Kiddushin 76: Whose Families are Investigated?

After ending discussion about our last Mishna regarding mamzerim and assimilation, we begin a new Mishna.  It teaches that when a priest marries a woman who is the daughter of a priest, her family must be investigated to four levels - her mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and great-great-grandmothers.  That equals eight people; maternal and paternal lineages. 

If the woman is not the daughter of a priest but the daughter of a levite or israelite, the investigation continues through four additional generations.  Some exceptions are suggested by different rabbis: daughters of those Levites who sing in the Temple, daughters of those who hold pubic office and those in the Sanhedrin, daughters of charity-collecters, daughters of court witnesses, and daughters of royalty, to name a few.  Why investigate one's lineage when it has already been investigated?  

The Gemara questions why only women must be investigated over generations.  One of the explanations is that when men argue, they speak of each others' lineages.  When women argue, that information does not arise.  Instead, women argue about relationships.  Thus the status of men is public knowledge, while the status of a given woman might be unknown.  The rabbis extend this question to a priest who is new to an area and other similar examples.  When in doubt, the rabbis are lenient around this issue.  They suggest that it might not be necessary to investigate beyond certain levels for people whose lineage can be assumed due to their roles in society.

Sixteen people are investigated when an isarelite or a levite marries the daughter of a priest.  Sixteen!  I don't know the names of my female relatives beyond my great-grandparents.  I know some of the male figures' names because of the fame built around their Torah studies.  But the women in my family did not become famous scholars, and their names have been forgotten. How in the world could people be expected to investigate these undocumented, unknown relatives?  

The Gemara compares the treatment of a person with a flawed lineage to a levite or priest with a blemish.  The rabbis also question the authority of judges in these cases.  And, finally, our daf ends with the rabbis presenting a number of examples of men who might have been converts, or blemished, or otherwise suspect regarding their status.  Although they might not have been 'perfect', they were lauded; they were encouraged to continue their work.  The Gemara seems to suggest that perhaps there is a place for leniency in this area of halacha.