Kiddushin 71a — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: When the Holy One, blessed be He,

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purifies

the

tribes

and establishes their lineage,

the tribe of Levi

He

purifies first.

As it is stated [Malachi 3:2]: “

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and like silver.

And they will be presenters of an offering to the Lord in righteousness.”

And the meaning of “purifies” is that He selects those who are fit and separates them from those who are disqualified.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Money purifies mamzerim!

Those disqualified persons who became assimilated among Israel on account of their wealth—the Holy One, blessed be He, purifies them and renders them fit as Israelites. And the reason for the matter is that, since many families became intermingled with them, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not distinguish them in the future.

As it is stated: “

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

And Rabbi Joshua ben Levi holds that the meaning of “purifies” is that He renders the disqualified themselves fit, and not as explained above, that He clarifies those who are fit from among those who are disqualified.

And we raised an objection concerning this: Granted, if it is said that the meaning of the verse is that the sons of Levi, the fit priests, will be clarified from among the disqualified, it is well that the verse continues and says that the sons of Levi, the fit priests, will be “presenters of an offering, in righteousness”—that the righteousness [fitness] of these Levites will be clarified. But according to Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, who explains that even those who are disqualified are destined to be purified,

what

is the meaning of the “righteousness” in the conclusion of the verse: “And they will be presenters of an offering to the Lord

in righteousness”?

Rabbi Isaac said: The Holy One, blessed be He, performed righteousness with Israel: A family that became assimilated, became assimilated!

That is to say, the righteousness of the Holy One, blessed be He, is that a family into which disqualified persons became intermingled, He renders fit.

The essential matter: Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel: All

the

lands

are in the status of

a dough

with respect to the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel

is in the status of

a dough

with respect to Babylonia.

And “dough” means an admixture of those who are disqualified with those who are fit.

For all the lands are presumed to be dough, requiring investigation of their lineage, whereas the families of the Land of Israel have more established lineage and are not so strongly suspected of having disqualified persons intermingled among them, because the court of the Chamber of Hewn Stone investigates their lineage.

And Babylonia has the most established lineage of all, because Ezra left nothing in it except pure sifted flour.

In the days of Rabbi, they sought to make

the

Babylonia

like

a dough

in relation

to the Land of Israel.

For they wanted to reverse what had previously been accepted: to regard the families of the Land of Israel as having established lineage and to require investigation of the families of Babylonia.

He said to them

Rabbi:

You are placing thorns between my eyes!

You are casting aspersions upon me, since Rabbi was from the families of Babylonia, among the descendants of Hillel who came up from Babylonia and received the office of the Nasi from the descendants of Batyra.

If

you desire

this,

Rabbi Hanina bar Hama will deal with you,

to answer you and prove to you that you are mistaken!

Rabbi Hanina bar Hama dealt with them and said to them: Thus have I received from Rabbi Ishmael bar Yosei, who said in the name of his father: All the lands are dough with respect to the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is dough with respect to Babylonia.

In the days of Rabbi Pinhas, they sought to make Babylonia a dough with respect to the Land of Israel.

He said to them

Rabbi Pinhas

to his servants: When I say two things in the study hall,

immediately afterward

place me in a litter and run,

from there, and take me away from the study hall.

Because he was destined to say [in one of the two statements] that the Land of Israel is dough with respect to Babylonia, and he did not want them to argue with him about this in the study hall, lest he be forced to reveal to them which families were disqualified.

And because he was old, he did not have the strength to run himself; therefore he asked that they carry him away from there at a run.

When he entered

the study hall,

he said to them

two things:

1.

There is no Torah requirement of slaughter for a bird!

For only a domesticated animal and a wild animal require slaughter by Torah law, whereas the slaughter of a bird is only rabbinic. He did not reveal the reason for the matter to them; rather, he told them a matter that appeared astonishing to them, because he wanted them to be occupied with this matter and search for his reasoning, so that he would have time to leave there before they questioned him about the reason for the second matter that he was destined to tell them.

[And the reason for the matter is that concerning a bird it is written, “And he shall pour out its blood,” indicating that by Torah law merely pouring out its blood suffices for it.]

While they were sitting and considering

as they sat and considered

it,

the members of the study hall were occupied with this teaching,

he told them

his second ruling:

2.

All the lands are dough with respect to the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is dough with respect to Babylonia!

Immediately

his servants took him

his servants

in the litter and ran,

as he had asked them.

They ran after him

the members of the study hall, in order to ascertain his final words,

but they did not reach him.

They sat

themselves

and investigated

the families of the Land of Israel, in order to clarify Rabbi Pinhas’s statement that they were presumed to be dough,

until they reached danger,

as they began to reveal the disqualification of the families of powerful men, and they were in danger that those men would kill them.

Once they reached danger,

they withdrew

from the investigation and did not continue investigating.

Rabbi Yohanan said,

and he swore:

By the Sanctuary,

an expression of an oath; he swore by the Sanctuary of the Omnipresent,

it is in our hands

to reveal all the families of the disqualified in the Land of Israel.

But what can I do, for the great men of the generation

already

became assimilated among them

among the disqualified families; therefore I cannot reveal them.

And we explain:

He held

Rabbi Yohanan

in accordance with Rabbi Isaac.

For Rabbi Isaac said: A family that became assimilated, became assimilated!

That is to say, we are not to investigate these families to determine who is disqualified and separate him. Rather, we leave them in doubt, and in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will render them fit for the community.

Abaye said: We too have learned this

in tractate Eduyot: A family that became assimilated is not to be separated or distanced, nor is it proper to clarify from among it who is disqualified and who is fit. Rather, it should be left in doubt, and in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will render it fit from its disqualification.

For we learned there:

The family of the House of Tzerifa

a family name

was in Transjordan, and Ben Zion distanced it

a prominent and powerful man

by force,

who by force proclaimed it disqualified, although it was fit.

Another family

was there,

and Ben Zion brought it near by force,

who by force proclaimed it fit.

In

such

cases

as these,

where families were purified or disqualified by force, unlawfully, in the future

Elijah

the prophet

will come—

to render impure

the disqualified families that were made fit by force of power,

and to purify

the families that were disqualified by force;

to distance

from entering the community,

and to bring near

to make fit to enter the community. And Abaye derives from here: Specifically in

such cases as these, of which we know

that this family had been disqualified, but Ben Zion made it fit by force, Elijah will ultimately come and disqualify it.

But a family

that became intermingled because its disqualification was not known, once

it became assimilated, it became assimilated!

And even in the future it will remain fit.

A tanna taught,

we learned in a beraita:

Another

family

was

disqualified, besides that family which Ben Zion brought near,

but the Sages did not wish to reveal it.

But the Sages transmit it to their sons and to their students once a week

once in seven years,

and some say,

and there are those who say:

twice a week!

Rav Nahman bar Isaac said: It is reasonable, according to the one who says,

“once a week,”

and not twice a week, for one should avoid revealing a family’s disqualification as much as possible.

As it was taught:

One who says,

“I hereby become a nazirite if I do not reveal

the disqualification of

families

known to me”—it is preferable that he

be a nazirite,

and not reveal

the disqualification of the

families!

And although if he reveals it, naziriteship will not take effect upon him, it is preferable that his naziriteship take effect, provided that he does not reveal the disqualification of families.

Rabba bar bar Hana said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: The Name

“the Tetragrammaton,”

a four-letter name, the Sages transmit it

its pronunciation, writing, and explanation

to their students once a week

only,

and some say: twice a week!

Rav Nahman bar Isaac said: It is reasonable according to the one who says,

“once a week”

only, because

it is written [Exodus 3:15],

“This is My name

for concealment,”

and although we read it “forever,” nevertheless

“for concealment”

is written,

which is an expression of concealment. From here there is an indication that it should be concealed as much as possible; therefore it should not be revealed more than once a week.

Rava intended to expound it

the meaning of the Tetragrammaton

in a public lecture

in his exposition before the public.

A certain old man said to him:

But

“for concealment”

is written,

and it should not be revealed publicly!

Rabbi Avina raised an objection:

He asked:

It is written [Exodus 3:15],

“

This is My name

for concealment,”

and

in the continuation of the verse

it is written, “

and

this is My memorial

for generation after generation.” And from the fact that the verse did not say, “This is My name and My memorial,” but placed a separation between them, it follows that Scripture is speaking of two names. And what are they?

Rather, thus

said the Holy One, blessed be He: I am not called by the name by which I am written:

I am written with yod-he,

which is My unique name, and this is what is written: “This is My name for concealment.”

And

however,

I am called

by

with alef-lamed.

And this is what is written: “This is My memorial for generation after generation,” for by this name I am remembered in oral utterance.

The Sages taught: At first, the twelve-letter Name, they would transmit it to every person.

When the licentious increased

and began to use it, they no longer transmitted it to everyone; rather,

they transmitted it only to the discreet among the priesthood

.

And the discreet among the priesthood

would

make it inaudible

during the priestly blessing in the Temple,

amid

the

melody of their fellow priests.

When the other priests would draw out their voices melodiously when pronouncing the four-letter Name, the discreet ones would hasten to make the twelve-letter Name inaudible, so that the sound of the melody would cover their voices and it would not be heard by the public.

[This Name has not been explained to us, and likewise the forty-two-letter Name mentioned below has not been explained to us.]

It was taught: Rabbi Tarfon said: Once I ascended after my maternal uncle to the platform,

to recite the priestly blessing,

and I inclined my ear toward the High Priest and heard that he made the Name inaudible

of twelve letters

amid the melody of his fellow priests!

For Rabbi Tarfon too was a priest, and he ascended to the platform together with his priestly uncle.

Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: The forty-two-letter Name is transmitted only to one who is discreet and humble, and who stands at the midpoint of his life

who has already reached half his years, namely thirty-five years,

and who does not become angry, does not become intoxicated, and does not insist on his measures

in order to harbor hostility toward his fellow, for if not, we are concerned that perhaps he will use it to take revenge upon others.

And whoever knows it

this Name,

and is heedful with it and safeguards it in purity—

is beloved above and pleasing below; his awe lies upon the created beings; and he inherits two worlds, this world and the World to Come.

Samuel said in the name of the elder: Every family in

Babylonia

Babylonia stands with a presumption of fitness until

it is investigated and

it becomes known to you in what way it was disqualified,

as we maintain that Ezra did not ascend from Babylonia until he had made it pure sifted flour.

The other lands—

all the families in them—

stand with a presumption of disqualification until it becomes known to you in what way they became fit.

For they are not rendered fit to marry without investigation.

The Land of Israel—all who are

anyone who is

presumed

in it

to be disqualified,

they are

disqualified; and all who are

and anyone who is

presumed

in it

to be fit,

they are

fit.

And we raise a difficulty:

This very matter,

Samuel’s words,

is difficult

from within itself.

For, on the one hand,

you said,

“Presumed disqualified, disqualified.”

And this implies:

This implies that in an unspecified case,

anyone concerning whom it is not known whether he is fit or disqualified is presumed

fit.

And then it teaches,

“Presumed fit, fit.”

And this implies:

This implies that in an unspecified case,

one who is not presumed either this way or that way is

disqualified.

And the two statements contradict one another.