Wszędzie tam, gdzie jest zaręczyny i nie ma wykroczenia [tj. Tam, gdzie zaręczyny „podejmują” i nie ma wykroczenia w małżeństwie], dziecko podąża za (linią) mężczyzny. [Ta zasada nie jest kategoryczna; albowiem w przypadku prozelity, który poślubia mamzereta, dochodzi do zaręczyn i nie ma wykroczenia, gdyż zgromadzenie prozelitów nie jest nazywane „zgromadzeniem” (L-rd) a mianowicie. Księga Powtórzonego Prawa 23: 3 - „Mamzer nie może wejść do zboru L-rd”, pomimo tego, że dziecko nie wywodzi się z linii męskiej, dziecko jest mamzerem, czy prozelita poślubił mamzereta, czy mamzer poślubił prozelitę.] Co to jest? [tj. przypadek, w którym dziecko podąża za rodowodem ojca]? Córka Coheina, Lewity i Izraelity poślubiona Coheinowi, Lewicie i Izraelicie (dziecko noszące imię ojca). I gdziekolwiek jest zaręczyny i występek, dziecko idzie za skazą. Które to? Wdowa poślubiona arcykapłanowi; rozwódka lub chaluca poślubiona zwykłemu księdzu (w którym to przypadku dziecko jest wyzwaniem, zakazanym do kapłaństwa), mamzeret i Nethinah poślubiona Izraelicie; córka Izraelity poślubiona mamzerowi lub Nathinowi. I wszędzie tam, gdzie jej zaręczyn nie „zabiera” ze sobą, ale bierze się z innymi, dziecko jest mamzerem. Które to? Ten, kto mieszka z którymkolwiek z arayoth z Tory [zakazanych przez Kareth]. [W Yevamoth (49a) To wywodzi się z (Powtórzonego Prawa 23: 1): „Mężczyzna nie weźmie żony ojca”, a następnie (3): „Mamzer nie wejdzie do zboru L-r.”. I to („żona jego ojca”) jest rozumiane jako kobieta oczekująca na yibum ze swoim ojcem, tj. Żona brata jego ojca, który jest wobec niego zabroniony przez Kareth]. I wszędzie tam, gdzie jej zaręczyny nie prowadzą ani z nim, ani z innymi , dziecko jest takie, jakie jest. Które to? Dziecko niewolnicy i kobiety pogańskiej. [W odniesieniu do niewolnicy napisano (Wj 21: 4): „Kobieta i jej dzieci będą należeć do jej pana”. A o kobiecie pogańskiej napisano (Księga Powtórzonego Prawa 7: 4): „Albowiem odwróci ode mnie twojego syna”. Fakt, że nie jest napisane „Gdyż ona się odwróci”, wskazuje na znaczenie: Nie oddawaj swojej córki jego synowi, bo on, mąż twojej córki, odwróci ode Mnie twojego syna, którego urodzi mu twoja córka . Ale to („On się nawróci”) nie odnosi się do „Nie bierzcie jego córki za syna”, ponieważ syn niewiasty nie jest nazywany „synem waszym”, ale „jej synem”].
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
כל מקום שיש קדושין ואין עבירה – that the betrothal takes effect, and there is no sin [associated] with her marriage. And this principle is not exact, for a male convert who marries an illegitimately born female, the betrothal is valid but there is no sin [associated] with it, for a community/congregation of converts is not called a community. And even though any child-born goes after the [status] of the male, [in this case] the child is illegitimate (i.e., a Mamzer), both whether a convert married an illegitimately born female or whether a Mamzer married a woman convert.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
Introduction
This mishnah begins discussing a subject which will be covered throughout the remainder of Kiddushin: lineage. We have already encountered throughout Seder Nashim many different genealogical statuses: priests, Levites, Israelites, converts, mamzerim, natinim and more. Our mishnah discusses how these lineages are transmitted from generation to generation, namely the issue of whom the child’s lineage follows, that of the father or that of the mother. We should note that lineage was probably the most important factor in choosing a spouse in the ancient Jewish world and probably was a key factor in the entire ancient world. Indeed until the modern period many matches between young men and women were made based on lineage. Lineage largely determined a person’s social standing. It is sometimes hard to relate to this value for those of us living in 20-21st century America, a country where societal standing is perhaps less based on lineage than almost any nation throughout history.
The final clause of our mishnah contains the famous principle of “matrilineal descent” the “Jewishness” of the child follows the mother and not the father. This principle is surprising since ancient Jewish society was clearly patriarchal. Men were almost always the heads of their households, the woman would typically leave her family to enter the man’s house, men had custody and overall responsibility for their children etc. Furthermore, it seems quite clear that the Bible operates on the principle of “patrilineal descent.” Throughout the Tanakh men marry women of foreign descent and the women assimilate into their husband’s culture and homes (or notoriously fail to assimilate). The same is true of Second Temple literature such as the later books of the Bible, Josephus and Philo. How the matrilineal principle came to dominate rabbinic halakhah and literature is a mystery. There are a few places in rabbinic literature with a hint of a patrilineal principle, but there are few of them and they are usually rejected. A good discussion of these issues can be found in Shaye Cohen’s excellent book, The Beginnings of Jewishness.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
וכל מי שאין לה עליו קדושין וכו' הולד ממזר – In [Tractate] Yevamot (49a) we derive it from Scripture, as it is written (Deuteronomy 23:1): “No man shall marry his father’s former wife, [so as to remove his father’s garment],” and near it (verse 3), [it states]: “No one misbegotten [shall be admitted into the congregation of the LORD; none of his descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall be admitted into the congregation of the LORD].” And we maintain her as a widow whose husband died childless waiting for her brother-in-law to act (i.e., either to marry her or to absolve her of the obligation through the Halitzah/refusal ceremony) of his father, as she is the wife of the brother of his father and she is liable to Divine extirpation through him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
Wherever there is kiddushin and there is no transgression, the child goes after the status of the male. And what case is this? When the daughter of a priest, a Levite or an Israelite is married to a priest, a Levite or an Israelite. In normal marriages the status of the child follows that of the father: the child of a priest is a priest, of a Levite is a Levite and of an Israelite is an Israelite.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
על אחת מכל העריות – of those liable for Divine extirpation.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
And wherever there is kiddushin and there is transgression, the child goes after the status of the flawed parent. And what case is this? When a widow is married to a high priest, or a divorced woman or a halutzah to an ordinary priest, or a mamzeret or a netinah to an Israelite, and the daughter of an Israelite to a mamzer or a natin. However, if the marriage is valid, meaning that the woman requires a get to separate from the man, but the marriage involves a transgression, the child receives the lower status. Therefore, the child of a mamzer or a mamzeret is a mamzer(et). Furthermore, if the marriage is prohibited but neither parent is “flawed” (such as a mamzer or a natin), a female child from such a marriage is disqualified from subsequently marrying a priest. For instance the daughter of a priest and divorcee cannot marry a priest.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
ולד שפחה ונכרית – as it is written [regarding] a female maidservant (Exodus 21:4): “the wife and her children shall belong to the master…” and [regarding] a heathen woman, it is written (Deuteronomy 7:4): “For they will turn your children away from Me [to worship other gods]…,” and because it is not written, “and she will turn [your children] away [from Me], we learn from it that this is how it should be understood: “do not give your daughters to their sons [or take their daughters for your sons]” (Deuteronomy 7:3), for the husband of your daughter will turn away your son that your daughter will give birth to through him from Me, but, it does not repeat “his daughter you shall not take for your son,” for the child (literally “male,”) that comes from the heathen is not called “your son,” but rather, “her son.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
And any [woman] who cannot contract kiddushin with that particular person but can contract kiddushin with another person, the child is a mamzer. And what case is this? One who has intercourse with any relation prohibited in the Torah. If the marriage is invalid, but the woman could be betrothed to other men, the child is a mamzer. The example given is incest.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
And any [woman] who can not contract kiddushin with that particular person or with others, the child follows her status. And what case is this? The child issue of a female slave or a gentile woman. This section is where we see the famed “matrilineal principle.” We should note that it is incomplete. The mishnah states that the child of non-Jewish woman or slave is not Jewish or is a slave, but it does not specifically address the status of the child of a Jewish mother and male father.
