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Kiddushin 73a

קידושין ע״ג ע״א

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Topic

Whether גרים count as קהל, whom a גר may marry, and why a שתוקי and an אסופי are restricted only מדרבנן

Overview

The גמרא finishes the מחלוקת between רבי יוסי, who lets a גר marry a ממזרת, and רבי יהודה, who forbids it. רבי יוסי uses all five times the תורה writes קהל for other purposes, so a קהל of גרים is not called קהל. The גמרא gives three ways רבי יהודה includes גרים: combining כהנים and לוים, combining the two שתוקי rules into one פסוק, or learning from 'הקהל חקה אחת לכם ולגר'. רבי יוסי answers that 'חקה אחת' breaks up that פסוק. Then come stories of רבי זירא and רבא teaching in מחוזא. The הלכה is that a גר may marry a כהנת (since women of good lineage were not warned against פסולים) and also a ממזרת, following רבי יוסי. Next, רבא teaches that by Torah law a שתוקי and an אסופי are fit, because the תורה bans only a definite ממזר. The fear that one of them might marry his sister is shown to be too rare to explain the rabbinic ban. The real reason is a מעלה the רבנן made for families of clean lineage. The amud ends as רבא בר רב הונא begins a ruling about a foundling found circumcised, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

חַד – לְכֹהֲנִים,

One is for priests,

וְחַד – לַלְוִיִּם,

and one is for Levites,

וְחַד – לְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים,

and one is for Israelites,

וְחַד – לְמִישְׁרֵי מַמְזֵר בִּשְׁתוּקִי,

and one is to permit a mamzer to a shetuki,

The steps (37)

  1. Responseרבי יוסי's five uses of the word קהל
  2. QuestionHow does רבי יהודה deal with the five uses?
  3. Responseכהנים and לוים come from one קהל
  4. ResponseSecond answer: both שתוקי rules come from one קהל
  5. ResponseHow one פסוק teaches both שתוקי rules
  6. ResponseThird answer: רבי יהודה learns it from a different פסוק
  7. QuestionHow does רבי יוסי read that פסוק?
  8. Response'חקה אחת' breaks up the פסוק
  9. ProofThe ברייתא supports רב: women of good lineage may marry פסולים
  10. Statementרבי זירא teaches in מחוזא that a גר may marry a ממזרת
  11. Statementרבא criticizes teaching this where many converts live
  12. Statementרבא teaches that a גר may marry a כהנת
  13. Challengeרבא adds the ממזרת ruling and the people complain
  14. Resolutionרבא explains that both rules help the גר
  15. ConclusionThe הלכה: a גר may marry both a כהנת and a ממזרת
  16. StatementThe משנה defines a שתוקי
  17. Statementרבא: by Torah law a שתוקי is כשר, because most men are fit
  18. StatementIf the men came to her, we follow the majority
  19. ChallengeBut maybe she went to them, making it a fixed case
  20. ResolutionThe Torah forbids only a definite ממזר
  21. QuestionThen why did the רבנן forbid a שתוקי?
  22. ResponseA גזירה so he won't marry his paternal sister
  23. ChallengeThen a שתוקי should not marry a שתוקית either
  24. ResolutionIs there really that much immorality?
  25. ChallengeBy that logic, ban marrying a שתוקית's daughter too
  26. ConclusionThe sister fear is too rare to be the reason
  27. ConclusionThe ban is a higher standard for lineage
  28. Statementרבא: by Torah law a foundling is fit
  29. StatementThe doubt is only half and half
  30. ProofThe Torah bans only a definite ממזר
  31. ResponseWhy the Rabbis still call a foundling unfit
  32. ChallengeThen a foundling should not marry a female foundling
  33. ResolutionParents don't keep abandoning children
  34. ChallengeThen he couldn't even marry a foundling's daughter
  35. ConclusionThe sister fear is too rare to explain the foundling ban
  36. ResponseThe Rabbis set a higher standard for families of clean lineage
  37. StatementA new case: a foundling found already circumcised