Kesubos 25a

כתובות כ״ה ע״א

Ketubot 25a

Learn Kesubos 25a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Which signs prove someone is a כהן (תרומה, חלה, נשיאות כפים), whether they prove יוחסין, and whether תרומה and חלה are דאורייתא today

Overview

The גמרא is discussing how a person comes to be treated as a כהן, and whether that status is strong enough to prove his lineage (יוחסין). It first explains the ברייתא's words 'גדולה חזקה' about the כהנים who returned from בבל. One answer is that they moved up from eating תרומה דרבנן to eating תרומה דאורייתא. A second answer is that they still ate only תרומה דרבנן, and the חזקה simply stopped חכמים from making a protective decree. A פסוק in עזרא seems to say they ate תרומה דאורייתא, but the גמרא reads it as forbidding both תרומה and the כהנים' portions of קרבנות. Next, two ברייתות that list נשיאות כפים as proof of כהונה are brought to show it proves lineage. Each time the גמרא pushes the proof off: the listed signs only move a person up from a rabbinic-level gift to a Torah-level one, depending on whether תרומה or חלה is דאורייתא today. This leads to רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע's report of the רבנן in בי רב saying חלה is דאורייתא. He answers that it is the reverse, and he begins a proof from ״בבואכם״ that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (20)

1. QuestionWhat is so great about this presumption?
2. ResponseThey moved up from rabbinic תרומה to Torah תרומה
3. ResolutionSecond approach: they still ate only rabbinic תרומה
4. QuestionThen what is 'great' about the presumption?
5. ResponseThe חזקה stopped a protective decree
6. ChallengeThe פסוק in עזרא suggests they did eat Torah תרומה
7. ResolutionThe פסוק forbids both 'קודש' and 'קדשים'
8. ProofA ברייתא lists נשיאות כפים as proof of being a כהן
9. RejectionNo, it only proves the right to eat תרומה
10. ChallengeLifting of hands is listed next to eating חלה, which proves lineage
11. ResolutionEating חלה itself only proves the right to eat תרומה
12. ProofA second ברייתא: outside ארץ ישראל, lifting of hands counts as proof but threshing-floor shares do not
13. Statementבבל is like סוריא, and רבן שמעון בן גמליאל adds אלכסנדריא
14. ProofThe new ברייתא seems to show that lifting hands proves lineage
15. RejectionNo, it may only be for eating חלה
16. ChallengeLifting hands is listed next to the threshing-floor share
17. ResolutionThe threshing-floor share is also only for חלה
18. StatementThe רבנן in בי רב: חלה today is from the Torah
19. Challengeרב הונא argues the reverse: חלה today is rabbinic
20. ProofProof from ״בבואכם״: חלה needs all of Israel in the land