דמעת העשוקים - לימוד על ממזרים

A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of the LORD.

Who is a mamzer? [The offspring of a union with] any relative with whom cohabitation is forbidden, the words of Rabbi Akiva. Shimon the Yemenite says: [The offspring of any union] for which one is obligated kareth at the hands of heaven; and the halachah is like his words. Rabbi Joshua says: [The offspring of any union] for which one is obligated death at the hands of a court.Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai said: I found a scroll of genealogical records in Jerusalem, and it was written on it, “So-and-so is a mamzer [having been born] from an adulterous woman”, which confirms the view of Rabbi Joshua. If a man’s wife died, he is permitted to marry her sister. If he divorced her and then she died he is permitted to marry her sister. If she was married to another man and died, he is permitted to marry her sister. If a man’s sister-in-law died, he may marry her sister. If he performed for her halitzah and then she died, he is permitted to marry her sister.

Another teaching about "A son of an Israelite woman went out" - Regarding that which is written "I returned and saw all of the oppression" (Kohelet 4:1), Daniel the Tailor interpreted the verse as referring to Mamzerim. "The tears of the oppressed", the fathers of these sinned, and these [the children] are shamed, how does it concern them? So too, this one's father committed incest, what is the child's sin, and how does it concern him? "And they have no comforter", rather "their oppressors are empowered", this refers to Israel's Great Sanhedrin, who comes at them with the power of Torah, and pushes them away in the name of "a mamzer will not enter the community of the Lord." (Devarim 23:3). "They have no comforter" - says the Holy Blessed One: it is upon me to comfort them; in this world they are cast aside, but in the future, as Zecharia said, "I see a people all of gold", as it is written (Zechariah 4:2) “I see a menorah all of gold, with a bowl [gulah] above it". Two speak; one says "an exile [gulah]" and one says "a redeemer [goalah]". According to the one who says exile, that they were exiled to Babylon and the Shechina was exiled with them, as it says (Isaiah 43:14) "For your sake I send to Babylon". And according to the one who says a redeemer [goalah], a redeemer [paroka], as it says (Isaiah 47:4 "Our redeemer, the LORD of Hosts is Their Name", and it is written (Micah 2:14) "One who makes a breach goes before them; they enlarge it to a gate... [and leave by it]. Their king marches before them, God at their heads".