Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Musar for Niddah 70:55

בשלמא לרב דאמר מעין אחד הוא משום הכי בעיא שבעה ימים נקיים

childbirth, the prescribed number of whose unclean days had passed,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'completed'. ');"><sup>53</sup></span> but not to a woman who gave birth in <i>zibah</i> who is required also to count seven clean days.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' After the zibah. So long as she had not counted these days she remains subject to the uncleanness of zibah. ');"><sup>54</sup></span> Come and hear: Her sickness shall be unclean<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XII, 2. ');"><sup>55</sup></span> includes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since otherwise the text is superfluous after the previous statement 'then she shall be unclean seven days as in the days of impurity' (ibid.). ');"><sup>56</sup></span> the man who had intercourse with her;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. that he becomes as unclean as she. ');"><sup>57</sup></span> 'her sickness shall be unclean'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XII, 2. ');"><sup>55</sup></span> includes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 246. n. 12. ');"><sup>58</sup></span> the nights;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., that the uncleanness is not restricted to the days, though 'days' only were spoken of in the context. ');"><sup>59</sup></span> 'her sickness shall she be unclean'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XII, 2. ');"><sup>60</sup></span> includes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 246. n. 12. ');"><sup>58</sup></span> a woman who gave birth while in <i>zibah</i> who remains in her uncleanness<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' After all discharge had ceased. ');"><sup>61</sup></span> until seven clean days have passed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 37b. ');"><sup>62</sup></span> This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The last mentioned ruling. ');"><sup>63</sup></span> is quite intelligible according to Rab who said that there exists only one source, since it is for this reason that she<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To attain cleanness. ');"><sup>64</sup></span> requires seven clean days,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The discharge emanating from the same source as the unclean blood, the Torah (by its insertion of the superfluous text mentioned) ordained that cleanness cannot be attained before the woman had counted seven clean days. ');"><sup>65</sup></span>

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

When a woman experiences the pangs of birth, this results in impurity. After the birth, the impurity has been released through her pain. After the seven days of recovery from such impurity she no longer contains the ingredients that have caused it and therefore is free from any new impurity for a period longer than normal. Since, in the case of the birth of a female, the original impurity was stronger and lasted longer, the period during which she will be free from again contracting such impurity is correspondingly longer. [I have paraphrased the author's quotation of th anonymous source. Ed.] Another reason for that is that man lost his garments of light due to his sin and had to wear garments made of skin, i.e. something removed from the flesh of some animal. He became susceptible to נגע צרעת, afflictions of his skin. The Torah (Leviticus 13,1 expresses this by saying: נגע צרעת כי תהיה באדם … אדם כי יהיה בו נגע צרעת בעור בשרו. What all this means is that Adam, who was the cause of man having to wear clothing made of skin, is the cause of these skin diseases which afflict those who engage in slander. The serpent had been the one to indulge in slander against the Lord Himself when it said that Eve could safely eat from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3,4) without incurring mortality. It seduced Eve and Adam to violate G–d's command.
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