Chullin 211

Chapter 211

א חזנהו דקא שדו מיא מפומא דחצבא אמר

1 he saw them pouring off [a little water] from the mouth of the jug; he exclaimed.'

ב אי הוה ידענא דרגיליתו למיעבד הכי לא איעכבי

2 Had I known that you were in the habit of doing this I would not have been away so long'.

ג כי אתא רב דימי אמר

3 When R'Dimi came [from Palestine] he reported.

ד מים הראשונים האכילו בשר חזיר אחרונים הוציאו את האשה מבעלה

4 The omission to wash the hands before the meal caused one to eat swine's flesh,1

ה כי אתא רבין אמר

5 and the omission to wash the hands after the meal caused a separation of a wife from her husband.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Yoma 83b, where it is related that certain Rabbis had entrusted their purses to a certain man who later denied all knowledge of them. They noticed that the man had traces of lentils on his upper lip, so they immediately went off to his home and asked his wife in the name of her husband to hand them the purses. On her asking them to prove their bona fides they told her that her husband had eaten lentils that day. She thereupon handed them the purses. When the husband came home and learnt what his wife had done he immediately divorced her, or as some say, killed her. Now had the husband been particular about washing the hands (and naturally also the lips) after the meal, this tragedy of a divorce or a murder would not have happened.');">2

ו ראשונים האכילו בשר נבלה אחרונים הרגו את הנפש

6 When Rabin came [from Palestine] he reported.

ז אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק וסימניך

7 The omission to wash before the meal caused one to eat nebelah.3

ח אתא רב דימי אפקה אתא רבין קטלה

8 and the omission to wash after the meal caused a murder.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Yoma 83b, where it is related that certain Rabbis had entrusted their purses to a certain man who later denied all knowledge of them. They noticed that the man had traces of lentils on his upper lip, so they immediately went off to his home and asked his wife in the name of her husband to hand them the purses. On her asking them to prove their bona fides they told her that her husband had eaten lentils that day. She thereupon handed them the purses. When the husband came home and learnt what his wife had done he immediately divorced her, or as some say, killed her. Now had the husband been particular about washing the hands (and naturally also the lips) after the meal, this tragedy of a divorce or a murder would not have happened.');">2

ט ר' אבא מתני חדא מהני וחדא מהני לחומרא

9 R'Nahman B'Isaac said, [In order to remember the statements of each bear in mind] the following mnemonic: R'Dimi came [first] and separated her, and then Rabin came and killed her'.4

י איתמר חמי האור

10 R'Abba reported the graver result in each case.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' With regard to the omission of washing before the meal the graver outcome was the eating of swine's flesh, and with regard to the omission of washing after the meal it was the taking of a life.');">5

יא חזקיה אמר

11 It was stated: As regards water heated by fire, Hezekiah says: One may not wash the hands therewith;6

יב אין נוטלים מהן לידים ורבי יוחנן אמר

12 but R'Johanan says: One may wash the hands therewith.

יג נוטלין מהם לידים

13 R'Johanan related: I enquired of R'Gamaliel the son of Rabbi, who used to eat all his food in conditions of levitical purity, and he told me that all the great men of Galilee did so.7

יד אמר רבי יוחנן

14 As regards the hot springs of Tiberias, Hezekiah says: One may not wash the hands therewith, but one may immerse the hands therein.8

טו שאלתי את רבן גמליאל בנו של רבי ואוכל טהרות ואמר לי

15 R'Johanan says.

טז כל גדולי גליל עושין כן

16 One may immerse the body therein, but not the face, hands or feet.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the hands were unclean and one immersed them in these hot springs they are not thereby rendered clean, neither are they regarded as washed for the meal. The terms 'face' and 'feet' are quite irrelevant and are added here only on account of the fullness of the expression. 'face, hands and feet'.');">9

יז חמי טבריא חזקיה אמר

17 But surely, if one may immerse therein the whole body, how much more so the face, hands or feet!10

יח אין נוטלין מהם לידים אבל מטבילין בהן הידים

18 - R'Papa said: At the source there is no dispute at all that it is permitted;11

יט ורבי יוחנן אמר

19 moreover, to take some away in a vessel, there is no dispute at all that it is forbidden.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., to fill a vessel with water from these springs and to pour it over the hands would not be deemed a valid 'washing' of the hands. For washing the hands by means of a vessel was primarily confined to the use of cold water, and although the Rabbis permitted water that had been heated, the permission did not extend to include the water from hot springs, for, being ever hot, it never came within the scope of the institution.');">12

כ כל גופו טובל בהן אבל לא פניו ידיו ורגליו

20 They disagree only in the case where the water [from the spring] was run off into a channel;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the water from the hot springs had been run off in a small channel in which there was not the requisite quantity of water for immersion but which was connected with the source.');">13

כא השתא כל גופו טובל בהם פניו ידיו ורגליו לא כ"ש

21 one holds that we must forbid the case of a channel on account of a vessel,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Such is the view of Hezekiah, hence his ruling that one may not wash the hands therewith; the following view is that of R. Johanan. V. Asheri a.l. and Alfasi on Ber. VIII, 44b.');">14

כב אמר רב פפא

22 the other holds we do not impose this precautionary measure.

כג במקומן דכולי עלמא לא פליגי דשרי

23 Tannaim differ on this point.

כד משקל מינייהו במנא דכ"ע לא פליגי דאסיר

24 [It was taught:] Water which is unfit for cattle to drink,15

כה כי פליגי דפסקינהו בבת בירתא מר סבר

25 if it is in a vessel, invalid [for the immersion of the hands], but if it is on the ground it is valid.

כו גזרינן בת בירתא אטו מנא ומר סבר

26 R'Simeon B'Eleazar says: Eve if it is on the ground one may immerse therein the whole body, but not the face, hands or feet.

כז לא גזרינן

27 But surely if one may immerse therein the whole body, how much more so the face, hands or feet! This therefore must be a case where the water was run off into a channel, and they differ in this: one16

כח כתנאי

28 is of the opinion that we must forbid a channel on account of a vessel, and the other is of the opinion that we do not impose this precautionary measure.

כט מים שנפסלו משתיית בהמה בכלים פסולים בקרקע כשרין

29 R'Idi B'Abin said in the name of R'Isaac B'Ashian: The washing of the hands for common food was ordained only in order to acquire the habit with regard to terumah;17

ל רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר

30 moreover, it is a meritorious act.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [I.e., apart from the consideration of terumah, the fact that the washing of the hands was instituted by the Sages makes it into a meritorious act, v. Adreth Hiddushim.]');">18

לא אף בקרקע טובל בהן כל גופו אבל לא פניו ידיו ורגליו

31 What is this meritorious act? - Abaye answered: It is a meritorious act to hearken to the words of the Sages.

לב השתא כל גופו טובל בהן ידיו ורגליו לא כ"ש

32 Raba answered: It is a meritorious act to hearken to the words of R'Eleazar B''Arach.

לג אלא לאו דפסקינהו בבת בירתא ובהא פליגי

33 [For It was taught:] It written: And whomsoever he that hath the issue toucheth, without having rinsed his hands in water:19

לד דמר סבר גזרינן בת בירתא אטו מנא ומר סבר לא גזרינן

34 herein, said R'Eleazar B''Arach, the Sages found a Biblical support for the law of washing the hands.

לה אמר רב אידי בר אבין אמר רב יצחק בר אשיאן

35 Raba asked R'Nahman: Wherein is this indicated?

לו נטילת ידים לחולין מפני סרך תרומה ועוד משום מצוה

36 For it is written: 'Without having rinsed his hands in water'.

לז מאי מצוה

37 Can this mean that if he had rinsed his hands, [whatsoever he touched] would be clean?

לח אמר אביי מצוה לשמוע דברי חכמים

38 Surely he requires immersion, does he not?

לט רבא אמר

39 The meaning must be: And any other person that has not rinsed his hands is unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is interpreted as a distinct rule and does not refer to the person that has an issue. Of course it is not intended thereby to convey that the t,fnxt law of washing the hands is of Biblical origin, the Rabbis merely supported their enactment by a Biblical text, i.e., .');">20

מ מצוה לשמוע דברי ר"א בן ערך דכתיב (ויקרא טו, יא) וכל אשר יגע בו הזב וידיו לא שטף במים אמר ר"א בן ערך

40 R'Eleazar said in the name of R'Oshaia: They enjoined the washing of the hands before eating fruit only for reasons of cleanliness The disciples understood from this that it was not a duty but that it was nevertheless a meritorious act.

מא מכאן סמכו חכמים לנטילת ידים מן התורה

41 Raba, however, said to them: It is neither a duty nor a meritorious act, but is merely an act of free choice.

מב אמר ליה רבא לרב נחמן

42 This opinion [of Raba] differs from that of R'Nahman, for R'Nahman said: Whosoever washes his hands for fruit is of those that are haughty in spirit.21

מג מאי משמע דכתיב וידיו לא שטף במים הא שטף טהור

43 Rabbah B'Bar Hana said: I was once standing in the presence of R'Ammi and R'Assi when a basket of fruit was brought before them.

מד הא טבילה בעי

44 They ate without first washing their hands, they gave me none of it, and each said the Grace [after meals] for himself.

מה אלא הכי קאמר

45 Draw three conclusions from this: (i) that the law of washing the hands does not apply to fruit; (ii) that the law of Common Grace does not apply to fruit;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Ber. 45a: Three who ate together are under the obligation to say the Common Grace () . This law evidently does not apply to a meal of fruit, for if it did these Rabbis would certainly have offered Rabbah some fruit in order to be enabled to say the Common Grace.');">22

מו ואחר שלא שטף טמא

46 and (iii) that i two ate together.

מז אמר ר' אלעזר אמר רבי אושעיא

47 It is a meritorious act on their part to separate.23

מח לא אמרו נטילת ידים לפירות אלא משום נקיות

48 It has also been taught to the same effect: If two ate together, it is a meritorious act on their part to separate.

מט סבור מינה

49 This is so only if both of them are learned;24

נ חובה הוא דליכא הא מצוה איכא

50 but if one is learned and the other illiterate, the former says Grace and the other fulfils his obligation [by listening].

נא אמר להו רבא

51 Our Rabbis taught: The washing of the hands for common food [must reach] up to the joint:25

נב לא חובה ולא מצוה אלא רשות

52 for terumah [it must reach]

נג ופליגא דרב נחמן דאמר רב נחמן

נד הנוטל ידיו לפירות אינו אלא מגסי הרוח

נה אמר רבה בר בר חנה

נו הוה קאימנא קמיה דרבי אמי ורבי אסי אייתו לקמייהו כלכלה דפירי ואכלו ולא משו ידייהו ולא יהבו לי מידי ובריך חד חד לחודיה

נז שמע מינה תלת

נח שמע מינה אין נטילת ידים לפירות

נט וש"מ אין מזמנין על הפירות

ס ושמע מינה שנים שאכלו מצוה ליחלק

סא תניא נמי הכי

סב שנים שאכלו מצוה ליחלק

סג במה דברים אמורים שהיו שניהם סופרים אבל אחד סופר ואחד בור סופר מברך ובור יוצא

סד תנו רבנן

סה נטילת ידים לחולין עד הפרק לתרומה

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