illegal taxes.