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Text Excerpt
כיון דחזו דמזלזלי בהו, תקינו להו מאתן. כיון דחזו דקא פרשין מינייהו, דאמרי: עד דנסבינן אלמנת כהנים — ניזיל ניסיב בתולה בת ישראל, אהדרינהו למלתייהו.
Once the members of the court saw that the priests were demeaning the widows, they instituted for them a marriage contract of 200 dinars, so that they would treat them with greater esteem. Once they saw that the grooms were distancing themselves from them, as they said: Instead of marrying a widow who is the daughter of priests and paying a marriage contract of 200, let us go marry a virgin Israelite woman for the same price. Since men would no longer marry widows from priestly families, they restored matters to their original status. This indicates that the Mishnah and the baraita are addressing different time periods and different ordinances.
בית דין של כהנים כו׳. אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: לא בית דין של כהנים בלבד אמרו, אלא אפילו משפחות המיוחסות בישראל, אם רצו לעשות כדרך שהכהנים עושין — עושין.
§ It is stated in the Mishnah that a court of priests would collect a marriage contract of 400 dinars for a virgin daughter of a priest. Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: Not only with regard to a court of priests did the rabbis say that they could collect a greater sum for the marriage contract of their daughters, but even families of distinguished lineage in Israel. If they wanted to act as the priests do, they may act in that manner.
מיתיבי: הרוצה לעשות כדרך שהכהנים עושין, כגון בת ישראל לכהן, ובת כהן לישראל — עושין. בת ישראל לכהן ובת כהן לישראל הוא דאיכא צד כהונה. אבל בת ישראל לישראל — לא!
The Talmud raises an objection from a baraita: One who sought to act as the priests do, as in cases where an Israelite woman is married to a priest, or the daughter of a priest is married to an Israelite, may act in that manner. The Talmud infers: This allowance is specifically in cases where an Israelite woman is married to a priest, or the daughter of a priest is married to an Israelite, where there is an aspect of priesthood involved. However, apparently, in a case where the daughter of an Israelite is married to an Israelite, no, it is not allowed.