Kiddushin, Daf Samekh Tet, Part 4

 

Introduction

Today s section begins to explicate the mishnah.

 

גמ׳ עשרה יוחסים עלו מבבל מאי איריא דתני עלו מבבל ניתני הלכו לארץ ישראל מילתא אגב אורחיה קמ"ל כדתניא (דברים יז, ח) וקמת ועלית אל המקום אשר יבחר ה’ אלהיך מלמד שבית המקדש גבוה מכל ארץ ישראל וארץ ישראל גבוה מכל הארצות

 

GEMARA. Ten genealogical classes went up from Babylon. Why does it specifically teach: went up from Babylon ; let it teach, immigrated to Eretz Yisrael? It teaches us something in passing: As it was taught: Then you shall rise and go up to the place which the Lord your God shall choose (Deuteronomy 17:8): this teaches that the Temple is higher than the rest of Eretz Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael is higher than all [other] countries.

 

The mishnah uses the word went up to teach that Eretz Yisrael is higher than all other countries and that the Temple is the highest point in Israel.

Of course, we know today that this is not literally true. But as someone who rides his bike quite a bit around the hills of Jerusalem, I can tell you it s not flat either. And Jerusalem is pretty high up there, although in reality Hebron is even higher.

 

בשלמא בית המקדש גבוה מכל ארץ ישראל היינו דכתיב (דברים יז, ח) דברי ריבות בשעריך וקמת ועלית אלא ארץ ישראל גבוה מכל ארצות מנלן דכתיב (ירמיהו כג, ז) לכן הנה ימים באים נאם ה’ לא יאמר עוד חי ה’ אשר העלה את בני ישראל מארץ מצרים כי אם חי ה’ אשר העלה ואשר הביא את בני ישראל מארץ צפון ומכל הארצות אשר הדחתים שם

 

As for the Temple being higher than the rest of Eretz Yisrael, this goes well, for it is written,

Matters of controversy within your gates, and you shall arise and go up [to the place that the Lord, your God, shall choose] (Deuteronomy 17:8).

But how do we know that Eretz Yisrael is higher than all [other] countries? Because it is written: Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when they shall no more say: As the Lord lives, Who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but: As the Lord lives, Who brought up and Who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them (Jeremiah 23:7 8).

 

Deuteronomy 17:8 uses the phrase go up to describe going to the Temple. This demonstrates that the Temple is the highest point in Eretz Yisrael.

Jeremiah uses the phrase brought up to describe people coming to Eretz Yisrael from other countries. From here we can see that Eretz Yisrael is higher than other countries.

מאי איריא דתני עלו מבבל נתני עלו לארץ ישראל

מסייע ליה לרבי אלעזר דאמר ר’ אלעזר לא עלה עזרא מבבל עד שעשאה כסולת נקיה ועלה

 

Why does it specifically teach, went up from Babylon : let it teach, went up to Eretz Yisrael? This supports R. Elazar. For R. Elazar said: Ezra did not go up from Babylon until he made it like pure sifted flour: then he went up.

 

The mishnah uses the word Babylon to allude to what Ezra, the leader of the Jewish people in exile, did before he moved to Israel. He made the Jewish community like sifted flour. This is taken to mean that he sifted out the best lineages in Israel and left them to run the Babylonian Jewish community. The poorer lineages moved with him to Eretz Yisrael. According to Rashi, he had to do this because he was not leaving behind any sages in Babylonia who could help in the future determine people s lineage.

While there may be some historical truth in this, at least insofar as the leaders of the Jewish community in Babylonia probably stayed behind, the idea that Babylonian lineage is better than that in Eretz Yisrael is a Babylonian claim that would bolster their leadership during a time of competition with the center in Eretz Yisrael. We shall see this theme quite frequently in this chapter. It is also one I dealt with in my newest book, Reconstructing the Talmud, volume 2.

 

איתמר אביי אמר עלו מאיליהם תנן ורבא אמר העלום תנן

וקמיפלגי בדרבי אלעזר דאמר רבי אלעזר לא עלה עזרא מבבל עד שעשאה כסולת נקיה ועלה אביי לית ליה דרבי אלעזר רבא אית ליה דרבי אלעזר

 

Abaye said: We taught: they went up voluntarily;

Rava said: We taught: He [Ezra] brought them up [against their will]. And they differ over R. Elazar [ s statement,] Ezra did not go up from Babylonia until he made it like pure sifted flour: then he went up. Abaye does not agree with it and Rava does.

 

Abaye and Rava argue over whether the return to Eretz Yisrael after the exile was voluntary. They also seem to argue over how exactly the mishnah is worded.

Abaye holds that the immigration was voluntary and thus he agrees with R. Elazar s statement about Ezra making Babylonia like sifted flour.

Rava holds that they were forced to go, and since they were forced, everyone knew who was of what lineage without him having to sort it out for them.

 

איבעית אימא דכולי עלמא אית להו דרבי אלעזר והכא בהא קא מיפלגי מר סבר אפרושי אפרושינהו ומנפשייהו סליקו ומר סבר בעל כרחייהו אסוקינהו

If you want you can say, all accept R. Elazar’s statement, but they differ in this: One Master [Abaye] holds that he [merely] separated them, and they voluntarily went up [to Eretz Yisrael]: the other Master holds that [even so] he led them up against their will.

 

Alternatively, both Abaye and Rava could agree that Ezra made Babylonia into sifted flour. Abaye holds that he separated them into lineages and then they voluntarily went to Israel, knowing who could marry whom. Rava says that even though they knew each other s lineage, he still had to force them to go.