This is the Soncino English translation to the Talmud Yevamot 16b
Rab Judah said in the name of R. Assi: If at the present time a heathen betroths [a daughter in
Israel], note must be taken of such betrothal since it may be that he is of the ten tribes.17 But, surely,
anything separated [from a heterogeneous group] is re garded as having been separated from the
majority!18 — [R. Assi's statement refers] to places where they have settled;19 for R. Abba b. Kahana
said: And he put them in Halah and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes;20
Halah is Halwan,21 and Habor is Hadyab,1 the river Gozan is Ginzak,2 and the cities of the Medes are Hamdan3 and its
neighbouring towns; others say, Nihar4 and its neighbouring towns. Which are its neighbouring
towns? — Samuel replied: Karak,5 Moshki,6 Hidki7 and Dumkia.8 R. Johanan said: All these9 [were
enumerated] in order to declare them as being unfit.10 When, however, I11 mentioned the matter12 in
the presence of Samuel he said to me: Thy son,13 implies that he who is descended from an
Israelitish woman may be called thy son, but thy son who is descended from a heathen woman is not
called thy son but her son.14 But, surely, there were also daughters,15 and Rabina had said, ‘From
this it may be inferred that thy daughter's son born from [a union with] a heathen is called thy son’!16
— There is a tradition that the women of that generation were sterilized.17
Others read: When I mentioned the matter18 in the presence of Samuel he said to me, ‘They did
not move from there until they had declared them19 to be perfect heathens; as it is said in the
Scriptures, They have dealt treacherously against the Lord, for they have begotten strange
children.’20
Footnotes
(17) Whom Shalmaneser had carried away into captivity (II Kings XVIII, 11) where they intermarried with the heathens.
Children born from such marriages are bastards, and R. Assi holds that a bastard's betrothal is valid.
(18) I.e., if it is not known to which group or class a person or object that comes from a mixed multitude belongs, it is
always assumed that the unit came from the majority. Now, since the ten tribes represent only a minority of the heathens,
it should be assumed that the betrothal was not made by one of the ten tribes but by a heathen.
(19) And formed a majority of the inhabitants (Tosaf. s.v.בדוכתא a.l.). Rashi: A group which is in a settled
condition, (kabu'a, v. Keth. 15a and Glos.), though it is a minority, is deemed to represent a half of the whole multitude.
(20) II Kings XVIII, 11.
(21) So Kid. 72b. Cur. edd.,חלזון Halwan is a locality in Assyria. V. Kid., Sonc. ed. p. 367, n. 4.
(1) Adiabene, a region between the rivers Caprus and Lycus in Assyria.
(2) Ganzaka, identified with Shiz, S.E. of Urmia Lake, N.W. of Persia, v. ibid. n. 8.
(3) Hamadan, the capital of Media, otherwise known as Ekbatana. V. Schrader, Keilinschriften, p. 378.
(4) Nahawand, a town on the south of Ekbatana (v. previous note). V. ibid. n. 4.
(5) כרך, others read כרך (fort) in the construct, and connect it with the following nouns.
(6) Or Kerak Moshki, the Fort of Moshki. The land of the Moshki lay on the southern side of Colchis.
(7) A locality in Assyria, variously described as Hudki, Hirki, Hizki and Huski.
(8} Rumki, Ruthki, or the Fort of Rumki in Media. On all these localities v. Kid., Sonc. ed. pp. 365ff notes.
(9) Localities mentioned.
(10) Most of their inhabitants being deemed bastards, since the women had intermarried with the heathens, and their
descendants, furthermore, married forbidden relatives.
(11) This is the continuation of Rab Judah's statement.
(12) R. Assi's ruling, supra 16b.
(13) V. Deut. VII, 4 and Kid. 68b.
(14) I.e., is regarded as a perfect heathen and his betrothal has no validity.
(15) Of the ten tribes who married heathens.
(16) V. infra 23a. The children of such unions, then, being deemed Israelites though unfit, should have the right of
betrothal. How then could Samuel contend that they are deemed to be perfect heathens? (V. supra p. 91, n. 18).
(17) אצטרויי אצטרו root צרי or צרא Ithpa., ‘to tear’, ‘split’. Lit., ‘they were split’, i.e., an operation for
sterilization was performed on them.
(18) Of R. Assi's ruling supra 16b.
(19) The ten tribes.
(20) Hos. V, 7.
Topic: Inviting Yehuda to recconnect to Efrayim (aka the 10 tribes of Israel) (Read 1708 times)