(Mishnah - R. Tarfon): I am able to 'purify' the Mamzerim (i.e. that their children are not Mamzerim). How is this? If a Mamzer married a non-Jewish slave woman, the child is a slave. If he then frees the slave, it becomes a free man (but not a Mamzer).

R. Eliezer: The child will be a Mamzer slave.

(Gemara): This Mishnah follows the opinion that a Mamzer is permitted to marry a (non-Jewish) slave.

Rav Yehudah citing Shmuel: The Halachah follows R. Tarfon.

R. Simlai instructed this way in Antuchiya. R. Simai instructed in Kfar Seforaya that the Halachah follows R. Tarfon.

Beraisa (R. Meir): A man and woman could 'give birth' to five nations. How is this? If a gentile owns a slave and slave woman and they had (two) children, those children are gentiles. If one of them converted, there is now one convert and one gentile. If the master then converted and also converted his slave and slave woman and they then had children, those children are slaves.

R. Zeira: This means that if a gentile had relations with a slave woman and she gave birth to a boy, the boy is a slave. If he freed the slave woman and then had another child together with her, it is a Mamzer. If he later freed the slave and it had a boy, that boy is the child of a freed slave.

There is a person who sells his father, in order to give his mother her Kesubah. How is this? If a master has a slave and a slave woman who had a child, if the master freed the slave woman and then married her and wrote over all of his property to her son (the slave). (When the master dies, it thereby frees the slave and gives him his own father as a slave. His mother is now a widow and he can use his father as payment of her Kesubah.

R. Meir: Mamzerim will not be purified in the future (and will rather be separated), as the pasuk states (Zecharyah 9, 6), "A Mamzer will dwell in Ashdod''. We take dirt to dirty places and disgusting people to disgusting places.

R. Yosi: Mamzerim will be purified (and join the congregation) in the future, as the pasuk states (Yecheskel 36, 25), "Then I will sprinkle on you pure water etc.''

Question (R. Meir to R. Yosi): The pasuk only writes "from all of your impurities and from all of your idols''?

Answer (R. Yosi): If it would have only written "from all of your impurities etc.'' I would have agreed, but since it also writes "I will purify you'', this is referring to purification of the Mamzerim.

Rav Huna citing Rav Yosef: The Halacha does not follow R. Yosi in the future.

(Mishnah): Ten different lineages came up with Ezra from Bavel - Kohen, Levi, Yisrael, Chalal, convert, freed slave, Mamzer, Nasin, Shtuki (one who knows his mother but not his father), Asufi (an abandoned baby, who does not know either of his parents).

Kohanim, Leviim and Yisraelim may marry each other.

Leviim, Yisraelim, converts, freed slaves and Chalalim may marry each other.

Converts, freed slaves, Mamzerim, Nasinim, Shtukis and Asufis may marry each other.

(Gemara): The Mishnah taught that Kohanim, Leviim and Yisraelim may marry each other. This is seen in the pasuk (Ezra 7, 7), "Some of the children of Israel and the Kohaim and the Leviim and the singers and the gatekeepers and the Nesinim ascended to Yerushalayim in the seventh year of the King Artachshast''.

Chalalim- as the Pasuk teaches (Ezra 2, 61-62), "...and from the children of the Kohanim - the children of Chavayah, the children of Hakotz...these wanted their genealogical records and they did not find them and they were disqualified from the Kehunah.''

(Ezra 2, 63), "And Hatirshasa (a.k.a. Nechemiah) said to them'' - why was he called Hatirshasa? Because "Hitiru lo lishtos'' - they permitted him to drink wine since (Nechemiah 1, 11), "I was the king's cupbearer'' (and he would taste the wine for the king to ensure that it had not been poisoned).

(Ezra 2, 63), "...they shall not eat from the holiest items''- but they could eat from Kodshei Hagevul (i.e. Terumah).

R. Yosi: Great is the concept of Chazakah (a pre-existing status), that since they had eaten Terumah in Bavel, they were also permitted to eat it in Eretz Yisrael.

Question: In Bavel it was understandable (that the Kohanim with dubious lineage could eat Terumah) as the pasuk states (Yirmiyahu 31, 20), "Make road markers for yourself'' (i.e. separate Terumah in exile, in order not to forget the Mitzvah of Terumah). But how could they rely on the Chazakah to eat it in Eretz Yisrael?

Answer: This follows the opinion that the obligation of Terumah during Second Temple times was not Biblical but rather, they accepted the obligation on themselves.

The pasuk in Ezra (ibid) ended by stating, "...until there would arise a Kohen to (ask of the) Urim and Tumim.''. Did the Urim and Tumim exist in the Second Temple? Rather, the expression is comparable to a person who says "(they shall not eat from the holiest items) until the dead will return to life; until the descendant of David (i.e. Moshiach) shall come''.

Question: Did Barzilai's daughters convert for the sake of Heaven or not (as discussed in the pesukim above Ezra 2, 61-62)? If they did, they should have been able to even eat from the holiest sacrifices. If not, they should not have been able to even eat Terumah...?!

Response to questioner: Even if they converted for the sake of Heaven, would they be able to marry into the Kehunah?! A convert has the status of a zonah with regard to marrying a Kohen?!

Response of questioner: They were not the daughters; they were the daughters' daughters.

Question: If they were daughters' daughters, they are considered regular Yisraelim, as R. Shimon said, that if a girl converted under the age of 3, she is Kasher to marry a Kohen (so why were they disqualified)?

Answer: They did not have intention when they immersed or their mother converted them (without their acceptance); but when they matured and immersed for sanctity reasons (to remove their Nidah impurity), it was as if they were immersing for conversion purposes; therefore they were disqualified from marrying Kohanim because it was as if they converted over the age of 3 and were classified as 'zonos'.

If a person converts because of the good (that they are expecting to receive as a result of it); or a man converts in order to marry a certain woman; or a woman converts in order to marry a certain man; or people who convert in order to be appointed in powerful positions; or people who converted from fear of lions; or the people who converted at the time of Mordechai and Ester (as they were afraid from the Jews) - in all of these cases, we do not accept them.

Rav: The Halacha is that they are considered converts; we do not dissuade them from converting as we do for regular converts and we must also show favour to them, because of the possibility that they are really converts.