Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Aleph, Part 6
Introduction
This section begins to outline the genealogical purity of the Babylonia which regions are pure and which are not.
א"ר פפא סבא משמיה דרב בבל בריאה מישון מיתה מדי חולה עילם גוססת ומה בין חולין לגוססין רוב חולין לחיים רוב גוססים למיתה
R. Papa the elder said in the name of Rav: Babylonia is healthy; Mishon is dead; Medea is sick, and Elam is dying.
And what is the difference between sick and dying? Most sick are [destined] for life; most dying are for death.
The metaphor here is related to lineage. Babylonia has healthy lineage. The other areas around it not so much. Mishon is dead, Medea is sick and Elam is dying and almost certainly will die.
עד היכן היא בבל רב אמר עד נהר עזק ושמואל אמר עד נהר יואני לעיל בדיגלת עד היכא רב אמר עד בגדא ואוונא ושמואל אמר עד מושכני ולא מושכני בכלל והאמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר שמואל מושכני הרי היא כגולה ליוחסין אלא עד מושכני ומושכני בכלל
לתחתית בדיגלת עד היכא אמר רב שמואל עד אפמייא תתאה תרתי אפמייא הויין חדא עיליתא וחדא תתייתא חדא כשירה וחדא פסולה ובין חדא לחדא פרסה וקא קפדי אהדדי ואפילו נורא לא מושלי אהדדי וסימניך דפסולתא הא דמישתעיא מישנית
How far does Babylonia extend? Rav said: As far as the river Azak; Shmuel said: as far as the river Yo ani.
How far on the upper [reaches of] Tigris? Rav said: as far as Bagda and Avana; Shmuel said: as far as Moshchani.
Is then Moshchani itself not included? But did not R. Hiyya b. Abba say in the name of Shmuel: Moshchani is as the land of Exile in respect to genealogy?
Rather as far as and including Moshchani.
How far on the lower reaches of the Tigris?
R. Shmuel: As far as lower Apamea. There were two Apameas, an upper and a lower; one was fit [in respect to marriage] and the other unfit, and one parsah lies between them; and they [their inhabitants] were particular with each other, and did not even lend fire to each other. And the sign to recognize the unfit is the one that speaks [the] Meshan [dialect].
The amoraim here delineate the boundaries of Babylonia when it comes to genealogy. Inside Babylonia people are presumed to be genealogically fit. Babylonia lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates. The amoraim discuss how far north and how far south the presumption of genealogical purity extends.
We can see at the end of this description how important genealogical purity was to these people. People who won t marry into each other s families did not end up even lending fire to one another, and fire is not something that costs anything to lend.
לעיל בפרת עד היכא רב אמר עד אקרא דתולבקני ושמואל אמר עד גישרא דבי פרת
ור’ יוחנן אמר עד מעברת דגיזמא לייט אביי ואיתימא רב יוסף אדרב אדרב לייט אדשמואל לא לייט אלא לייט אדרב וכ"ש אדשמואל
ואב"א לעולם אדרב לייט אדשמואל לא לייט וגישרא דבי פרת לתתאיה הוה קאי
והאידנא הוא דליוה פרסאי
How far [does it extend] on the upper reaches of the Euphrates?
Rav said: To the fortress of Tulbakene. Shmuel said: To the bridge of Be Prat;
R. Yohanan said: As far as the ford of Gizama.
Abaye, and others say, R. Yosef, cursed Rav s [definition].
Only Rav s, but not Shmuel s!
Rather he cursed Rav s, and all the more so Shmuel’s.
And if you want you can say, he cursed [only] Rav s, after all, and not Shmuel’s, and the bridge of Be Prat [originally] lay below; but now the Persians have set it higher.
Rav, Shmuel and R. Yohanan discuss how far Babylonia extends on the upper reaches of the Euphrates.
Abaye curses either Rav or both Rav and Shmuel for extending the border to far north. Note that Abaye wants to limit the extension of genealogical purity so far north. He is more stringent than the other rabbis.
אמר ליה אביי לרב יוסף להא גיסא דפרת עד היכא אמר ליה מאי דעתיך משום בירם מייחסי דפומבדיתא מבירם נסבי
Abaye said to R. Joseph: How far does it extend on this [the west] side of the Euphrates? He said to him: What is your motive [in asking]: on account of Biram? The most distinguished [families] of Pumbedita took [wives] from Biram!
Abaye is again, hot to trot, to cut people out of assumptions of genealogical purity. He seems to want to disqualify Biram. But R. Yosef responds that families with the best lineage in Pumbedita married women from Biram. So relax Abaye.