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Week 91 - Monday - 20 August 2001

KIDDUSHIN: CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 5

They do not investigate from the Altar and beyond, and not from the Platform and beyond, and nor from the Sanhedrin and beyond, and all whose ancestors were known to be public officials and charity collectors may wed the priestly stock, and there is no need to investigate them. Rabbi Yose says, Even one who was signed as a witness in the record office of Yeshanah of Tzippori. Rabbi Hanina ben Antignos says, Even one who was registered in the army of the king.

Kehati

This mishnah is a continuation of the preceding mishnah, and teaches that if a person investigating the lineage of mothers finds that one of the ancestors was involved in an activity which proves that the family was of unblemished lineage, he does not have to investigate this ancestor's mothers any further.

They do not investigate from the Altar and beyond - if a person began to investigate mothers, and discovered that her father or her father's father was a priest who served at the Altar, he does not have to investigate the priest's mother and mother's mother, since the lineage was already investigated when the priest began serving at the Altar, and had there been any blemish, he would not have been permitted to serve,

: and not from the Platform and beyond - if he finds that her father or her father's father was a Levite who sang on the Platform in the Temple, he does not have to investigate the Levite's mothers, since he is certainly of unblemished lineage,

and not from the Sanhedrin and beyond - if her father or her father's father was a member of the Sanhedrin, he does not have to investigate the mother's, since only people of unblemished lineage were appointed to the Sanhedrin,

and all whose ancestors were known to be public officials - officials appointed over the public, i.e., judges appointed to decide cases of monetary law, so that litigants would not have to appear before courts of twenty-three members; the Gemara explains that this refers to Jerusalem, where even these judges were not appointed unless they were of unblemished lineage, and - or, if the ancestors were - charity collectors - the collectors of money for charity, may wed the priestly stock - priests may wed their daughters, and there is no need to investigate them - concerning charity collectors, the Gemara explains that since they take collateral on pledges of charity, people became angry and quarreled with them, and if their lineage contained any blemish, it would become known during these quarrels.

Rabbi Yose says, Even one who was signed as a witness in the record office - the court, of Yeshanah - in the city of Yeshanah, of Tzippori - which was near the city of Tzippori, could only marry into priestly families, since the court in that city permitted only people of unblemished lineage to sign as witnesses. According to another version, the mishnah does not include the words "as a witness'' and Rabbi Yose's statement is interpreted as referring to the judges who prepared the lineage records of the court, since only people of unblemished lineage were appointed as judges (Rashi).

Rabbi Hanina ben Antignos says, Even one who registered in the army of the king - the armies of King David, was of unblemished lineage. The Gemara explains that only people of unblemished lineage were enlisted in the army of the Davidic kingdom, as it is written, "reckoned by genealogy for service in war" (I Chron. 7:40); the reason for this practice was so that the merit of their fathers would aid them (Kidd. 76b, see Tosefot Yom Tov)

KIDDUSHIN: CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 6

The daughter of a male halal is forbidden to priests forever, An Israelite who wed a halalah, his daughter is permitted to priests. A halal who wed the daughter of an Israelite, his daughter is forbidden to priests, Rabbi Yehudah says, The daughter of a male convert is like the daughter of a male halal.

Kehati

If a woman who is disqualified from marrying a priest transgresses and weds a priest or has sexual relations with him, as for example in the case of a widow and a High Priest or a divorced woman and a common priest then she becomes a halalah, and if she bears him a son or a daughter, they are also halals, as was taught (above. 3:12), "in every case where there is kiddushin and there is a transgression, the offspring follows the blemished." Our mishnah teaches that the son of a male halal, his son's son, and his son's son's son, until the end of time, each is always a halal. If a daughter is born to one of the sons, even after many generations, she is also a halalah, and is ineligible to marry a priest. However, if a halalah marries an Israelite and gives birth to a daughter, this daughter may marry a priest.

The daughter of a male halal is forbidden to priests - to marry priests, forever - even the daughter of the son of the halal, or the daughter of his son's son, until the end of time, is disqualified from marrying priests, as was explained above. However, the daughter of the daughter of a halal born to an Israelite may marry a priest, as the mishnah now teaches;

An Israelite who wed a halalah - any halalah at all, whether she became a halalah, e.g,. a divorced woman who had sexual relations with a priest, or whether she was the daughter of a halalah who married a priest, or the daughter of a male halal, who married an Israelite, his daughter - whom she bore to him, is permitted to the priests - for Israelites serve as a mikveh (a ritual bath, used for purification) to purify halalahs (Gemara),

But - A halal who wed the daughter of an Israelite, his daughter is forbidden to priests - as was already taught in the beginning of the mishnah: "The daughter of a male halal, is forbidden to priests forever," for Israelite women do not serve as a mikveh for male halals (Gemara).

Rabbi Yehudah says, The daughter of a male convert - even if her mother is an Israelite woman, is like - has the same legal status as - the daughter of a male halal - who is disqualified from marrying priests forever, as it is written, regarding priests, "Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is divorced, but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel'' (Ezek 44:22); Only one who is from the seed of Israel may marry a priest, but not the daughter of a male convert who is not from the seed of Israel (Gernara). The daughter of a female convert and an Israelite may marry a priest, however, in the same way as the daughter of a halalah and an Israelite is permitted to marry a priest (Rashi).

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