Kiddushin, Daf Samekh Zayin, Part 6

 

Introduction

This sugya finally resolves how we know that kiddushin are invalid with all incestuous relationships, just as they are with one s wife s sister.

 

אלא א"ר יונה ואיתימא רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע אמר קרא (ויקרא יח, כט) כל אשר יעשה מכל התועבות האלה ונכרתו הוקשו כל העריות כולם לאחות אשה מה אחות אשה לא תפסי בה קידושין אף כל עריות כולם לא תפסי בה קידושין

 

Rather R. Jonah said, and others say, R. Huna son of R. Joshua, the verse says, For whoever shall do any of these abominations, they shall be cut off (Leviticus 18:29): thus all incestuous relations are compared to a wife’s sister: just as kiddushin with a wife’s sister is invalid, so is kiddushin with all other incestuous relations invalid.

 

The verse any of these abominations means that the same rules apply to all of the incestuous relationships referred to in Leviticus 18. Just as kiddushin are ineffective with one s wife s sister, so too they are ineffective with all incestuous relationships.

 

אי הכי אפילו נדה נמי אלמה אמר אביי הכל מודים בבא על הנדה ועל הסוטה שאין הולד ממזר

אמר חזקיה אמר קרא (ויקרא טו, כד) ותהי נדתה עליו אפילו בשעת נדתה תהא בה הויה

 

If so, even with a menstruating woman? Why then did Abaye say: All agree that if one has intercourse with a menstruating woman or a sotah, the offspring is not a mamzer?

Hezekiah said: The verse says, [And if any man lie with her,] her menstruation will be on him (Leviticus 15:24): even during her menstrual period, betrothal with her is valid.

 

The list in Leviticus 18 includes the prohibition of having sex with a woman while she is menstruating (18:19). So if she is compared to all the other prohibitions, why would Abaye say that all tannaim agree that kiddushin with her (and with a woman suspected of adultery) is valid?

To solve this problem, Hezekiah cites a verse that uses the Hebrew word will be which is the same word used at times to signify kiddushin. While this is certainly not the simple meaning of the word, he reads it as teaching that kiddushin with a niddah (a menstruant) is valid.