Meilah 33

Chapter 33

א אמר ליה כי קא מקיש רחמנא (ויקרא כ כה) לבל תשקצו אבל לשיעורין לא

1 - He replied to him: The Divine Law compares them with reference to the prohibition of 'you shall not make your souls detestable',1 but not with regard to standard sizes.2

ב <big>מתני׳</big> דם השרץ והבשר מצטרפין זה עם זה כלל אמר רבי יהושע כל שטומאתו ושיעורו שוין מצטרפין

2 <big>MISHNAH: </big>THE BLOOD OF A REPTILE AND THE FLESH [THEREOF] CAN COMBINE WITH ONE ANOTHER.3 R'JOSHUA LAID DOWN THE GENERAL RULE: ALL THINGS THAT ARE ALIKE BOTH IN RESPECT OF [DURATION OF] UNCLEANNESS4 AND IN RESPECT OF THEIR STANDARD SIZE5

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

3 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>GEMARA:</big>

ד <big>גמ׳</big> אמר רב חנין אמר רב זעירא וכן

4 Said R'Hanin in the name of R'Zeira, and thus said also Rab Judah:6

ה אמר רבי יוסי בר ר"ח (ויקרא יא לא) הטמאין מלמד שהן מצטרפין ואפילו שרץ ושרץ שרץ ודם בין משם אחד בין משני שמות

5 Only the blood and the flesh of the same reptile [can combine with one another]. R'Jose son of R'Hanina demurred to this: The expression, they that are unclean,7

ו אמר רב יוסף לא קשיא כאן בכולו כאן במקצתו

6 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!8 - Said R'Joseph, There is no contradiction.

ז ומנא תימרא מדתניא נשפך על הרצפה והיה מקומה קטפרס איהל על מקצתו טהור איהל על כולו טמא

7 The one ruling9 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 the other to a part thereof. Wherefrom do you know [to make such distinction]? - From what has been taught:11

ח מאי מקצתו אילימא מקצת דם והא אמר רבי חנינא אמר רבי רביעית דם שהגיס בה טהורה

8 'If [the blood]12 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 a portion he remains clean, if he overshadowed the whole thereof he is unclean'.

ט אלא לאו שמע מינה כאן בכולו כאן במקצתו ש"מ

9 Now, what does 'a portion' mean? 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

י שאל רבי מתיא בן חרש את רבי שמעון בן יוחאי בעיר [רומי] מנין לדם שרצים שהוא טמא א"ל דאמר קרא (ויקרא יא, כט) וזה לכם הטמא

10 But did not R'Hanina15 say in the name of Rabbi: 'If one stirred16 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 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.18

יא אמרו לו תלמידיו חכים ליה בן יוחאי אמר להם תלמוד ערוך בפיו של רבי אלעזר בר רבי יוסי שפעם אחת גזרה המלכות גזרה שלא ישמרו את השבת ושלא ימולו את בניהם ושיבעלו את נדות

11 This indeed proves it. 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.19 His disciples then said to him: The son of Yohai has grown wise. Said he to them: This is a teaching prepared in the mouth of R'Eleazar son of R'Jose.20 For the Government21

יב הלך רבי ראובן בן איסטרובלי וסיפר קומי והלך וישב עמהם אמר להם מי שיש לו אויב יעני או יעשיר אמרו לו יעני אמר להם אם כן לא יעשו מלאכה בשבת כדי שיענו אמרו טבית אמר ליבטל ובטלוה

12 had once issued a decree that [Jews] might not keep the Sabbath, circumcise their children, and that they should have intercourse with menstruant women. 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 and went and sat among them.23 He said to them: If a man has an enemy, what does he wish him, to be poor or rich? They said: That he be poor. He said to them: If so, let them24 do no work on the Sabbath so that they grow poor. They said: 'He speaketh rightly',25 let this decree be annulled. It was indeed annulled. Then he continued: If one has an enemy, what does he wish him, to be weak or healthy?

יג חזר ואמר להם מי שיש לו אויב יכחיש או יבריא אמרו לו יכחיש אמר להם אם כן ימולו בניהם לשמונה ימים ויכחישו אמרו טבית אמר ובטלוה

13 They answered: Weak. He said to them: Then let their children be circumcised at the age of eight days and they will be weak. They said: 'He speaketh rightly',25 and it was annulled. Finally he said to them: If one has an enemy, what does he wish him, to multiply or to decrease? They said to him: That he decreases. If so, let them have no intercourse with menstruant women. They said: 'He speaketh rightly', and it was annulled.

יד חזר ואמר להם מי שיש לו אויב ירבה או יתמעט אמרו לו יתמעט אם כן לא יבעלו נדות אמרו טבית אמר ובטלוה

14 Later they came to know that he was a Jew, and [the decrees] were re-instituted. [The Jews] then conferred as to who should go [to Rome] to work for the annulment of the decrees.

טו הכירו בו שהוא יהודי החזירום אמרו מי ילך ויבטל הגזרות

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