Commentary for Kiddushin 142:5
עולא איקלע לפומבדיתא לבי רב יהודה חזייה לרב יצחק בריה דרב יהודה דגדל ולא נסיב א"ל מאי טעמא לא קא מנסיב ליה מר איתתא לבריה א"ל מי ידענא מהיכא אנסיב אמר ליה אטו אנן מי ידעינן מהיכא קאתינן דילמא מהנך דכתיב (איכה ה, יא) נשים בציון ענו בתולות בערי יהודה
'Ulla visited Rab Judah in Pumbeditha. Seeing that R'Isaac, the son of Rab Judah, was grown up, yet unmarried,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the importance of not leaving marriage too late cf. supra, 29b, 30a.');"><sup>6</sup></span> he asked him, 'Why have you not taken a wife for your son? ' 'Do I then know whence to take one? ' he replied.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I do not know who is of pure descent.');"><sup>7</sup></span>
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
R. Yehudah does not seem to want to marry off his son because he cannot determine the lineage of the women around him. Ulla begins to point out that we too do not know our lineage. Perhaps we are descended from the Babylonians who raped Israelite women during the time when the First Temple was destroyed. R. Yehuda could respond that he holds that the offspring of a non-Jew and a Jewish woman is fit. Therefore, maybe we are pure.
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