Talmud zu Dewarim 23:9

Rebbi Ḥinena said, the Mishnah¹⁵⁰Qiddushin 4:1. The paragraph is from there, Halakhah 4:1. does not follow Rebbi Jehudah¹⁵¹The Mishnah states that converts may marry anybody, including bastards., since Rebbi Jehudah said that four congregations are called “congregation”, the congregation of Cohanim, the congregation of Levites, the congregation of Israelites, the cogregation of converts. They objected to Rebbi Jehudah¹⁵²In verses Deut. 23:2–9, the expression “the Eternal’s congregation” appears 6 times. Should there not be 6 congregations?, but is it not written, “one injured in his testicles should not come”? That refers to bodily blemishes¹⁵³Deut. 23:2. This is a personal exclusion, not a generic one. This verse is not counted. Cf. Note 135.. But is it not written, “children that will be born to them, the third generation shall come from them”? That is a positive commandment¹⁵⁴Deut. 23:9. The prohibition of Egyptians and Edomites is only by inference. Since it is a positive commandment to let Egyptian converts of the third generation marry into the congregation, it follows that the first two may not. But as a positive commandment, an infraction of the rule is not prosecutable. R. Jehudah counts only mentionings of “the Eternal’s congregation” connected to explicit prohibitions of groups.. But the rabbis said, there are three congregations, the congregation of Cohanim, the congregation of Levites, the congregation of Israelites; “they shall not come, they shall not come, they shall not come¹⁵⁵The rabbis agree that four times one finds the expression בקהל ײ֨ לא יבא, but only three are left for symbolical inferences since at least one is needed for the fact of the prohibition..”

“They said to him: If it is practice, we shall accept this; if it is a logical argument, there is a counter-argument.” What could they have argued? Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Ḥanina: Are not his grandchildren forbidden for three generations, both male and female¹⁹¹In Lev. 18:17, incest with direct descendents is forbidden for three generations, equally for males and females. The Babli, 77b, has the same argument. There, the two questions of R. Abbahu are answered in the negative; incest prohibitions which concern capital crimes cannot be used as counter arguments in an argument de minore ad majus involving simple prohibitions (regarding Ammonites and Moabites) or prohibitions derived from a positive commandment (regarding Edomites and Egyptians) but they may be used in applications of rules 3 and 4 of R. Ismael (under conditions not recognized by the Yerushalmi.)? Rebbi Abbahu said that Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish questioned, does one argue a matter concerning bastardy in a matter not concerning bastardy? Rebbi Ḥaggai said that Rebbi Abbahu questioned, does one argue a matter concerning extirpation in a matter not concerning extirpation? He said to them, in fact, I am declaring practice and a verse supports me. “Sons,” not daughters¹⁹²Deut. 23:9: “Sons that will be born to them in the third generation shall come (masc.) for them into the Eternal’s congregation.” The entire sentence is in the masculine..