Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Gimmel, Part 1

 

Introduction

Today s section is about whether a convert is allowed to marry a mamzer. The Torah says that a mamzer shall not enter the congregation of the Lord. Is a convert considered to be a congregation?

 

ת"ר גר נושא ממזרת דברי ר’ יוסי ר’ יהודה אומר גר לא ישא ממזרת אחד גר אחד עבד משוחרר וחלל מותרים בכהנת

 

Our Rabbis taught: A convert may marry a mamzeret, the words of R. Yose. R. Yehudah says: A convert may not marry a mamzeret.

A convert, a freed slave, and a halal are permitted to [marry] a priest’s daughter.

 

R. Yose views a convert as someone outside the congregation of Israel. Since a mamzer/mamzeret cannot marry a member of the congregation of Israel, he/she may marry a mamzeret. R. Yehudah views converts, as being part of Israel and therefore they cannot marry a mamzer/et.

The second half of this baraita will be the subject of tomorrow s sugya.

 

מ"ט דרבי יוסי חמשה קהלי כתיבי חד לכהנים וחד ללוים וחד לישראלים וחד למישרי ממזר בשתוקי וחד למישרי שתוקי בישראל קהל גרים לא איקרי קהל

 

What is the reasoning of R. Yose? Kahal (congregation) is written five times:

one refers to priests, one to Levites, one to Israelites; one to permit a mamzer [to marry] a a shetuki; and one to permit a shetuki to [marry] an Israelite.

As for the congregation of converts it is not called a kahal.

 

The word kahal appears five times in the Torah in connection with people with problematic lineage. One appearance teaches that a priest may not marry a mamzer, one that a Levite may not marry a mamzer, one that an Israelite may not marry a mamzer. One time the word is read to allow a mamzer to marry a shetuki, one whose father is unknown. And one appearance allows a shetuki to marry a Israelie. This is because only a definite mamzer is prohibited to an Israelite, but a shetuki is not definitely a mamzer.

The word is not used, according to R. Yose, in reference to converts. Therefore, they may marry mamzerim.

 

ורבי יהודה כהנים ולוים מחד קהל נפקי אייתר ליה לקהל גרים

 

But R. Yehudah argues: Priests and Levites are deduced from one congregation. Therefore, [one] is left in respect of a congregation of converts.

 

R. Yehudah combines priests and Levites into one congregation. This leaves one appearance of the word as the basis for converts not being allowed to marry mamzerim.

 

ואיבעית אימא ה"נ תרי קהלי נינהו ממזר בשתוקי ושתוקי בישראל מחד קהל נפקא (דברים כג, ג) לא יבא ממזר בקהל ה’ ממזר ודאי הוא דלא יבא הא ממזר ספק יבא בקהל ודאי הוא דלא יבא הא בקהל ספק יבא

 

If you want you can say, it indeed is so that they [priests and Levites] are two congregations ; [but that] a mamzer [may marry] a shetuki, and a shetuki an Israelite, is deduced from one congregation.

A mamzer shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:3): only a certain mamzer may not enter, but a doubtful mamzer may enter;

[and again,] only into a certain congregation he may not enter, but he may enter into a doubtful congregation.

 

According to this explanation of R. Yehudah, priests and Levites are two congregations. But he still has one extra congregation for converts, because the last two laws are derived from one congregation. The Torah only prohibits mamzerim who we know to be mamzerim from marrying into congregations we know to be Israelites. Therefore a mamzer can marry a shetuki (uncertain) and a shetuki (uncertain) can marry an Israelite. These two are essentially the same halakhah.

 

ואיבעית אימא הני נמי תרי קהלי נינהו וטעמיה דרבי יהודה מהכא (במדבר טו, טו) הקהל חוקה אחת לכם ולגר הגר ולרבי יוסי חוקה אחת הפסיק הענין

 

If you want you can say: These too are also two congregations ; but R. Yehudah s reasoning is [derived] from here: For the congregation, there shall be one statute for you, and for the ger [convert] that sojourns with you (Numbers 15:15).

But to R. Yose, one statute interrupts the subject.

 

This is the third interpretation of R. Yehudah, but here his opinion comes from another verse. Numbers 15:15 seems to refer to the ger, the convert, as a member of the congregation.

But R. Yose says the words one statute separate the word congregation from the word ger. Therefore, while there may be one law for them for many matters, the convert is not a congregation and may marry a mamzer.