Yevamos - Daf 99
- איש ואשה שמולידין חמש אומות
It was taught in a Baraisa: איש ואשה פעמים שמולידין חמש אומות – A man and a woman can sometimes beget children belonging to five different genealogical categories. How so? If a Jew purchased a non-Jewish eved and a shifchah from the market (i.e., from a non-Jew), and they had two sons who were born to them previously, ונתגייר אחד מהן – and one of the sons converted, it turns out that one of the sons is a ger and the other is an idolater. הטבילן לשם עבדות – If he immerses the eved and shifchah for the sake of conversion to slavery status, and then they have relations and have a son, we now have a third son that is an eved. If the Jew then frees the shifchah, and the eved has relations with her, the fourth son will be a mamzer. If the Jew then frees the eved as well, who then marries the freed shifchah, the fifth son will be a Yisroel. The Gemara explains that Rebbe Meir is coming to inform us that an idolater or an eved who has relations with a Jewess, the child born to them is a mamzer. Rebbe Meir defines a mamzer as a child born from a relationship where kiddushin is not tofais.
- האשה שנתערב ולדה בולד כלתה
The next Mishnah states: האשה שנתערב ולדה בולד כלתה – If a women’s child became mixed with her daughter-in-law’s child, and the children grow up, get married and then die childless, בני הכלה חולצין ולא מיבמין – anyone of the surviving definite sons of the daughter-in-law perform chalitzah with the two widows but do not take them in yibum, שהוא ספק אשת אחיו ספק אשת אחי אביו – because there is a safek if each widow might be their brother’s wife, who is permitted to them, or their father’s brother’s wife, who is forbidden to them. בני הזקנה או חולצין או מייבמין – The surviving definite sons of the elder woman, may either do chalitzah or yibum, שספק אשת אחיו ואשת בן אחיו – because there is a safek whether each widow is their brother’s wife or perhaps their brother’s son’s wife, both of whom are permitted.
- Why the Kohen’s son and eved needed to come to the granary together for terumah
The Mishnah states: כהנת שנתערב ולדה בולד שפחתה – If the child of a Kohen’s wife got mixed with the child of her shifchah, and it is not known whose child belongs to whom, הרי אלו אוכלים בתרומה וחולקין חלק אחד בגורן – they may both eat terumah, but they receive one portion of terumah at the granary, which the Gemara explains, means that they receive a portion of terumah at the granary when they come as one. The Mishnah is in accordance Rebbe Yehudah, who taught אין חולקין תרומה לעבד אלא אם כן רבו עמו – one does not distribute terumah to an eved unless his master is with him. Therefore, neither child may come alone, as they might be an eved. Rebbe Yose says that the child can say, “If I am a Kohen, give me terumah based on that account. If I am an eved of a Kohen, give me on account of my master”. The Gemara explains that where Rebbe Yehudah lived, היו מעלין מתרומה ליוחסין – they would elevate someone from the status of those to whom terumah may be given, to the status of one who has the correct yichus, meaning pure Kohanim. Therefore, he did not allow terumah to be given to an eved. Where Rebbe Yose lived, they would not elevate one’s status, and therefore, they would give an eved terumah.
