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Mishnayos Eduyos Perek 8 Mishnah 3

עדיות פרק ח׳ משנה ג׳

3

Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Judah ben Bathyra testified concerning the widow of [a man belonging to] a family of doubtful lineage (an issa), that she was fit to marry into the priesthood, [And that those of] a family of doubtful lineage are fit to declare who was unclean and who clean, who was to be put away and who was to be brought near. Rabban Gamaliel said: we accept your testimony, but what can we do since Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai ordained that courts should not be commissioned for this purpose? The priests would listen to you concerning those who might be put away, but not concerning those who might be brought near!

הֵעִיד רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶן בְּתֵירָא עַל אַלְמָנַת עִסָּה, שֶׁהִיא כְשֵׁרָה לַכְּהֻנָּה, שֶׁהָעִסָּה כְשֵׁרָה לְטַמֵּא וּלְטַהֵר, לְרַחֵק וּלְקָרֵב. אָמַר רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, קִבַּלְנוּ עֵדוּתְכֶם, אֲבָל מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁגָּזַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי שֶׁלֹּא לְהוֹשִׁיב בָּתֵּי דִינִין עַל כָּךְ. הַכֹּהֲנִים שׁוֹמְעִים לָכֶם לְרַחֵק, אֲבָל לֹא לְקָרֵב:

ג׳
Bartenura

אלמנת עיסה – one family that was mixed up with someone who was doubtful for the priesthood on account of his father’s illegitimate connection. All the children of that family are doubtful if he was that doubtfulness that was mixed up with them or not. And a woman who married one of the children of that family, and her husband died, is called the widow of one belonging to a family suspected of containing an alien admixture, that is like the examined and mixed family [suspected of containing an alien admixture], so too this particular woman is mixed from doubts – doubt if her husband was that doubtful one for the priesthood on account of his father’s illegitimate connection, according to the truth. Rabbi Yehoshua validates her for the priesthood, because there is here a compound uncertainty and is judged leniently. But Rabban Gamaliel holds that even though generally, a compound uncertainly which is judged leniently, here is different, for they made a preference for pedigrees.

העיסה כשרה לטמא ולטהר – that is to say, that a family that became mixed through someone doubtful for the priesthood on account of his father’s illegitimate connection, behold, she is presumption of being fit like the rest of the families of legitimate descent, and like that the rest of the families say: “this one is ritually impure” and distance themselves from her, and “this one is pure” and they draw her close, so is this family that had become mixed up beyond recognition as a result of someone doubtful for the priesthood on account of his father’s illegitimate connection, and we cannot say for since that it become so mixed up beyond recognition, we don’t any longer to check when women marry -which one was defiled and which one is pure, in order to distance the impure one and to draw close the pure one.

קבלנו עדותכם – you are believed in our eyes and we believe that such is what you heard.

שלא להושיב ב"ד על כך – to permit the widow of one belonging to a family suspected of containing an alien admixture ab initio.

הכהנים שומעים לכם לרחק – if you would say that she is forbidden.

אבל לא לקרב – if you would say that she is permitted. And the Legal decision is that a woman who married one of that family, and her husband died, is called the widow of one belong to a family suspected of containing an alien mixture, and she is forbidden to marry into the priesthood ab initio, and if she married, she cannot be divorced.

אלמנת עיסה. משפחה אחת שנתערב בה ספק חלל, כל אחד מבני המשפחה ספק אם הוא אותו ספק שנתערב בהן אם לאו. ואשה שנישאת לאחד מבני אותה משפחה ומת בעלה, היא קרויה אלמנת עיסה, שכמו שהעיסה נלושה ומעורבת, כך זאת האשה מעורבת מספיקות. ספק אם בעלה הוא אותו ספק חלל, ואפילו אם הוא אותו ספק חלל שמא אינו חלל לפי האמת. ור׳ יהושע מכשיר. אותה לכהונה, שיש כאן ספק ספיקא ולקולא. ורבן גמליאל סבר אע״ג דבעלמא ספק ספיקא לקולא, הכא שאני, דמעלה עשו ביוחסין:

שהעיסה כשרה לטמא ולטהר. כלומר שהמשפחה שנתערב בה ספק חלל הרי היא בחזקת כשרות כשאר המשפחות המיוחסות, וכמו ששאר המשפחות אומרות זו טמאה ומתרחקים ממנה וזו טהורה ומקרבים אותה, כך משפחה זו שנטמע בה ספק חלל, אין יכולים לומר הואיל ונטמא בה ספק אין צריכים יותר לבדוק כשנושאים נשים איזו נטמאה ואיזו טהורה, כדי לרחק הטמאה ולקרב הטהורה:

קבלנו עדותכם. נאמנים אתם בעינינו ומאמינים אנו שכך שמעתם:

שלא להושיב ב״ד על כך. להתיר אלמנת עיסה לכתחלה:

הכהנים שומעים לכם לרחק. אם תאמרו אסורה:

אבל לא לקרב. אם תאמרו מותרת. ופסק הלכה, שאלמנת עיסה אסורה להנשא לכהונה לכתחלה, ואם נישאת לא תצא: