Kesubos - Daf 24
- אני כהן וחברי כהן - אם חושש לגומלין
It was taught in a Baraisa: If two men say about each other: אני כהן וחברי כהן נאמן להאכילו בתרומה – “I am a Kohen and my friend is a Kohen,” each is believed to enable the other to eat terumah, ואינו נאמן להשיאו אשה עד שיהו שלשה - but not to the extent of marrying a woman of good yichus, unless there are three men, two of whom who testify about this one, and two of whom who testify about that one. Rashi explains that it is a מעלה היא ביוחסין – a higher standard that the Rabbanon set for Kohanim, requiring two witnesses. Rebbe Yehudah says: He is not believed even to let the other one eat terumah unless there are three men, two of whom who testify about this one, and two of whom who testify about that one. The Gemara assumes that the machlokes is whether we are חושש לגומלין – suspect collusion between them, and the Chochomim hold we are not suspect, and Rebbe Yehudah holds we are suspect. Rava explains that this contradicts their positions in another case, where donkey drivers are transporting grain and one says, “My grain is new, but my friend’s is old. Mine has not been maasered, but his has,” where Rebbe Yehudah says we believe him and the Chochomim say we do not. Rebbe Yehudah believes him here because are we dealing with d’Rabbanon demai, and the Chochomim do not believe him, because כלי אומנתו בידו – his tools to sell are in is hand, which indicates he intends to sell his grain, not just store it.
- מחלוקת אם מעלין מתרומה ליוחסין, משטרות ליוחסין מנשיאות כפים ליוחסין
The Gemara brings an alternative explanation for the machlokes between the Chochomim and Rebbe Yehudah, saying במעלין מתרומה ליוחסין קמיפלגי – they disagree whether we elevate a Kohen who eats terumah to the status of one who has good Kohanic yichus. Rebbe Yehudah says that we do, and therefore two witnesses are required to permit one to eat terumah, and the Chochomim hold we do not, and therefore each Kohen can testify about the other. The Gemara asks, מהו להעלות משטרות ליוחסין – What is the halachah regarding elevating someone who is called a Kohen in a document to good Kohanic yichus? This is a case where someone wrote, “I, Ploni Kohen, borrowed a maneh from Ploni,” and witnesses signed on the shtar. Are they testifying only about the maneh in the shtar or everything in the shtar, including the description of the borrower as a Kohen? Rav Huna and Rav Chisda disagreed. One said we do elevate and the other said we do not.
- מהו להעלות מנשיאות כפים ליוחסין
Rav Chisda and Rebbe Avina disagree whether we elevate a Kohen based on his doing נשיאות כפים – birkas Kohanim. Rava brought a Baraisa to answer this question, that taught that Nechemiah, referred to here as Hatirshasa, forbade Kohanim with questionable yichus who returned from Bavel, to eat from Kodshim but did permit them to eat terumah based on the chazakah that they had eaten terumah while in galus. Rava inferred that these Kohanim could also continue doing birkas Kohanim based on the chazakah they had done so in galus, and said that if one who did נשיאות כפים was elevated to good yichus, what was accomplished by prohibiting them from eating kodshim? The Gemara refutes this proof, saying שאני הכא דריע חזקייהו – this situation was different because their status was widely known to be problematic. Rashi explains that everyone saw they were not permitted to eat kodshim when everyone else was permitted, and nowadays we are מעלה מנשיאות כפים ליוחסין – we do elevate to good yichus one who does birkas Kohanim.
