Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Bet, Part 6
Introduction
In this baraita, R. Yose and R. Meir argue about the future assumedly some sort of messianic period. Will we still have mamzerim then?
ת"ר ממזירי ונתיני טהורים לעתיד לבא דברי ר’ יוסי ר’ מאיר אומר אין טהורים
אמר לו ר’ יוסי והלא כבר נאמר (יחזקאל לו, כה) וזרקתי עליכם מים טהורים וטהרתם
אמר לו ר’ מאיר כשהוא אומר מכל טומאותיכם ומכל גלוליכם ולא מן הממזרות
אמר לו ר’ יוסי כשהוא אומר אטהר אתכם הוי אומר אף מן הממזרות
Our Rabbis taught: Mamzerim and Netinim will be pure in the future, the words of R. Yose. R. Meir says: They will not be pure.
R. Yose said to him: But was it not already stated: And I will cast upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed (Ezekiel 36:25)?
R. Meir replied. When it says, from all your defilements and from all your foul things but not from mamzerut.
R. Yose replied: When it is [further] said, I will cleanse you say: From mamzerut as well.
R. Yose believes that in the future, there will be no such thing as mamzerim or netinim. Any mamzerim or netinim that exist will be cleansed. R. Meir believes they will not be cleansed. Both opinions cite the verse from Ezekiel as proof.
בשלמא לרבי מאיר היינו דכתיב (זכריה ט, ו) וישב ממזר באשדוד אלא לר’ יוסי מאי וישב ממזר באשדוד
כדמתרגם רב יוסף יתבון בית ישראל לרוחצן בארעהון דהוו דמו בה לנוכראין
As for R. Meir, it makes sense, as it is written, And the mamzer shall dwell in Ashdod (Zechariah 9:6). But according to R. Yose, what does it mean And a mamzer shall dwell in Ashdod ?
As R. Yoseph translated it: The house of Israel shall dwell in security in their land, where [formerly] they were as strangers.
The verse in Zechariah refers to the future time to come. By using the word mamzer it implies that there will be mamzerim in the future, which supports R. Meir s position.
But R. Yose s position could resolve the difficulty by relying on the Aramaic translation. This translation reads mamzer in Ashdod as meaning in a place where Israelites used to zarim or foreigners.
אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל הלכה כרבי יוסי
אמר רב יוסף אי לאו דאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל הלכה כרבי יוסי הוה אתי אליהו מפיק מינן צוורני צוורני קולרין
Rav Judah said in the name of Shmuel: The halakhah agrees with R. Yose.
R. Yoseph said: Had R. Judah not said in the name of Shmuel that the halakhah agrees with R. Yose, Elijah would have come and removed from us groups and groups of forbidden people.
The halakhah follows R. Yose in the future, mamzerim will be purified.
Interestingly, R. Yoseph notes that had this not been so, Eliyahu would have done some serious sorting when he comes to herald the future. My impression is that R. Yoseph is thankful for this, although I think it can be read in a different direction as well.
It also strikes me as unusual to see an amora issuing a halakhic ruling that could only be applied by God. After all, human beings will not be able to purify mamzerim.
It is also interesting to note that Eliyahu is responsive to human halakhic decisions. Shmuel ruled that the halakhah follows R. Yose, and therefore Eliyahu will have to act in accordance.