Kiddushin 68b

קידושין ס״ח ע״ב

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Topic

Torah sources that קידושין do not work with a שפחה or a נכרית and that their children follow the mother, for both רבי שמעון and the רבנן

Overview

The גמרא looks for Torah sources for the rule in the משנה that a woman who cannot be married through קידושין passes her status on to her child. For a שפחה כנענית, the source is "האשה וילדיה תהיה לאדניה." For a נכרית, "לא תתחתן בם" shows that קידושין do not work with her. רבי יוחנן, in the name of רבי שמעון בן יוחי, learns from "כי יסיר את בנך" that her child is hers and not yours. רבינא infers that a Jewish woman's son from a gentile father is "your son." The גמרא asks whether רבינא therefore holds that such a child is a ממזר, and answers that the child is not a ממזר but is only called פסול. The גמרא then notes that "לא תתחתן בם" speaks only of the seven nations. "כי יסיר" extends the rule to all nations, but only for רבי שמעון, so the רבנן learn it from the פסוק about the captive woman instead. For the רבנן, the source that the child follows the mother is "כי תהיין לאיש... וילדו לו." Since that source also covers the שפחה, the גמרא asks what her own פסוק teaches, and it begins to quote a ברייתא that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (19)

1. QuestionSource that the maidservant's child follows her
2. ResponseThe verse: the wife and her children belong to her master
3. QuestionSource for the gentile woman
4. ResponseThe verse: do not marry them
5. QuestionNow we need a source that her child follows her
6. ResponseYour son from a Jewish woman is your son; from a gentile woman he is her son
7. StatementYour daughter's son from a gentile is called your son
8. ChallengeDoes רבינא hold such a child is a ממזר?
9. RejectionThe child is not a ממזר, only called unfit
10. ChallengeThe verse only speaks of the seven nations
11. ResolutionThe reason in the verse covers every nation
12. ChallengeThat works only for רבי שמעון, not for the רבנן
13. ResolutionThe captive woman verse shows קידושין do not work at first
14. QuestionWhat is the source that her child follows her status?
15. ResponseThe child follows the father only where קידושין can take effect
16. ChallengeThen this source should cover the שפחה too
17. ResolutionYes, it does cover the שפחה
18. ChallengeThen why do we need the שפחה's own פסוק?
19. ResolutionThat פסוק is needed for what a ברייתא teaches