Kiddushin 71A

מטהר שבטים, שבטו של לוי מטהר תחילה, שנאמר: ״וישב מצרף ומטהר כסף וטהר את בני לוי וזקק אתם כזהב וככסף והיו לה׳ מגישי מנחה בצדקה״.

purifies the tribes, i.e., clarifies their lineage, He will purify that of the tribe of Levi first, as it is stated with regard to the angel sent forth by God: “And he should sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he should purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there should be they that should offer to YHWH offerings in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3).

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: כסף מטהר ממזרים, שנאמר: ״וישב מצרף ומטהר כסף״. מאי ״מגישי מנחה בצדקה״? אמר רבי יצחק: צדקה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא עם ישראל, שמשפחה שנטמעה ⁠– נטמעה.

R' Yehoshua ben Levi says: Money purifies mamzerim. Money causes rich mamzerim to become assimilated with Jews of unflawed lineage, since other families marry them despite their flawed lineage. In the future, God will not single them out as mamzerim, as it is stated: “And he should sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,” which teaches that money, i.e., silver, purifies them. What, then, is the connection to the next part of the verse: “They that should offer to YHWH offerings in righteousness”? R' Yitzḥak says: God performed an act of righteousness with the Jewish people by establishing that a family that has become assimilated with Jews of unflawed lineage remains assimilated. They are not removed from their tribe despite their flawed lineage.

גופא, אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: כל ארצות עיסה לארץ ישראל, וארץ ישראל עיסה לבבל. בימי רבי בקשו לעשות בבל עיסה לארץ ישראל. אמר להן: קוצים אתם משימים לי בין עיני? רצונכם, יטפל עמכם רבי חנינא בר חמא.

§ With regard to the matter itself that was discussed earlier, the lineage of the Jews in various lands, Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: The lineage of residents of all lands is muddled compared to that of the residents of Eretz Yisrael, and the lineage of residents of Eretz Yisrael is muddled compared to that of Babylonia. The Talmud relates: In the days of R' Yehuda HaNasi, they sought to establish the lineage of the Jews in Babylonia as muddled relative to that of Eretz Yisrael. In other words, the people of Eretz Yisrael wanted their lineage to be considered superior to that of the residents of Babylonia, so that if people from Eretz Yisrael would wish to marry Babylonians, they would have to investigate the lineage of the Babylonians. R' Yehuda HaNasi was descended from Hillel, a Babylonian, so he said to those who put forth this suggestion: Are you placing thorns between my eyes? Do you wish to insult me? If you wish, R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama will join you and explain it to you.