Yevamot 90

Chapter 90

א מנו רב יהודה והא אמר רב יהודה מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין הבא על בת ישראל אותו ולד אין לו תקנה

1 is, of course,1 Rab Judah.2 But surely Rab Judah had explicitly stated: Where one who is a half slave and half freed man cohabited with the daughter of an Israelite the child born from such a union can have no redress!3

ב כי איתמר דרב יהודה כגון דקדיש בת ישראל דנמצא צד עבדות שבו משתמש באשת איש

2 — Rab Judah's ruling4 was made only in the case where he5 betrothed6

ג והאמרי נהרדעי משמיה דרבי יעקב לדברי הפוסל פוסל אפילו בפנויה לדברי המכשיר מכשיר אפי' באשת איש

3 the daughter of an Israelite,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The betrothal, as far as his partial status of a slave is concerned, is invalid, while in respect of his partial state of emancipation it is valid. The Jewess is consequently his legal wife. ');">7 in consequence of which his partial slavery cohabits with a married woman.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The slave in him having cohabited with the woman who is legally betrothed to the emancipated part of him causes the offspring of the union to be deemed a bastard, as is the case with the offspring of any union between a betrothed or married woman and a stranger, be the latter Israelite, idolater or slave. If, however, cohabitation only between the half slave and a Jewess took place, 'without previous betrothal, the woman is not the legal wife of the 'half freed man' and the child born from the union is the child of an unmarried woman and is consequently legitimate, as Rabbah ruled. In the case of a full slave the question of betrothal does not arise since even if betrothal did take place it is invalid and the woman is legally deemed to be unmarried. ');">8 But did not the Nehardeans state in the name of R. Jacob that according to him who regards [the offspring]9

ד ושניהם לא למדוה אלא מאשת אב מאן דפסיל סבר מה אשת אב דלא תפסי בה קדושין [הולד ממזר] אף כל דלא תפסי בה קדושין הולד ממזר

4 as illegitimate, the child is so regarded even [where cohabitation had taken place] with an unmarried woman; and according to him who regards [the child] as legitimate, the child is so regarded even [if the cohabitation had taken place] with a married woman! And the deduction by both10 was made from none other than the wife of one's father.11 He who regards the child9

ה ומאן דמכשר סבר מה אשת אב דלדידיה לא תפסי בה קדושין לאחריני תפסי בה קדושין לאפוקי עובד כוכבים ועבד דלא תפסי בהו קדושין כלל

5 as illegitimate is of the opinion that as with the wife of one's father, betrothal with whom is invalid, the child is a bastard. So is the child a bastard in the case of all those12 betrothal with whom is invalid. And he who regards the child as legitimate is of the opinion [that the comparison is]: As with the wife of one's father, betrothal with whom is invalid in the case of the son only,13 but is valid in the case of others;14

ו אלא כי איתמר דרב יהודה כגון שבא על אשת איש ונמצא צד חירות שבו משתמש באשת איש

6 an idolater and a slave betrothal with whom is in all cases invalid are consequently excluded!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The cases of these being different from that of 'father's wife', the child born from a union between a Jewess and any of these must be deemed to be legitimate. The father is entirely eliminated and the child is ascribed to the mother. Now, since the statement of the Nehardeans proves that there is no difference between an unmarried and a married (or betrothed) woman, the distinction drawn supra between cohabitation after a betrothal and one in the absence of betrothal is obviously untenable. The objection then against Rabbah's ruling remains! ');">15 Hence the statement of R. Judah16 must have been made in respect of one17

ז אמר רבינא אמר לי רב גזא איקלע ר' יוסי בר אבין לאתרין והוה עובדא בפנויה ואכשר באשת איש ופסיל א"ר ששת לדידי אמר לי רב גזא לא ר' יוסי בר אבין הוה אלא רבי יוסי ברבי זבידא הוה ואכשר בין בפנויה בין באשת איש א"ל רב אחא בריה דרבה לרבינא איקלע אמימר לאתרין ואכשר בין בפנויה בין באשת איש

7 who had intercourse with a married woman, so that his emancipated side18 cohabits with a married woman.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. supra p. 295, n. 14. As the offspring of a union between an Israelite and a married woman is a bastard, so is that of the union between the semi-emancipated (cf. supra n. 10) and a married woman. ');">19 Rabina said: R. Gaza told me, 'R. Jose b. Abin happened to be at our place when an incident20

ח והלכתא עובד כוכבים ועבד הבא על בת ישראל הולד כשר בין בפנויה בין באשת איש

8 occurred with an unmarried woman and declared the child to be legitimate: [and when it occurred] with a married woman he declared the child to be illegitimate'. R. Shesheth said: R. Gaza told me that it was not R. Jose b. Abin but R. Jose son of R. Zebida, and that he declared the child to be legitimate, both in the case of the married, as well as in that of the unmarried woman.21 R. Aha son of Raba22

ט רבא אכשריה לרב מרי בר רחל ומנייה בפורסי דבבל ואע"ג דאמר מר (דברים יז, טו) שום תשים עליך מלך כל משימות שאתה משים אל יהו אלא מקרב אחיך האי כיון דאמו מישראל מקרב אחיך קרינן ביה

9 said to Rabina: Amemar once happened to be in our place and he declared the child23 to be legitimate in the case of a married, as well as in that of an unmarried woman. And the law is that if an idolater or a slave had cohabited with the daughter of an Israelite the child [born from such a union] is legitimate, both in the case of a married, and in that of an unmarried woman.21

י עבדיה דרבי חייא בר אמי אטבלה לההיא עובדת כוכבים לשם אנתתא אמר רב יוסף יכילנא לאכשורי בה ובברתה

10 Raba declared R. Mari b. Rachel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rachel was one of Mar Samuel's captive daughters, who, while in captivity, was married to an idolater and gave birth to Mari. Issur, the father of the child, embraced Judaism while Rachel was still in her pregnancy, and he is several times referred to in the Talmud as Issur the proselyte. (V. Keth. 23a; B.B. 149a. Sonc. ed. p. 644, and notes a.l.). ');">24 to be a legitimate Israelite and appointed him among the pursers25 of Babylon. And although a Master said: Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee … one from among thy brethren,26

יא בה כדרב אסי דאמר רב אסי מי לא טבלה לנדותה

11 all appointments which you make must be made only 'from among thy brethren', [means that] such a man,27 since his mother was a descendant of Israel, may well 'be regarded as 'one from among thy brethren'. The slave of R. Hiyya b. Ammi once made a certain idolatress bathe for a matrimonial purpose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The slave wished to take her as wife. Lit., 'wife', or 'wifehood'. He made her take a ritual bath in accordanee with the requirements prescribed for the menstruant before she can be permitted connubial intercourse. ');">28

יב בברתה עובד כוכבים ועבד הבא על בת ישראל הולד כשר

12 Said R. Joseph: I could declare her to be a legitimate Jewess<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though the bath was taken for menstrual purification yet since an idolatress takes no such baths, it may be regarded as one for the purpose of her conversion also. Usually, before he may be admitted as a legitimate proselyte, the convert most both be circumcised and bathe in a ritual bath for the specific purpose of the conversion. V, infra 46b. ');">29 and her daughter30 to be of legitimate birth.31

יג ההוא דהוו קרו ליה בר ארמייתא אמר רב אסי מי לא טבלה לנדותה ההוא דהוו קרו ליה בר ארמאה אמר ריב"ל מי לא טבל לקריו

13 In her case, in accordance with the view of R. Assi; for R. Assi said, 'Did she not bathe for the purpose of her menstruation'?32 In the case of her daughter, because when an idolater or a slave has intercourse with a daughter of an Israelite, the child [born of such a union] is legitimate.33 A certain person was once named 'son of the female heathen'.34

יד אמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב הלוקח עבד מן העובד כוכבים וקדם וטבל לשם בן חורין קנה עצמו בן חורין מאי טעמא

14 Said R. Assi, 'Did she not bathe for the purpose of her menstruation'?' A certain person was once named 'son of the male heathen'.35 Said R. Joshua b. Levi, 'Did he36 not bathe in connection with any mishap37 of his'?38 R. Hama b. Guria said in the name of Rab: If a man bought a slave from an idolater and [that slave] forestalled him and performed ritual ablution with the object of acquiring the status of a freed man, he acquires thereby his emancipation. What is the reason?

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