Intermarriage

הִתְבּוֹלְלוּת

D'varim 7.4

 דברים 7.4

4.’For he will turn away your son from following Me, and they shall serve other gods, and the anger of Hashem shall be inflamed against you, and He will destroy you quickly-כִּי יָסִיר אֶת בִּנְךָ מֵאַחֲרַי וְעָבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְחָרָה אַף יְהוָה בָּכֶם וְהִשְׁמִידְךָ מַהֵר (2493=18).

The verse can be divided so:

·         For he will turn away your son from following Me, and they shall serve other gods- כִּי יָסִיר אֶת בִּנְךָ מֵאַחֲרַי וְעָבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (1475=17=8);

·         And the anger of Hashem shall be inflamed against you, and He will destroy you quickly- וְחָרָה אַף יְהוָה בָּכֶם וְהִשְׁמִידְךָ מַהֵר (1018=10=1).

Rashi comments here that from this verse we learn that the son of a non-Jewish son-in-law will turn away your grandson (his son) from following Hashem. Thus we learn that such progeny is called “your son”. But the son of a non-Jewish daughter-in-law is not called “your son” but “her son” (Yevamot 23.a; Kiddushin 68.b).

From here we also learn that Jewish lineage is through the mother.

The rate of intermarriage- הִתְבּוֹלְלוּת (“Hitbollelut”) between Jew and gentile in Israel and throughout the world is on the increase and more Jews have been “lost” than slaughtered by our enemies.