(R. Chama bar Chanina): When Hash-m purifies families (reveals who has proper lineage), He will begin with the Leviyim (i.e. Kohanim) - "He will sit like one who purifies silver, and purify the Leviyim like gold and silver, and they will bring Minchah offerings b'Tzedakah (rightfully)."

(R. Yehoshua ben Levi): Money permits Mamzerim - "the Purifier (Hash-m) will sit, and money will purify." (Rashi - if Pesulim intermarried with many families due to their money, Hash-m will be Machshir them all, lest He disqualify those who intermarried with them.)

Question: How does he explain "they will bring Minchah offerings b'Tzedakah"?

Answer (R. Yitzchak): Hash-m was charitable to Yisrael, to permit disqualified families that became mixed.

(Rav Yehudah): All lands are like dough (mixed with Pesulim) compared to Eretz Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael is like dough compared to Bavel.

In Rebbi's time, people wanted to say that Bavel is like dough compared to Eretz Yisrael.

Rebbi (who was from Bavel): You cause problems for me! R. Chanina bar Chama can deal with you.

(R. Chanina bar Chama, citing Rebbi Yosi): All lands are like dough compared to Eretz Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael is like dough compared to Bavel.

In R. Pinchas' time, people wanted to say that Bavel is like dough compared to Eretz Yisrael. He told his servants to be ready to quickly take him out in a carriage after he speaks in the Beis Medrash.

R. Pinchas: The Torah does not require slaughter of birds.

While people were thinking about this, he said 'all lands are like dough compared to Eretz Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael is like dough compared to Bavel.' His servants rushed him out. People chased him, but could not catch him.

People started investigating lineages. They found that there were problems in powerful families (who would kill them if they revealed this). They stopped investigating.

(R. Yochanan): We could reveal the problematic families in Eretz Yisrael but giants of the generation are involved (and this would disgrace them).

He holds like R. Yitzchak, who said that we do not separate from a problematic family that intermarried with many others.

Support (Abaye - Mishnah): Ben Tziyon (a powerful and important person) caused people to accept (intermarry with) one family of improper lineage, and caused people to stay away from a proper family;

Eliyahu will (respectively) disqualify and purify such families, push away and draw close, because people know their true status;

If a family (that people thought is Kosher) intermarried widely, it will not be disqualified.

(Beraisa): There was another family (not mentioned in the Mishnah) that was accepted by force. Chachamim did not reveal its name, but they passed on the name to their Talmidim and children once every seven years. Some say that they did so twice every seven years.

(Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak): It is more reasonable to say once every seven years:

(Beraisa): If one said 'I will be a Nazir if I do not reveal improper families', he must be a Nazir. He may not reveal. (This shows how much we must avoid revealing about families.)

(Rabah bar bar Chanah): Chachamim pass on (the true pronunciation of) Hash-m's four letter name to their Talmidim and children once every seven years. Some say, they do so twice every seven years.

(Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak): It is more reasonable to say once every seven years - "this is My name l'Olam (forever)" is written missing a 'Vov', so we may read it Le'alem (to conceal).

Rava planned to reveal the name in his class. An elder remarked 'it is written like Le'alem.'

Contradiction (R. Avina): One verse says "this is My name" and another verse says "this is My remembrance"!

Answer: Hash-m's name is not pronounced like it is written. It is written with Yud-Kei, but it is pronounced like Aleph-Dalet.

(Beraisa): At first, they would pass on Hash-m's 12-letter name to everyone. When base people became widespread, they would pass it on only to virtuous Kohanim;

The virtuous Kohanim would say it quietly. It was drowned out by the voices of the other Kohanim.

(R. Tarfon): I once came close and heard the Kohen Gadol say it amidst the other Kohanim.

(Rav Yehudah): The 42-letter name is taught only to someone virtuous, humble, middle aged, who does not get angry or drunk or harbor resentment.

Anyone who knows the name and guards it in Taharah is beloved in Heaven and earth, people fear him, and he inherits this world and the next.

(Shmuel): In Bavel, we assume the lineage is fine in every place, unless we know about a problem;

In other lands (excluding Eretz Yisrael), we assume that the lineage is bad, unless we know that it is good;

In Eretz Yisrael, areas established to be bad are bad, and areas established to be good are good.

Contradiction: 'Areas established to be bad are bad' implies that Stam (without a Chazakah), we assume that a place is good;

'Areas established to be good are good' implies that Stam, we assume that a place is bad!

Answer (Rav Huna bar Tachlifa): To get married, Stam, we assume that a place is bad (one must check first.) To force one to divorce, Stam, we assume that a place is good (we do not force without proof of a Psul).

(Rav Yosef): If one speaks like someone from Bavel, we assume that he is of Bavel (a woman may marry him without checking).

Nowadays, people speak like this to trick people, so we cannot rely on this.

R. Yochanan wanted to marry his daughter to Ze'iri. Ze'iri did not want to marry her (since he was from Bavel, of superior lineage), so he was avoiding R. Yochanan.

Once, they were walking and encountered a puddle. R. Zeira carried R. Yochanan across on his shoulders.

R. Yochanan: You accept our Torah (of Eretz Yisrael, and consider me to be your Rebbi). Why don't you accept our daughters?!

Do you think that our Mishnah (10 lineages...) teaches that all the Pesulim left Bavel? No! Just like some people of good lineage remained, also some Pesulim remained!

R. Yochanan overlooked R. Elazar's teaching, that Ezra did not leave Bavel until he made it like clean flour (he took all the Pesulim with him).

Ula saw that Rav Yehudah's son had grown up, but was not married.

Ula: Why don't you marry off your son?

Rav Yehudah: Where can I find a girl of proper lineage? (Pnei Yehoshua - Rav Yehudah (72b) said that Chachamim hold that all lands have Chezkas Kashrus (and the Halachah follows them)! He held that his own lineage was Vadai, and he desired a similar girl for his son.)

Ula: Who can guarantee that we ourselves are fine? Those who destroyed the Mikdash "raped women in Tziyon." Perhaps we descend from them!

Suggestion: (Even so, we are Kosher, for) the child of a Yisre'elis from a Nochri or slave is Kosher.

Rejection: Still, there are Mamzerim among Yisrael from adultery!

(Rebbi Yosi bar Chanina): "Those who lie on ivory beds and Seruchim (overhang, or stink) on their beds" refers to people who urinate naked in front of their beds.

Objection (R. Avahu): For this "they will be the first to be exiled"?!

(R. Avahu): Rather, the verse refers to people who eat together, stick their beds together and swap wives. They make their beds stink with others' semen.

Rav Yehudah: What should we do?

Ula: Look for a family that is silent when confronted;

In Eretz Yisrael, when families quarrel, the first family to be silent is considered to have better lineage.

(Rav): The best lineage in Bavel is the families that are silent.

Question: Rav came to Bei Shichla and checked them!

Suggestion: He checked their lineage (by inquiring about their parents...)

Answer: No, he checked which families are silent.

(Rav Yehudah): If you see two men quarrel, one of them has bad lineage, and Hash-m is preventing them from intermarrying.

(R. Yehoshua ben Levi): If you see two families quarreling - one of them has bad lineage, Hash-m is preventing them from intermarrying.

(Rav Papa Sava): Bavel's lineage is clean. That of Meishan is all disqualified. Some of Madai is disqualified. Most of Eilam is disqualified.

Question: What area is considered Bavel (past the Chidekel river)?

Answer #1 (Rav): It is until the river Azak.

Answer #2 (Shmuel): It is until the river Yu'ani.

Question: Between the Pras and Chidekel rivers, how far along the Diglas (i.e. the Chidekel) does Bavel extend (on the south)?

Answer #1 (Rav): It is until Bagda and Avna.

Answer #2 (Shmuel): It is until, but not including Mushchani.

Objection: R. Chiya bar Aba said in the name of Shmuel that Mushchani is the elite of lineage!

Correction: Rather, Shmuel said 'until and including Mushchani.'

Question: How far along the Diglas does Bavel extend (in the north)?

Answer: (Rav Shmuel): It is until the lower Afmaya.

Question: How far along the Pras does Bavel extend (on the south)?

Answer #1: (Rav): It is until Aka.

Answer #2 (Shmuel): It is until the bridge of Pras.

Answer #3 (R. Yochanan): It is until the Gizma bridge.

Abaye (some say - Rav Yosef) vehemently opposed Rav's opinion.

Question: All the more so, he should oppose Shmuel's opinion (which is more lenient)!

Answer #1: Indeed, he vehemently opposed Rav's opinion, and all the more so Shmuel's opinion!

Answer #2: Shmuel is stricter than Rav. In Shmuel's day, the bridge of Pras was before Aka. Later, it was rebuilt past Aka.