Kiddushin, Daf Ayin, Part 1
Introduction
The Talmud continues to explain the mishnah.
גירי וחרורי מנלן אמר רב חסדא דאמר קרא (עזרא ו, כא) וכל הנבדל מטומאת גויי הארץ אליהם
Converts and freed slaves. How do we know this?
R. Hisda: For the verse says: And all such as had separated themselves to them from the impurity of the nations of the land (Ezra 6:21).
The verse shows that there were Jews who came to Eretz Yisrael who had separated themselves from the nations. This could have been done either through conversion or being freed.
ממזרי מנלן דכתיב (נחמיה ב, י) וישמע סנבלט החרוני וטוביה העבד העמוני וכתיב (נחמיה ו, יח) כי רבים ביהודה בעלי שבועה לו כי חתן הוא לשכניה בן ארח ויהוחנן בנו לקח את בת משלם בן ברכיה קסבר עובד כוכבים ועבד הבא על בת ישראל הולד ממזר
Mamzerim. How do we know this? As it is written: And Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard (Nehemiah 2:19), and elsewhere it is written: For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Yehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah (Nehemiah 6:18) Now he [the tanna of our Mishnah] holds that if a non-Jew or a slave has intercourse with the daughter of an Israelite, the offspring is mamzer.
How do we know that mamzerim came with Ezra to Eretz Yisrael? Tobiah comes up to Eretz Yisrael. Tobiah is an Ammonite. He marries Shechaniah s daughter who is an Israelite. According to our mishnah, the child of a non-Jewish father and a Jewish mother is a mamzer.
הניחא למ"ד הולד ממזר אלא למאן דאמר הולד כשר מאי איכא למימר
ותו ממאי דהוו ליה בני דילמא לא הוו ליה בני
ותו ממאי דהכא הוו להו וסליקו דילמא התם הוו
That is well on the view that the offspring is mamzer; but on the view that it is valid [kasher], what can be said?
Moreover, how do you know that they had children : perhaps they did not have children?
Moreover, how do you know that they were [originally] here [in Babylonia] and then went up; perhaps they were there [in Eretz Yisrael, from the outset]?
There are three reasons why this verse is not sufficient to prove that mamzerim went with Ezra to Israel. First of all, some tannaim hold that the child of a non-Jewish man and Jewish woman is not a mamzer. Thus Tobiah s children would not have been mamzerim. Second, perhaps Tobiah did not have children. Third, even if he did, he might have had them in Israel in which case they did not go up with Ezra.
אלא מהכא (נחמיה ז, סא) ואלה העולים מתל מלח תל חרשא כרוב אדון ואמר ולא יכלו להגיד בית אבותם וזרעם אם מישראל הם
תל מלח אלו בני אדם שדומים מעשיהם למעשה סדום שנהפכה לתל מלח
תל חרשא זה שקורא אבא ואמו משתקתו ולא יכלו להגיד בית אבותם וזרעם אם מישראל הם זה הוא אסופי שנאסף מן השוק
Rather [it is learned] from this: And these were they that ascended from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not tell their fathers houses, nor their offspring, whether they were of Israel (Nehemiah 7:61).
Tel-melah refers to those people whose deeds were like those of Sodom, which was turned into a heap of salt:
Tel-harsha, to those who cry out Father and their mothers silence them;
But they could not tell their fathers houses, nor their offspring whether they were of Israel this refers to foundlings, gathered in from the streets.
The rabbis offer creative interpretations of who these people were. The first category were people whose deeds were like those of Sodom who acted licentiously. These people are assumed to be mamzerim. The other categories are people who do not know their lineages. These two are listed in the mishnah about who came up with Ezra.
כרוב אדון ואמר אמר רבי אבהו אמר אדון אני אמרתי יהיו ישראל לפני חשובים ככרוב והם שמו עצמם כנמר איכא דאמרי אמר רבי אבהו אמר אדון אע"פ ששמו עצמם כנמר הן חשובים לפני ככרוב
Cherub, Addon and Immer : R. Abbahu said: The Lord said: I said that Israel should be as precious to me as the cherub, whereas they made themselves like the leopard [namer].
Others state, R. Abbahu said: The Lord said: Though they have made themselves like the leopard, yet they are as precious to me as a cherub.
This midrash plays on the word Immer which reminds the rabbis of the leopard. The leopard was not viewed favorably by the rabbis because they thought the leopardess would lie with other leopards she was not supposed to be mating with. I m not sure why the rabbis expected monogamy from animals, but they seem to have pointed the figure at the leopard in particular.