Kiddushin, Daf Peh, Part 2

 

Introduction

In yesterday s section we saw that R. Yohanan believed that the presumption that women clinging to the mother was strong enough to allow the children to marry into the priesthood. Today s section relates this ruling to another ruling of R. Yohanan.

 

ואזדא רבי יוחנן לטעמיה דא"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן מלקין על החזקות סוקלין ושורפין על החזקות ואין שורפין תרומה על החזקות

 

And R. Yohanan follows his view [elsewhere]. For R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Yohanan: We lash on the basis of presumptions, we stone and burn on the basis of presumptions, but we do not burn terumah on the basis of presumption.

 

R. Yohanan generally believes that presumptions are strong enough to create a basis for punishment. Nevertheless, if terumah is presumed to have become impure, we do not burn the terumah. The Talmud will now explain each part of this statement.

 

מלקין על החזקות כרב יהודה דאמר רב יהודה הוחזקה נדה בשכינותיה בעלה לוקה עליה משום נדה

 

We lash on the basis of presumptions, in accordance with Rav Judah. For Rav Judah said: If a woman was presumed a niddah by her neighbors, her husband is lashed on her account as a niddah.

 

If a woman s neighbors presume that she is a niddah and her husband has relations with her, he can be punished despite the fact that this is just a presumption. Evidently, privacy in such matters was hard to come by in the ancient world.

 

סוקלין ושורפין על החזקות כדרבה בר רב הונא דאמר רבה בר רב הונא איש ואשה תינוק ותינוקת שהגדילו בתוך הבית נסקלין זה על זה ונשרפין זה על זה

 

We stone and burn on the basis of presumptions, as Rabbah son of R. Huna. For Rabbah son of R. Huna said: If a man, woman, boy and girl lived in a house [together], they are stoned and burned on each other’s account.

 

We assume that people living together as a family are related to each other. Thus if the boy in the house has sex with the woman presumed to be his mother, they are both stoned. If the father has sex with the daughter, they are burned, the punishment for having sex with a woman and her daughter.

 

א"ר שמעון בן פזי אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי משום בר קפרא מעשה באשה שבאת לירושלים ותינוק מורכב לה על כתיפה והגדילתו ובא עליה והביאום לבית דין וסקלום לא מפני שבנה ודאי אלא מפני שכרוך אחריה

 

R. Shimon b. Pazzi said R. Joshua b. Levi’s said in the name of Bar Kappara: It once happened that a woman came to Jerusalem carrying an infant on her back; she raised him and he had intercourse with her. And they brought them before the court and stoned them. Not because he was definitely her son, but because he clung to her.

 

This (disturbing) story illustrates R. Yohanan s reliance on presumptions. The presumption that this boy is the woman s son is strong enough to stone them for incest.