Kiddushin 77a

קידושין ע״ז ע״א

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Topic

Who passes on חלל status, how a woman becomes a חללה, and counting a כהן's punishments for forbidden women

Overview

The משנה sets out which daughters may marry a כהן. A male חלל passes his disqualification to his daughters forever, but a female חללה does not. The תנאים then argue about converts and freed slaves: רבי יהודה, רבי אליעזר בן יעקב and רבי יוסי each take a different position. The גמרא explains that 'forever' means the rule never ends, unlike the three-generation limit for מצרי and אדומי. רבי יוחנן learns from the word 'בעמיו' that only males pass on the status, and the גמרא works out what happens to the daughter, the son's daughter, and the daughter's daughter. The גמרא also shows that רבי דוסתאי disagrees with the משנה. A ברייתא proves that the woman herself becomes a חללה through a forbidden relationship with a כהן, and another ברייתא defines a חללה as one born from a פסול כהונה. Finally, a ברייתא counts how many punishments a כהן receives when a woman carries several forbidden statuses, and the גמרא begins to ask what case 'widow, widow, widow' describes.

Opening lines

The steps (40)

1. StatementA male חלל's daughter is unfit forever
2. StatementOnly the father's חלל status passes to the daughter
3. Statementרבי יהודה: a male גר is like a male חלל
4. Statementרבי אליעזר בן יעקב: only two convert parents disqualify
5. StatementConverts and freed slaves: the rule lasts until a Jewish-born mother
6. Statementרבי יוסי: even a daughter of two converts is fit
7. QuestionWhy does the משנה say 'forever'?
8. ResponseNot like the Egyptian and Edomite, whose limit ends after three generations
9. QuestionWhat is the source that a חללה mother does not disqualify?
10. Responseרבי יוחנן: 'among his people' means males, not females
11. ChallengeThen the כהן גדול's daughter should be permitted
12. ResolutionThe verse says 'offspring,' which includes a daughter
13. ChallengeThen the son's daughter should be permitted
14. ResolutionThe offspring is compared to the father
15. ChallengeThen the daughter's daughter should be forbidden
16. ResolutionOtherwise the גזירה שוה would teach nothing
17. ChallengeWhy does the משנה repeat the case of a male חלל?
18. ResolutionThe משנה wanted a matching pair
19. StatementThe משנה does not follow רבי דוסתאי בן יהודה
20. QuestionWhat is רבי דוסתאי's source?
21. ResponseProfaning only happens within 'one people'
22. QuestionThe child is covered, but what about the woman herself?
23. ProofA קל וחומר from the child to the woman
24. ChallengeThe כהן himself sinned and is not disqualified
25. ResolutionA man is never disqualified this way, but a woman can be
26. ProofA backup proof from the wording of the פסוק
27. QuestionWhat was wrong with the קל וחומר?
28. ResponseThe child was made through a sin, so the verse is needed
29. StatementA ברייתא defines a חללה
30. QuestionWhat does 'disqualified' mean?
31. Challenge'Forbidden to him' cannot be the meaning
32. Resolutionרב יהודה: disqualified for כהונה
33. ChallengeA woman can become a חללה without being born one
34. Resolutionרבה: the ברייתא means the חללה who was never fit
35. QuestionWhat does 'mentioned' mean?
36. Response'Mentioned' means written openly in the Torah
37. StatementRepeated 'widow' or 'divorcée' brings only one liability
38. StatementThe order of her statuses decides how many liabilities
39. QuestionWhat case is 'widow, widow, widow'?
40. ChallengeThree different men's widows should mean three liabilities