Yevamot 16b — the Talmud in English

It is settled,

the tanna stated in unequivocal language, which cannot be divided,

and it teaches

the tanna in the Mishna: Stains that come

from among the gentiles

are pure!

And

it follows from this wording that

even

stains that come

from Tarmod

are pure, for he did not exclude this place from the general rule!

And Rabbi Yohanan said

concerning this:

Rabbi Yohanan:

This is to say: converts are accepted from Tarmod,

and we do not fear that perhaps there are Jews among them and they are mamzerim! For if there were a concern that they were mamzer Jews, there would also be concern regarding their stains.

But earlier we said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan that converts are not accepted from the Tarmodites!?

And if you would say

to answer that Rabbi Yohanan indeed

“This

is to say,” he said, for this is in fact what follows from the Mishna. But

and

he himself

does not hold

by the law of the Mishna, rather there is reason to fear that they are Jews.

It is impossible to answer so. For:

And Rabbi Yohanan said: The halakha follows an unattributed Mishna!

And we answer: It is a dispute

of amoraim,

whether there is reason to fear Jews in Tarmod,

and

they disputed this

according to Rabbi Yohanan,

what his view was.

And now the Gemara explains:

From Tarmod—

for what reason not

to accept converts?

Rabbi Yohanan and Savya disputed this.

One said: Because of Solomon’s slaves,

as will be explained below.

And one said: Because of the daughters of Jerusalem,

for the gentiles came at the time of the destruction and took for themselves wives from among the daughters of Jerusalem, as will be explained below.

And we raise a difficulty:

Granted, according to the one who says: Because of Solomon’s slaves,

the gentiles who married Israelite women [who agreed to marry them because of the wealth of Solomon’s slaves], and became assimilated there among the gentiles, and there is reason to fear their mamzerut, it is well to be concerned, because

he holds: A gentile or a slave who has intercourse with an Israelite woman—

the offspring is a mamzer.

But according to the one who says: Because of “the daughters of Jerusalem”—

what is it,

what is this concern?

Rav Yosef and the Rabbis disputed this.

And both of them,

both of them disputed the matter,

in the name of Rabbah bar bar Hannah.

One said:

There were

twelve thousand men, and six thousand archers,

those who draw a bow.

And one said: Twelve thousand men, and from among them,

there were—

six thousand archers,

six thousand who draw a bow.

When the gentiles entered the Sanctuary, everyone turned to the silver and gold, and they turned to the daughters of Jerusalem.

As it is stated [

Lamentations 5]:

“They violated the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah.”

And now the Gemara brings another exposition concerning the verse “I was a youth, I have also aged,” which Rabbi Dosa ben Horkinas mentioned above.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: This verse,

the angel who is

“the minister of the world” said it: [

Psalms 37]

“I was a youth, I have also aged”—

and necessarily the minister of the world said it, for

who said it?

Who is the one who said it, if not the minister of the world?

If you say the Almighty

said it—

is there old age before Him!?

Rather,

perhaps you will say

David said it—

how old

was David

to such an extent,

when he died at the age of only seventy?

Rather, conclude from it: the minister of the world said it.

And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: What is the meaning of that which is written [

Lamentations 1]:

“His hand spread out an adversary over all her precious things.”

This is Ammon and Moab.

When the gentiles entered the Sanctuary, everyone turned to the silver and gold, and they turned to the Torah scroll.

They said,

Ammon and Moab: This

scroll, in which it is written [

Deuteronomy 23]

“An Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord”—

let it be burned in fire! [

Lamentations 1]

“The Lord commanded concerning Jacob: His adversaries are all around him”—

Rav said: For example,

the sons of

Humnia,

gentiles who oppress

the

sons of

Pum Nahara

, poor Israelites.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav Asi said: If a gentile betrothed a woman nowadays—

we are concerned for the betrothal, lest he be from the Ten Tribes.

And we challenge this:

But whatever separates, separates from the majority!

And the majority of the world is not from the Ten Tribes! And we answer:

In a place where they are fixed!

In the place where the members of the Ten Tribes are established, there is reason for concern even though they are the minority, since “anything fixed is considered like half and half.”

And where is the place where the Ten Tribes are established?

As

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said:

What is the meaning of that which is written [

II Kings 18]:

“And he settled them in Halah and in Habor, the river of Gozan, and the cities of Media.”

Halah—

Halah—

this is Halzon.