1)

(a)The Kusim Darshened the Pasuk "Lo Sihyeh Eshes ha'Mes ha'Chutzah l'Ish Zar" to mean that it is only a woman who remains outside (i.e. who was betrothed, but not married) who requires Yibum.

(b)The third opinion (presenting the reason that Chazal forbade Kusim to marry into the Kahal) is that of Rebbi Eliezer, who says that the Kusim were not experts in Halachah (in general, and in the Halachos of Yuchsin, in particular, as we will explain shortly).

(c)Rebbi Elazar forbade even a Kusi to marry a Kutis (because of the possibility that one of them is Kosher and the other is not) according to the opinion of Rebbi Eliezer.

2)

(a)On the basis of his contention (that Kusim are not experts in Halachos in general), Rebbi Eliezer in a Beraisa, prohibits Matzos baked by a Kusi, throughout Pesach. The Tana Kama permits it even to use at the Seder as Matzos Mitzvah.

(b)Matzos baked by Nochrim (assuming one knows that they are not Chametz) may be eaten throughout Pesach, even at the Seder. One remains obligated however, to eat a k'Zayis of Shemurah Matzah at the end (because a Nochri is not eligible to bake Matzos 'le Shem Mitzvas Matzah').

(c)Raban Shimon ben Gamliel says that even though Kusim are lax in certain Mitzvos, there are other Mitzvos which they do observe, and those that they do, they observe even more meticulously than other Jews.

3)

(a)According to Rebbi Eliezer, Chazal issued a decree on the Kusim specifically regarding to marriage because they were inexpert in the Dinim of Gitin and Kidushin.

(b)Rav Nachman Amar Rabah bar Avuhah and Rava both qualify this, restricting it to a couple of cases. According to the former, there were two cases of Mamzerus, by the Kusim, one where a man married his sister and another where a man married his brother's wife. Rav Nachman is coming to teach us the principle 'Yesh Mamzer me'Chayavei Kerisus'.

(c)According to Rava, there were also two cases, one of an Eved marrying a Kutis, and the other, of a Kusi marrying a Shifchah though it was only the latter which produced Avadim (since Rava holds 'Akum v'Eved ha'Ba Al bas Yisraael, ha'Vlad Kosher').

(d)In spite of the fact that according to Rav Nachman, either of the two cases would have justified the decree, and according to Rava, only one of the cases actually justified it, they both mention two cases (not because they considered it necessary, but) because that is what happened.

4)

(a)Our Mishnah obligates someone who marries a Kohenes to examine four mothers (her mother and her father's mother's mother; her father's mother and her father's father's mother) 'who are really eight' ...

(b)... by which he means the mothers of each of those four.

(c)One is searching for Mamzerus or any other Psul Kahal (see also Tosfos DH 'Tzarich').

(d)A Kohen who comes to marry a Leviyah or a Yisre'elis, says the Tana needs to examine one generation higher than the previous case (see also Tosfos DH 'ha'Nosei' and Hagahos Maharshal). Note, it is unclear why Rashi establishes this case specifically by a Kohen (See Tosfos Yom Tov).

5)

(a)What the daughters of a Kohen who served on the Mizbe'ach, a Levi who ascended the Duchen to sing and a member of the Sanhedrin have in common is that their Yichus does not need to be examined.

(b)The other two officials' daughters whom the Tana exempts from Bedikah are those whose fathers (and grandfathers) are long established law officers (i.e. Dayanim who sit on the Sanhedrin that judges money-matters only) and Gaba'ei Tzedakah.

(c)Rebbi Chanina ben Antigonos adds anyone who was written 'be'Asratya shel Melech (which will be explained later in the Sugya). Rebbi Yosi adds the daughter of anyone who served as a Dayan in Tzipori.

6)

(a)When women argue, they insult each other by referring to adulterous acts of the disputant (rather than to a Psul Yuchsin), whereas men refer to their Psul Yuchsin.

(b)This explains why the Tana requires the mothers and not the fathers to be examined because, if there had been a Psul Yuchsin by any of the fathers, we would have known about it via their disputes.

(c)Chazal did not also obligate a Kohenes to examine her husband's ancestry before marrying him because, since the Torah does not forbid the P'sulei Kohen on a Kohenes, they did not wish to be more stringent than the Torah, declining to institute an examination for Yuchsin either.

(d)Rav Ada bar Ahavah quoting a Beraisa, requires twelve mothers. Another Beraisa requires sixteen.

(e)Rav Ada bar Ahavah refers to someone who marries a Leviyah or a Yisre'elis (and does not therefore argue with our Mishnah). The other Beraisa does not necessarily argue with out Mishnah because the Tana explains 'Mosifin Aleihen od Achas' (written in our Mishnah by a Leviyah v'Yisre'elis) to mean 'Zug Achas' (another pair of mothers).

7)

(a)Our Mishnah, says Rav Yehudah Amar Rav, is the opinion of Rebbi Meir. The Chachamim hold that no Bedikah is generally necessary, because all families are presumed Kosher unless there is reason to assume otherwise.

(b)In a case where a rumor, started by two witnesses, is spreading that a woman is Pasul the Chachamim will agree that she requires examination.

(c)We reconcile this with a statement by Rav Chama bar Guri'a Amar Rav, who established our Mishnah when such a rumor has began to spread, and which Rav Yehudah Amar Rav just established like Rebbi Meir by presenting it as a Machlokes Amora'im.

(d)In the second Lashon Rav Yehudah Amar Rav cites the opinion of the Chachamim (as he did in the first), but Rav Chama bar Guri'a refers (not to our Mishnah, but) to Rav Yehudah's statement, where he adds that if a rumor began to spread, even the Chachamim will concede that a Bedikah is necessary.

8)

(a)We learned in our Mishnah 'Ein Bodkin min ha'Mizbe'ach u'l'Ma'alah, v'Lo min ha'Duchan u'l'Ma'alah', because they would not allow a Kohen or a Levi to serve in the Beis ha'Mikdash before having examined his Yichus. The reason that the Beraisa quoted by Rav Yosef gives for 'Ein Bodkin min ha'Sanhedrin u'l'Ma'alah' is that just as Beis-Din had to be flawless in judgment, so too did they have to be flawless in Yichus.

(b)Mereimar learns it from the Pasuk in Shir ha'Shirim "Kulach Yafeh Rayasi, u'Mum Ein Bach" which cannot refer literally to blemishes, because we have another Pasuk in Beha'aloscha "v'Hisyatzvu Sham Imach" ('Imach b'Domin Lach' [comparing the Sanhedrin to Mosheh]) which teaches us that.

(c)We might have refuted this answer, were it not for another Pasuk "v'Hakel me'Alecha v'Nas'u Itach" ("Itach", 'be'Domin Lach') because we would otherwise have confined the Pasuk in Beha'aloscha (requiring a pure Yichus) to that particular instance, in honor of the Shechinah that was due to appear there.

(d)The Mishnah in Sanhedrin draws a distinction between Dayanim who judge money-matters where everyone is eligible, and those who judge matters of life and death where they are not.

(e)Rav Yehudah interprets 'everyone' to mean Mamzerim.

9)

(a)Abaye, supported by a Beraisa, now reconciles the discrepancy between our Mishnah (which requires Yichus for Dayanim, even concerning money-matters) and the Mishnah in Sanhedrin (which does not) by establishing our Mishnah in Yerushalayim, where they were particular about Yichus in the Sanhedrin, even though Halachically, this was not necessary.

10)

(a)'Memashkenin Al ha'Tzedakah' means that the Gaba'ei Tzedakah had the authority to take a security from anyone in the community who refused to pay the amount that they assessed him for.

(b)It was not therefore uncommon for people from whom they had forcibly taken a security to insult and curse them. Consequently had they had a Psul Yuchsin, we would have known about it; so as long as we don't, our Mishnah permits their daughters to marry without Bedikah.

(c)'va'Afilu b'Erev Shabbos' only comes to enhance the previous Sevara, because that is when people are busy preparing for Shabbos, making them more nervous and edgy, prone to curse and insult anyone who crosses their path.

11)

(a)The inn-keeper of Rav Ada bar Ahavah, who was a Ger, and Rav Bibi were fighting for the position of mayor of the town.

(b)Rav Yosef, who was asked to arbitrate in this case ...

1. ... Darshened from the Pasuk "Som Tasim Alecha Melech mi'Kerev Achecha" that every major appointment can only be made to a born Jew.

2. ... initially disqualified the Ger, ruling that the position should go to Rav Bibi.

(c)Rav Ada bar Ahavah queried Rav Yosef however, on the basis of the fact that the inn-keeper's mother was a born Jewess, in which case the inn-keeper was considered 'mi'Kerev Achecha'.

(d)Rav Yosef subsequently ruled that Rav Bibi should take charge of the spiritual matters (such as Tzedakah appointments and the Gaba'us in Shul); and the inn-keeper, the material things (such as the appointment of officers to take charge of the town's armory, taxes and the opening and closing of the gates).

(e)Abaye commented on this incident that inn-keepers are well-advised to look out for guests of the caliber of Rav Ada bar Ahavah, who know how to litigate on their behalf.

12)

(a)Rebbi Zeira and Rabah bar Avuhah used to appoint Gerim to prominent positions (see Hagahos R'dal).

(b)However, they would not even appoint them in ...

1. ... Eretz Yisrael as Reish Kuri (officers in charge of the town's weights and measures.

2. ... Neharda'a, as Reish Garguta (officers in charge of watering the town's public fields).

(c)Rebbi Yosi in our Mishnah exempted the daughters of the Dayanim in Tzipori from being examined because they would not appoint a Dayan before ascertaining his Yichus. Note, that the Rambam establishes Rebbi Yosi with regard to people who were called regularly as witnesses (as the Gemara explains 'Dayki u'Mechasmi'), not Dayanim.

13)

(a)Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel explains Rebbi Chanina ben Gamliel's statement 'Af Mi she'Hayah Muchtav b'Isratya shel Melech' to mean that the daughters of the soldiers in David-ha'Melech's army did not need to be examined, because they only Meyuchasim were accepted in the army.

(b)The reason for this is because a pure Yichus stands the army in good stead in battle, and, together with Zechus Avos, enhances its chances of victory.

(c)

1. "Tzelek ha'Amoni" and "Uri'ah ha'Chiti" (elitists in David's army) were full-fledged Jews who lived in Amon and Cheis, respectively.

2. "Itai ha'Giti", who was definitely a Ger (because, as we learned in Avodah-Zarah, he was called to nullify something that had been worshipped by Nochrim). He (just like the four hundred young men we are about to discuss) did not actually fight.

14)

(a)The four hundred young Gerim who served in David ha'Melech's army were all the sons of Yefos To'ar.

(b)Their role as soldiers was to frighten the enemy.

(c)What was special about ...

1. ... their haircuts was that they shaved the front of their heads and left the back long (following the practice of idolaters, whose descendants they were).

2. ... their chariots was that they were made of gold.

(d)In time of battle they were placed at the head of troops (before the fighting began).