(Fol. 11) MISHNA VII: R. Joshua said: "I have it by tradition from R. Jochanan b. Zakkai, who heard it directly from his teacher, to be a Halacha from Sinai to Moses that Elijah is not coming in the future to declare certain families clean or unclean, to separate or to reconcile them, but to remove those who were reconciled by force, and to bring together those who were separated by force. A family by the name of Beth Z'repha was across the Jordan. They were excluded by certain B'nei Zion by the use of force; another family [of impure blood] was forcibly accepted by the same B'nei Zion. It is to declare cases of this kind clean or unclean, to remove or to accept that Elijah is coming." R. Juda says: "Only to accept, but not to remove." R. Simon says: "His mission is only to settle certain disputes." The sages, however, say: "His advent will have for its purpose not the removal or acceptance of the mentioned cases, but the establishment of peace in the world, for it is written (Mal. 3, 23-24) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet … and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."
END OF EDIYOTH.