Kiddushin Daf Ayin Vav, Part 2
Introduction
The sugya now begins to explain the mishnah.
גמ׳ מאי שנא בנשי בדקינן ומאי שנא בגברי לא בדקו נשי דכי מינצו בהדי הדדי בעריות הוא דמינצו ואם איתא דאיכא מילתא לא אית ליה קלא גברי דכי מינצו בהדי הדדי ביוחסין הוא דמינצי אם איתא דאיכא מילתא אית ליה קלא
GEMARA. Why do they investigate the women but not the men?
When women quarrel among themselves, they quarrel [only] about forbidden relations, so that if there is anything, it is not generally known.
But when men quarrel among themselves, they quarrel over lineage; if there is anything, it is generally known.
I find the psychology here fascinating, even if it makes some gender assumptions. When women quarrel with each other, they accuse each other of engaging in forbidden sexual relations ( you had sex with the postman! ). People will not know which woman has problematic lineage, and therefore when men come to marry, they must examine the women. But when men quarrel, they insult each other with regard to lineage your mother was a $%!, your father was a *&$ ! If men have problematic lineage, people will know about it.
ואיהי נמי תבדוק בי’ בדידיה מסייע לי’ לרב דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לא הוזהרו כשרות לינשא לפסולים
Now, let her too investigate him?
This supports Rav. For Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: Fit women were not warned not to marry the unfit men.
The men must check the women s lineage because fit men are not allowed to marry unfit women. Women need not check men s lineage, because women are not prohibited from marrying fit men.
All this fit stuff makes me think of fit bits.
רב אדא בר אהבה תני ד’ אמהות שהם שתים עשרה
במתניתא תנא ד’ אמהות שהם שש עשרה
R. Adda b. Ahavah taught: Four mothers, which are twelve.
In a baraita it was taught: Four mothers, which are sixteen.
R. Adda b. Ahava says one must go back two generations for each mother, bringing the total number to twelve. A baraita adds another generation bringing the total to sixteen.
בשלמא לרב אדא בר אהבה מוקים לה בלויה ובת ישראל אלא מתניתא נימא פליגא
לא מאי עוד אחת זוג אחת
Now, as for R. Adda b. Ahavah, this goes well; he relate it [his teaching] to the daughter of a Levite or an Israelite.
But shall we say that the baraita disagrees [with the Mishnah]?
No: What is meant by one more ? One more pair.
R. Adda b. Ahavah s teaching could be referring to a Levite or Israelite, which according to the mishnah one has to check one more generation, bringing the total to twelve. But even the baraita could accord with the mishnah, if one more means one pair more for each mother, bringing us to a total of 16.
אמר רב יהודה א"ר זו דברי ר’ מאיר אבל חכמים אומרים כל משפחות בחזקת כשרות הן עומדות
Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: These (the Mishnah) are the words of R. Meir. But the Sages hold: All families stand in the presumption of fitness.
R. Judah limits the ruling of Mishnah to the opinion of one sage. The majority of sages hold that when one gets married one need not check the woman s lineage, because we can assume that all families have fit lineage until we know otherwise.
איני והאמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב משנתינו כשקורא עליו ערער
מאן דמתני הא לא מתני הא
But is that so? Did not R. Hama b. Guria say in the name of Rav: Our Mishnah refers to a case where someone protested [the woman s lineage]. The one who taught this, did not teach that.
R. Hama b. Guria has a different limitation of the Mishnah one need check the lineage only if the lineage was contested. But did Rav really say both things?
The answer is that they were taught by two different amoraim, both teaching in the name of Rav. Rav actually said only one, we just do not know which one.
איכא דאמרי אמר רב יהודה אמר רב זו דברי ר’ מאיר אבל חכמים אומרים כל משפחות בחזקת כשרות הן עומדות
אמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב אם קורא עליו ערער צריך לבדוק אחריה
Others say, Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: These (the Mishnah) are the words of R. Meir. But the Sages hold: All families stand in the presumption of fitness.
R. Hama b. Guria said in the name of Rav: If it is contested, he must investigate her lineage.
In this version of Rav s teachings, the two teachings complement each other. Generally, Rav holds that one need not check his future wife s lineage. But if the lineage is contested, then he must check.