Bava Batra 218:1

ואי אתה מעביר נחלה מן האב אפילו במקום בת אם כן לא נכתוב רחמנא והעברתם

but no inheritance is passed from the father even where there is a daughter'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the text speaks only of brothers and not of a father, why should it not be assumed that a father takes precedence over a daughter, though not over brothers? ');">¹</span> — If so<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That Num. XXVII, 8 is to be interpreted in the sense that only where there is a daughter does she takes precedence over the brother but where there is no daughter the inheritance is to go to the brothers. ');">²</span> the Torah should not have written<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Num. XXVII, 8. ');">³</span> [at all]. Then ye shall cause [his inheritance] to pass [unto his daughter].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since this law is specifically stated in the following verse (ibid 9). ');">⁴</span>

ולמאן דנפקא ליה מוהעברתם האי שארו מאי עביד ליה מיבעי ליה לכדתניא שארו זו אשתו מלמד שהבעל יורש את אשתו

According to him who infers it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 451, n. 5. ');">⁵</span> from, then ye shall cause [his inheritance] to pass,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. ');">⁶</span> what is [the phrase], his kinsman, to be applied to? — He applies<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'requires'. ');">⁷</span> it, to [the following], as it was taught: His kinsman,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXVII, 11. ');">⁸</span>

ולמאן דנפקא ליה משארו האי והעברתם מאי עביד ליה מיבעי ליה לכדתניא רבי אומר בכולן נאמר בהן נתינה וכאן נאמרה בהן העברה שאין לך שמעביר נחלה משבט לשבט אלא בת הואיל ובנה ובעלה יורשין אותה

refers to his wife: [and this] teaches that the husband is heir to his wife.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 111b. ');">⁹</span> And according to him who infers its from his kinsman, to what does he apply [the expression], then ye shall cause [his inheritance] to pass?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 8. ');">¹⁰</span> — He applies it to [the following]; as it was taught: Rabbi said: In [the case of] all [the relatives],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Enumerated in Num. XXVII, 9-11. ');">¹¹</span> [the expression of] 'giving' is used, but here,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of a daughter. ');">¹²</span>

וממאי דשארו זה האב דכתיב (ויקרא יח, יב) שאר אביך הוא אימא שארו זו האם דכתיב (ויקרא יח, יג) שאר אמך היא

[the expression] used is that of 'causing to pass',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 8. ');">¹³</span> [in order to teach] you that no other but a daughter causes an inheritance to pass from one tribe to [another] tribe, since [in her case] her son or her husband are her heirs.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Infra 147a. ');">¹⁴</span> What [reason] is there for deducing that she'ero<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] 'Kinsman' or 'kinswoman'. ');">¹⁵</span> refers to the father? — Because it is written, She is thy father's near kinsman:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] Lev. XVIII, 12. ');">¹⁶</span>

אמר רבא אמר קרא (במדבר כז, יא) ממשפחתו וירש אותה משפחת אב קרויה משפחה משפחת אם אינה קרויה משפחה דכתיב (במדבר א, ב) למשפחותם לבית אבותם

Why not [rather] say [that] she'ero refers to the mother since it is written, She is thy mother's near kinswoman?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] Ibid. 13; and consequently, let it be inferred from this text that a mother, like a father, is entitled to inherit from a daughter ');">¹⁷</span> — Raba replied: The Scriptural text says. that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXVII, 11. ');">¹⁸</span> the family of the father is regarded<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'called'. ');">¹⁹</span> [as the proper] family [but] the family of the mother is not regarded<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'called'. ');">¹⁹</span>

ומשפחת אם אינה קרויה משפחה והא כתיב (שופטים יז, ז) ויהי נער מבית לחם יהודה ממשפחת יהודה והוא לוי והוא גר שם הא גופא קשיא אמרת והוא לוי אלמא מלוי אתי ממשפחת יהודה אלמא מיהודה אתי אלא לאו דאבוה מלוי ואימיה מיהודה וקאמר ממשפחת יהודה

[as the proper] family; for it is written, by their families, by their father's houses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. I, 22. ');">²⁰</span> [But] is not the mother's family regarded<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'called'. ');">¹⁹</span> [as the proper] family? Surely it is written, And there was a young man out of Bethlehem in Judah — of the family of Judah — who was a Levite, and he sojourned there;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Judg. XVII, 7. ');">²¹</span> [now], this is self-contradictory, [for] it is said, 'who was a Levite', which clearly indicates that he descended from Levi, [and it is also said], 'of the family of Judah,' which clearly shows that he descended from Judah; must it not then be concluded that his father [was of the tribe] of Levi and his mother [of that] of Judah, and [yet the text] speaks [of him as] 'of the family of Judah'! — Raba, son of R. Hanan, replied: No;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' His father was not of the tribe of Levi, but of that of Judah. ');">²²</span>

אמר רבא בר רב חנן לא גברא דשמיה לוי אי הכי היינו דקאמר מיכה (שופטים יז, יג) עתה ידעתי כי ייטיב ה' לי כי היה לי הלוי לכהן אין דאיתרמי ליה גברא דשמיה לוי

[he may have been] a man whose name was Levi.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] may be rendered as both 'Levite' and 'Levi'. ');">²³</span> If so, [is] this [the reason] why Micah said, 'Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the young man were not of the tribe of Levi, would Micah have been so glad in having secured a mere layman as his priest? ');">²⁴</span> — Yes; [he was glad] that he happened to obtain a man whose name was Levi. But was Levi his name? Surely his name was Jonathan, for it is said, And Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Judg. XVIII, 30. The Danites appropriated Micah's graven and molten images, his ephod and teraphim, and took also with them the young man who was his priest. ');">²⁵</span> — He said unto him: But [even] according to your argument, [it may be objected], 'Was he the son of Manasseh? Surely he was the son of Moses, for it is written, the son of Moses: Gershom, and Eliezer';<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Chron. XXIII, 15. ');">²⁶</span>

וכי לוי שמו והלא יהונתן שמו שנאמ' (שופטים יח, ל) ויהונתן בן גרשם בן מנשה הוא ובניו היו כהנים לשבט הדני אמר ליה וליטעמיך וכי בן מנשה הוא והלא בן משה הוא דכתיב (דברי הימים א כג, טו) בני משה גרשם ואליעזר

but [you must say that] because he acted [wickedly] as Manasseh,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Manasseh the son of Hezekiah was one of the most wicked kings of Judah. Cf. II kings XXI, 1-17. [In the M.T the [H] of [H] is a litera suspensa: [H].] ');">²⁷</span> the Scriptural text ascribed his<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'hanged him on'. ');">²⁸</span> descent to Manasseh, [so] also here<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To harmonise Judg. XVII, 7, with the statement that the family of the mother is not regarded as the proper family. ');">²⁹</span> [it may be said that], because he acted [wickedly] as Manasseh who descended from Judah, the Scriptural text ascribed his<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'hanged him on'. ');">²⁸</span>

אלא מתוך שעשה מעשה מנשה תלאו הכתוב במנשה הכא נמי מתוך שעשה מעשה מנשה דאתי מיהודה תלאו הכתוב ביהודה

descent to Judah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But, in reality, he may have belonged to the tribe of Levi. Hence, in either ease, Judg. XVII, 7, cannot be adduced as proof that the mother's family is regarded as the proper family. ');">³⁰</span> R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai: From here [one may infer] that corruption is ascribed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'hanged him on'. ');">²⁸</span> to the corrupt.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Micah's priest who ministered to idolatry is described as a descendant of the corrupt king Manasseh. ');">³¹</span> R. Jose b. Hanina said: [This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That corruption is ascribed to the corrupt. ');">³²</span>

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי מכאן שתולין את הקלקלה במקולקל רבי יוסי בר חנינא אמר מהכא (מלכים א א, ו) וגם הוא טוב תואר מאד ואותו ילדה אחרי אבשלום והלא אדניה בן חגית ואבשלום בן מעכה אלא מתוך שעשה מעשה אבשלום דמרד במלכות תלאו הכתוב באבשלום (ה"נ מתוך שעשה מעשה מנשה תלאו הכתוב במנשה)

may be inferred] from the following: [It is written,] And he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Adonijah. ');">³³</span> was also a very goodly man, and he was born after Absalom;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Kings I, 6. ');">³⁴</span> was not Adonijah the son of Haggith, and Absalom the son of Maacah? But because he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Adonijah. ');">³³</span> acted in the same manner as Absalom who rebelled against the king, the Scriptural text associated<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 453. n. 7. ');">³⁵</span>

אמר רבי אלעזר לעולם ידבק אדם בטובים שהרי משה שנשא בת יתרו יצא ממנו יהונתן אהרן שנשא בת עמינדב יצא ממנו פנחס

him with Absalom. R. Eleazar said: One should always associate<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'cling to'. ');">³⁶</span> with good [people]; for behold, from Moses who married the daughter of Jethro,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The priest of Midian, an idolater. ');">³⁷</span> there descended Jonathan<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An idolatrous priest. ');">³⁸</span>

ופנחס לאו מיתרו אתי והא כתיב (שמות ו, כה) ואלעזר בן אהרן לקח לו מבנות פוטיאל לו לאשה מאי לאו דאתי מיתרו שפיטם עגלים לע"ז לא דאתי מיוסף שפטפט ביצרו

[while] from Aaron, who married the daughter of Amminadab, there descended Phinehas.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Num. XXV, 11ff. ');">³⁹</span> But did not Phinehas descend from Jethro? Surely it is written, <i>And Eleazar<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The father of Phinehas. ');">⁴⁰</span></i> Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. VI, 25. ');">⁴¹</span> does not this mean that he descended from Jethro who crammed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] regarded as of the same root as Putiel. ');">⁴²</span>

והלא שבטים מבזים אותו ואומרים ראיתם בן פוטי זה בן שפיטם אבי אמו עגלים לע"ז יהרוג נשיא שבט מישראל

calves for idol worship? — No; [it means] that he descended from Joseph who conquered<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] 'conquer in argument'. ');">⁴³</span> his passions.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Gen. XXXIX, 7ff. ');">⁴⁴</span> Did not, however, the tribes sneer at him and say.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Sanh. 82b, Sotah, 43a. ');">⁴⁵</span> 'Have you seen this Puti-son?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Abbreviation of Putiel. ');">⁴⁶</span> A youth whose mother's father crammed calves for idol-worship should kill the head<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Zimri. v. Num. XXV, 6ff ');">⁴⁷</span> of a tribe in Israel!'