Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Vav, Part 1

 

Introduction

Before marrying, men were supposed to make background checks of their potential wives to uncover any potential flaws in their lineage. Our mishnah teaches that there are eight mothers whom he must check; if these eight mothers are fit to marry priests, then the man may assume that the woman whom he wants to marry is fit as well.

 

מתני׳ הנושא אשה כהנת צריך לבדוק אחריה ארבע אמהות שהן שמנה אמה ואם אמה ואם אבי אמה ואמה ואם אביה ואמה ואם אבי אביה ואמה

He who marries a the daughter of a priest must investigate her lineage up to four mothers, which are eight: her mother and her mother s mother, her mother s father s mother and her mother, her father s mother and her mother, her father s father s mother and her mother.

 

The first clause deals with priests who wish to marry the daughters of priests. In ancient times it was common for priestly families to intermarry with one another.

The four mothers are 1) her mother; 2) her mother s father s mother; 3) her father s mother; 4) her father s father s mother. For all four of these mother s he must also check her mother.

The Talmud will explain why the mothers are checked and not the fathers.

The man must check and not the woman because women who are fit to marry priests are allowed to marry men disqualified from the priesthood, whereas priests are prohibited from marrying women disqualified from marrying priests.

 

לויה וישראלית מוסיפין עליהן עוד אחת

[In the case of] the daughter of a Levite or an Israelite, one more is added.

 

Those men who wish to marry women of Levitical or Israelite families must check one more mother. It is unclear exactly what one more mother means. It either means that he goes back one more generation for each mother already checked (bringing us to 12 mothers), or that he checks one more mother on each side (for a total of 10). The reason that he must check back further is that it is more common for there to be faulty lineage in Levitical and Israelite families than it is in priestly families.

 

אין בודקין לא מן המזבח ולמעלה ולא מן הדוכן ולמעלה ולא מן הסנהדרין ולמעלה

 

They do not check from the altar and upwards, nor from the duchan [dais] and upwards, nor from the Sanhedrin and upwards.

 

If one of the woman s fathers either served as a priest at the altar, or sung as a Levite from the duchan in the Temple or served in the Sanhedrin, the man who wishes to marry her need not check back in that branch any further. We should note that it is clear from here that lineage was a criterion for serving in the Sanhedrin

 

וכל שהוחזקו אבותיו משוטרי הרבים וגבאי צדקה משיאין לכהונה ואין צריך לבדוק אחריהן

 

And all those whose fathers were established to have been among the public officers or charity collectors may marry [their daughters] into the priesthood, and he doesn t need to check after them.

 

Furthermore, if the father held a position of public trust then the husband need not check any further. Again we can note that lineage was a criterion in appointing men to positions of leadership. This section probably refers to the post-destruction period, whereas the previous section referred to positions held when the Temple still stood.

 

רבי יוסי אומר אף מי שהיה חתום עד בערכי הישנה של ציפורי

Rabbi Yose says: even one who was signed as a witness in the old court of Tzippori.

 

According to Albeck, Rabbi Yose is referring to people appointed to approve documents in the old court in Tsippori. Normal witnesses would not undergo such thorough background checks.

 

רבי חנינא בן אנטיגנוס אומר אף מי שהיה מוכתב באסטרטיא של מלך

 

Rabbi Hanina ben Antigonus says: even one who was recorded in the king s list of officers.

 

While all sorts of people with all sorts of lineages could certainly serve as soldiers, only those with proper lineage were listed in the king s list of officers (see I Chronicles 7:40).