## Ketubot Daf 25b

###### Ketubot 25b:1
[Ketubot 25b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:1)

לָאו כּוּלְּהוּ סְלוּק.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**not all of them ascended.** Since the majority of the people did not come to the land, separating *ḥalla* was not restored to the status of an obligation by Torah law.


###### Ketubot 25b:2
[Ketubot 25b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:2)

תָּא שְׁמַע: חֲזָקָה לִכְהוּנָּה — נְשִׂיאוּת כַּפַּיִם וְחִילּוּק גֳּרָנוֹת וְעֵדוּת. עֵדוּת חֲזָקָה הִיא? אֶלָּא לָאו, הָכִי קָאָמַר: נְשִׂיאוּת כַּפַּיִם כִּי עֵדוּת: מָה עֵדוּת לְיוּחֲסִין, אַף נְשִׂיאוּת כַּפַּיִם לְיוּחֲסִין! לָא: עֵדוּת הַבָּאָה מִכֹּחַ חֲזָקָה — כַּחֲזָקָהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara cites proof from another *baraita* to resolve the dilemma. **Come** and **hear:** The **presumptive status for priesthood** is established by **Lifting of the Hands** for the Priestly Benediction, **and** by **distribution** of *teruma* at the **threshing floors, and** by **testimony.** The Gemara asks: **Does testimony** merely establish **presumptive status?** Testimony provides absolute proof of his status, not merely a presumption. **Rather is it not** that **this is what** the *tanna* **is saying: Lifting of the Hands** is **like testimony, just as testimony** that one is a priest elevates him to the priesthood **for lineage, so too Lifting of the Hands** establishes presumptive status **for lineage.** The Gemara answers: **No,** when the *tanna* is referring to testimony, he is stating that the legal status of **testimony that is based on presumptive status is like** that of **presumptive status** itself.


###### Ketubot 25b:3
[Ketubot 25b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:3)

כִּי הָהוּא דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי אַמֵּי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מוּחְזְקַנִי בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מָה רָאִיתָ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: שֶׁקָּרָא רִאשׁוֹן בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן, אוֹ בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל? שֶׁקָּרָא אַחֲרָיו לֵוִי. וְהֶעֱלָהוּ רַבִּי אַמֵּי לִכְהוּנָּה עַל פִּיו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**As** in the incident involving **a certain** man **who came before Rabbi Ami** and **said to him: That** man established **presumptive status** before **me that he is a priest.** Rabbi Ami **said to him: What did you see** that led you to that conclusion? **He said to** Rabbi Ami: I saw **that he** was called to the Torah and **read first in the synagogue.** Rabbi Ami asked him: Did he read first based **on the presumptive status that he is a priest, or** was it based **on the presumptive status that he is a great** man? The custom was that a priest would be called to the Torah first, unless there was a prominent Torah scholar among the worshippers. He said to Rabbi Ami: He read the Torah as a priest, **as after him a Levite read** the Torah. A Levite is called to the Torah second only when a priest is called first. **And Rabbi Ami elevated him to the priesthood, on the basis of his** statement.


###### Ketubot 25b:4
[Ketubot 25b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:4)

הָהוּא דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מוּחְזְקַנִי בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא לֵוִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מָה רָאִיתָ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: שֶׁקָּרָא שֵׁנִי בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁהוּא לֵוִי, אוֹ בְּחֶזְקַת שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל? שֶׁקָּרָא לְפָנָיו כֹּהֵן. וְהַעֲלֵהוּ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי לִלְוִיָּה עַל פִּיו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates an incident involving **a certain** man **who came before Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi** and **said to** Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: **That** man established the **presumptive status** before **me that he is a Levite.** Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi **said to him: What did you see** that led you to that conclusion? **He said to** Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: I saw **that he** was called to the Torah and that he **read second in the synagogue.** Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked him: Did he read second based **on the presumptive status that he is a Levite, or** was it based **on the presumptive status that he is a great** man? When there is no priest in the synagogue, people in the synagogue are called to the Torah in order of their prominence. Perhaps he was the second most prominent man in the synagogue. He said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: I am certain that he is a Levite, **as a priest read** the Torah **before him. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi elevated him to Levite status, based on his** statement.


###### Ketubot 25b:5
[Ketubot 25b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:5)

הַהוּא דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מוּחְזְקַנִי בָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מָה רָאִיתָ? [אֲמַר לֵיהּ] שֶׁקָּרָא רִאשׁוֹן בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: רְאִיתִיו שֶׁחִילֵּק עַל הַגֳּרָנוֹת? אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: וְאִם אֵין שָׁם גּוֹרֶן, בָּטְלָה כְּהוּנָּה?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates another incident involving **a certain man who came before Reish Lakish** and **said to** Reish Lakish: **That** man established the **presumptive status** before **me that he is a priest.** Reish Lakish **said to him: What did you see** that led you to that conclusion? **He said to** Reish Lakish: I saw **that he** was called to the Torah and **read first in the synagogue.** Reish Lakish, based on his opinion that one’s presumptive status as a priest can be established only on the basis of his receiving *teruma*, **said to him: Did you see that he received a share** of *teruma* **at the threshing floor? Rabbi Elazar said to** Reish Lakish: **And if there is no threshing floor there,** does **the priesthood cease** to exist? The testimony that he read from the Torah first is sufficient.


###### Ketubot 25b:6
[Ketubot 25b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:6)

זִימְנִין הָווּ יָתְבִי קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, אֲתָא כִּי הָא מַעֲשֶׂה לְקַמֵּיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: רְאִיתִיו שֶׁחִילֵּק עַל הַגּוֹרֶן? אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: וְאִם אֵין שָׁם גּוֹרֶן, בָּטְלָה כְּהוּנָּה? הֲדַר חַזְיֵיהּ לְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בִּישׁוּת, אֲמַר: שָׁמְעַתְּ מִילֵּי דְּבַר נַפָּחָא, וְלָא אֲמַרְתְּ לַן מִשְּׁמֵיהּ?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
On another **occasion** Rabbi Elazar and Reish Lakish **sat before Rabbi Yoḥanan.** A matter **similar** to **that incident,** where one testified that another is a priest based on his reading the Torah first, **came before** Rabbi Yoḥanan. **Reish Lakish said to** the person who testified: **Did you see that he received a share** of *teruma* **at the threshing floor? Rabbi Yoḥanan said to** Reish Lakish: **And if there is no threshing floor there,** does **the priesthood cease** to exist? The Gemara relates that Reish Lakish **turned and looked at Rabbi Elazar harshly,** as he understood that on the previous occasion, Rabbi Elazar was citing verbatim a ruling that he heard from Rabbi Yoḥanan. Reish Lakish **said** to Rabbi Elazar: **You heard a statement of bar Nappaḥa,** the son of a blacksmith, an epithet for Rabbi Yoḥanan, **and you did not say** it **to us in his name?** Had you done so, I would have accepted it from you then.


###### Ketubot 25b:7
[Ketubot 25b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:7)

רַבִּי וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא, חַד הֶעֱלָה בֵּן עַל פִּי אָבִיו לִכְהוּנָּה, וְחַד הֶעֱלָה אָח עַל פִּי אָחִיו לִלְוִיָּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara relates with regard to **Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **and Rabbi Ḥiyya** that **one elevated a son to priesthood on the basis of** the statement of **his father, and one elevated a brother to** the **Levite status on the basis of** the statement of **his brother.** It is unclear which of the Sages ruled in which case.


###### Ketubot 25b:8
[Ketubot 25b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:8)

תִּסְתַּיֵּים דְּרַבִּי הֶעֱלָה בֵּן עַל פִּי אָבִיו לִכְהוּנָּה, דְּתַנְיָא: הֲרֵי שֶׁבָּא וְאָמַר: בְּנִי זֶה, וְכֹהֵן הוּא — נֶאֱמָן לְהַאֲכִילוֹ בִּתְרוּמָה, וְאֵינוֹ נֶאֱמָן לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי חִיָּיא: אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִינוֹ לְהַאֲכִילוֹ בִּתְרוּמָה — תַּאֲמִינוֹ לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה. וְאִם אִי אַתָּה מַאֲמִינוֹ לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה — לֹא תַּאֲמִינוֹ לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָה!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara notes: **It may be concluded that Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi is the one who **elevated a son to priesthood on the basis of** the statement of **his father, as it is taught** in a *baraita* that if one **came and said: This is my son and he is a priest,** his statement is **deemed credible to enable** his son **to partake of *teruma*, but** it **is not deemed credible to marry a woman** of superior lineage **to him,** as his testimony is not deemed credible for the purposes of lineage; this is **the statement of Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi. **Rabbi Ḥiyya said to him: If you deem** the father **credible to enable** his son **to partake of *teruma*, deem him credible to marry a woman to** his son. **And if you do not deem him credible to marry a woman to him, do not deem him credible** to enable his son **to partake of *teruma*.**


###### Ketubot 25b:9
[Ketubot 25b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:9)

אָמַר לוֹ: אֲנִי מַאֲמִינוֹ לְהַאֲכִילוֹ בִּתְרוּמָה — שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ לְהַאֲכִילוֹ בִּתְרוּמָה, וְאֵינִי מַאֲמִינוֹ לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה — שֶׁאֵין בְּיָדוֹ לְהַשִּׂיאוֹ אִשָּׁה. תִּסְתַּיֵּים. וּמִדְּרַבִּי הֶעֱלָה בֵּן עַל פִּי אָבִיו לִכְהוּנָּה — רַבִּי חִיָּיא הֶעֱלָה אָח עַל פִּי אָחִיו לִלְוִיָּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi **said to him: I deem him credible to enable** his son **to partake of *teruma*, as it is within his purview to feed** his son ***teruma*,** and one is deemed credible with regard to matters that are within his purview. **But I do not deem him credible to marry a woman to** his son, **as it is not within his purview to marry a woman to** his son, and therefore his testimony is not accepted. The Gemara determines: Indeed, it may be **concluded** that it is Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi who elevated a son to priesthood on the basis of the statement of his father. **And from** the fact **that** it is **Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi who **elevated a son to priesthood on the basis of** the statement of **his father,** clearly it is **Rabbi Ḥiyya** who **elevated a brother to Levite status on the basis of** the statement of **his brother.**


###### Ketubot 25b:10
[Ketubot 25b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ketubot/r/25b:10)

וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא, מַאי שְׁנָא בֵּן דְּלָא, דְּקָרוֹב הוּא אֵצֶל אָבִיו — אָח נָמֵי קָרוֹב הוּא אֵצֶל אָחִיו?!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And** according to **Rabbi Ḥiyya, what is different** in the case of **a son, where** a father is **not** deemed credible **because** the son **is a relative of his father,** and therefore the father is disqualified from testifying about his son? **A brother is also a relative of his brother,** and therefore the brother should have been disqualified from testifying about his brother. Rabbi Ḥiyya should accept the testimony in both cases or reject the testimony in both cases.