Meilah 33

אמר ליה

- He replied to him: The Divine Law compares them with reference to the prohibition of 'you shall not make your souls detestable',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XX. 25. I.e., that he who eats nebelah has transgressed an additional prohibition.');">¹</span>

כי קא מקיש רחמנא {ויקרא כ } לבל תשקצו אבל לשיעורין לא

but not with regard to standard sizes.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., not in order to make distinctions among animals with regard to standard sizes.');">²</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> דם השרץ והבשר מצטרפין זה עם זה

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>THE BLOOD OF A REPTILE AND THE FLESH [THEREOF] CAN COMBINE WITH ONE ANOTHER.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' With reference to defilement, to the requisite size of a lentil.');">³</span>

כלל אמר רבי יהושע

R'JOSHUA LAID DOWN THE GENERAL RULE: ALL THINGS THAT ARE ALIKE BOTH IN RESPECT OF [DURATION OF] UNCLEANNESS<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which they communicate to him who comes in contact with them. The defilement by reptile or nebelah lasts one day, by a corpse seven days.');">⁴</span>

כל שטומאתו ושיעורו שוין מצטרפין

AND IN RESPECT OF THEIR STANDARD SIZE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The standard size of nebelah or a corpse is an olive, that of reptiles a lentil.');">⁵</span>

טומאתו ולא שיעורו שיעורו ולא טומאתו לא טומאתו [ולא] שיעורו אין מצטרפין

CAN COMBINE WITH ONE ANOTHER'THINGS, HOWEVER, THAT ARE ALIKE IN RESPECT [OF DURATION] OF UNCLEANNESS BUT NOT IN RESPECT OF SIZE, IN RESPECT OF SIZE BUT NOT IN RESPECT [OF DURATION] OF UNCLEANNESS, OR [IF THEY ARE ALIKE] NEITHER IN RESPECT [OF DURATION] OF UNCLEANNESS NOR IN RESPECT OF SIZE, CANNOT COMBINE WITH ONE ANOTHER'<big><b>GEMARA:</b></big>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> אמר רב חנין אמר רב זעירא וכן אמר רבי יוסי בר ר"ח

Said R'Hanin in the name of R'Zeira, and thus said also Rab Judah:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Thus Rashi. Cur. edd. 'and thus said R. Jose son of R. Hanina: The expression . .', a version which seems to be corrupt. ohtnyv');">⁶</span>

{ויקרא יא } הטמאין מלמד שהן מצטרפין

Only the blood and the flesh of the same reptile [can combine with one another].

ואפילו שרץ ושרץ שרץ ודם בין משם אחד בין משני שמות

R'Jose son of R'Hanina demurred to this: The expression, they that are unclean,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev XI, 31. The definite article of , is regarded as superfluous.');">⁷</span>

אמר רב יוסף

is to teach us that reptiles can combine one with the other: one reptile with another, reptile or [flesh of] reptile with blood, whether they are of one denomination or two denominations!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., two species.');">⁸</span>

לא קשיא כאן בכולו כאן במקצתו

- Said R'Joseph, There is no contradiction.

ומנא תימרא

The one ruling<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., that of R. Jose.');">⁹</span>

מדתניא

refers to a whole creature<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the flesh and the blood were taken from two whole reptiles. But if taken from parts of reptiles the combination holds good only if the flesh and the blood are from the same reptile.');">¹⁰</span>

נשפך על הרצפה והיה מקומה קטפרס

the other to a part thereof.

איהל על מקצתו טהור איהל על כולו טמא

Wherefrom do you know [to make such distinction]? - From what has been taught:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Oh. III, 3. The text there is somewhat different.');">¹¹</span>

מאי מקצתו

'If [the blood]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the fourth of a log of the blood of a corpse.');">¹²</span>

אילימא מקצת דם והא אמר רבי חנינא אמר רבי

was poured out on a pavement, which was a sloping place, and he overshadowed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A corpse renders unclean everything that is under the same roof as the corpse itself. This method of defilement is called 'ohel' (tent) . Also a quarter of a log of blood from a corpse effects uncleanness by 'ohel'. If a person overshadows, tentlike, a corpse or a quarter of a log of blood he himself forms the 'ohel', roofing, and is unclean.');">¹³</span>

רביעית דם שהגיס בה טהורה

a portion he remains clean, if he overshadowed the whole thereof he is unclean'.

אלא לאו שמע מינה

Now, what does 'a portion' mean?

כאן בכולו כאן במקצתו ש"מ

Shall I say, a portion [of the standard quality of blood]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if he overshadowed less than the required fourth of a log, he is clean; and accordingly if he overshadowed the whole quantity. although it was scattered and disconnected, he is unclean.');">¹⁴</span>

שאל רבי מתיא בן חרש את רבי שמעון בן יוחאי בעיר [רומי]

But did not R'Hanina<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosaf. read R. Johanan.');">¹⁵</span>

מנין לדם שרצים שהוא טמא

say in the name of Rabbi: 'If one stirred<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And thereby overshadowed it.');">¹⁶</span>

א"ל

the exact quantity of a fourth of a log of blood he remained clean'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because a part of the blood must have been sucked into the ladle with which it was stirred, and the blood is thus disconnected. We thus learn that the fourth of a log must be connected.');">¹⁷</span>

דאמר קרא (ויקרא יא, כט) וזה לכם הטמא

You must therefore conclude [that a distinction has to be made in the following manner]: In the one instance the blood came from a whole body, in the other from a portion thereof.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When the blood comes from a whole body it need not be connected; when from a part thereof it must be connected.');">¹⁸</span>

אמרו לו תלמידיו

This indeed proves it.

חכים ליה בן יוחאי

R'Mathia B'Heresh once asked R'Simeon B'Yohai, in Rome: Wherefrom do we know that the blood of reptiles is unclean? - He replied: Because it is written: And these are they that are unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XI, 29. A superfluous passage as the same is said in verse 31 and hence taken to include blood.');">¹⁹</span>

אמר להם

His disciples then said to him: The son of Yohai has grown wise.

תלמוד ערוך בפיו של רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי

Said he to them: This is a teaching prepared in the mouth of R'Eleazar son of R'Jose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., it is not his own.');">²⁰</span>

שפעם אחת גזרה המלכות גזרה שלא ישמרו את השבת ושלא ימולו את בניהם ושיבעלו את נדות

For the Government<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the Roman.');">²¹</span>

הלך רבי ראובן בן איסטרובלי וסיפר קומי והלך וישב עמהם

had once issued a decree that [Jews] might not keep the Sabbath, circumcise their children, and that they should have intercourse with menstruant women.

אמר להם

Thereupon R'Reuben son of Istroboli cut his hair in the Roman fashion,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'cut a coma; i.e.' to trim the front of the hair like a fringe on the forehead and let the curls hang down on the temple' (Jastrow) . V. B.K. 83a; that Abtolomos son of Reuben was permitted to wear a coma because he mixed with Roman officials. Tosaf. identifies him with Reuben son of Istroboli, v. Jawitz v. p. 177 who suggests that these were father and son.');">²²</span>

מי שיש לו אויב יעני או יעשיר

and went and sat among them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the Romans, without being recognized.');">²³</span>

אמרו לו

He said to them: If a man has an enemy, what does he wish him, to be poor or rich?

יעני

They said: That he be poor.

אמר להם

He said to them: If so, let them<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., the Jews.');">²⁴</span>

אם כן לא יעשו מלאכה בשבת כדי שיענו

do no work on the Sabbath so that they grow poor.

אמרו

They said: 'He speaketh rightly',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Apparently the Governor.');">²⁵</span>

טבית אמר

let this decree be annulled.

ליבטל

It was indeed annulled.

ובטלוה

Then he continued: If one has an enemy, what does he wish him, to be weak or healthy?

חזר ואמר להם

They answered: Weak.

מי שיש לו אויב יכחיש או יבריא

He said to them: Then let their children be circumcised at the age of eight days and they will be weak.

אמרו לו

They said: 'He speaketh rightly',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Apparently the Governor.');">²⁵</span>

יכחיש

and it was annulled.

אמר להם

Finally he said to them: If one has an enemy, what does he wish him, to multiply or to decrease?

אם כן ימולו בניהם לשמונה ימים ויכחישו

They said to him: That he decreases.

אמרו

If so, let them have no intercourse with menstruant women.

טבית אמר ובטלוה

They said: 'He speaketh rightly', and it was annulled.

חזר ואמר להם

Later they came to know that he was a Jew, and [the decrees] were re-instituted.

מי שיש לו אויב ירבה או יתמעט

[The Jews] then conferred as to who should go [to Rome] to work for the annulment of the decrees.

אמרו לו

יתמעט

אם כן לא יבעלו נדות

אמרו

טבית אמר ובטלוה

הכירו בו שהוא יהודי החזירום

אמרו

מי ילך ויבטל הגזרות