Niddah 129

עד שתחיה המכה תנן

the objection would arise: Have we not learnt, UNTIL THE WOUND IS HEALED?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why then 'four nights'? ');">¹</span>

אלא דיהיב לה כולהו בימי נערות נערות י"ב חדש מי איכא

If, however, it is suggested that he allowed her all the nights during the period of her na'aruth<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">²</span>

והא אמר שמואל

the difficulty would arise: Does na'aruth ever extend over twelve months, seeing that Samuel had stated: The period intervening between the commencement of na'aruth and maturity is only six months? And should you suggest that the meaning is that the period is not shorter but may be longer<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'less than this only there is not, but there is more'. ');">³</span>

אין בין נערות לבגרות אלא ו' חדשים בלבד

it could be retorted: Did he not in fact state 'only'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He did, thus implying that the period cannot be longer than six months. ');">⁴</span>

וכי תימא

If, however, it is suggested that he allowed her two nights during the days of her minority and two during her na'aruth, the difficulty would arise: Did not R. Hinena b. Shelemya once ask Rab, 'what is the ruling where her age of menstruation arrived when she was already under the authority of her husband?' and the other replied: All acts of intercourse which one performs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' During her minority. ');">⁵</span>

בציר מהכי הוא דליכא הא טפי איכא הא בלבד קאמר

are regarded as one act only and the other<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Performed subsequently. ');">⁶</span>

אלא דיהיב לה שתים בימי קטנות ושתים בימי נערות הא בעא מיניה רב חיננא בר שלמיא מרב

make up the four nights?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why then did Rabbi allow only two (instead of three) nights during her na'aruth period? ');">⁷</span>

הגיע זמנה לראות תחת בעלה מהו

Consequently this must be a case where he allowed her one night during her minority, two nights during her na'aruth period and one night during the days of her maturity. Now if you grant that a woman of mature age generally is allowed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If she married after attaining the age of maturity. ');">⁸</span>

אמר ליה

more than one night<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. two nights at least. ');">⁹</span>

כל בעילות שאתה בועל אינן אלא אחת והשאר משלימין לד' לילות

one can well see the justification for the ruling;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of Rabbi who allowed, as just explained, one night during the woman's maturity period. ');">¹⁰</span>

אלא

for, as intercourse during minority has the effect of reducing one night<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the four. ');">¹¹</span>

דיהיב לה אחת בימי קטנות ושתים בימי נערות ואחת בימי בגרות אי אמרת בשלמא בוגרת בעלמא יהבינן לה טפי כי היכי דאהני קטנות בימי נערות למבצר לה חדא אהני נמי נערות לבגרות למבצר לה חדא

during her na'aruth period, so intercourse during the na'aruth period has the effect of reducing one night<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the two (cf. prev. n. but two). ');">¹²</span>

אלא אי אמרת בוגרת דעלמא לא יהבינן לה טפי לא ליתב לה אלא בעילת מצוה ותו לא

during her maturity;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence Rabbi's ruling (cf. prev. n. but two). ');">¹³</span>

לעולם דיהיב לה אחת בימי קטנות וג' בימי נערות מי סברת כל תלתא ירחי חדא עונה

but if you maintain<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As Rab did (supra 64b ad fin.). ');">¹⁴</span>

כל תרי ירחי חדא עונה

that a woman of mature age generally<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If she married after attaining the age of maturity. ');">⁸</span>

מנימין סקסנאה הוה שקיל ואזיל לאתריה דשמואל סבר למעבד עובדא כוותיה דרב אפילו ראתה

is not allowed more than one night, should he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbi. ');">¹⁵</span>

אמר

not have allowed her<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The woman who, as explained, had been allowed some nights during her minority and na'aruth periods. ');">¹⁶</span>

לא פליג רב בין ראתה בין לא ראתה

but one act of the obligatory marital intercourse and no more?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' How then could he ignore completely all previous intercourse and allow her a full night? ');">¹⁷</span>

קדים שכיב באורחא

— The fact is that he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbi. ');">¹⁵</span>

קרי שמואל עליה דרב

allowed her one night during her minority and three nights during her na'aruth period,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that the question of maturity does not arise at all. ');">¹⁸</span>

(משלי יב, כא) לא יאונה לצדיק כל און

but<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As to the objection, How is it possible for three three-monthly periods to be included in the one six-monthly period of na'aruth? ');">¹⁹</span>

אמר רב חיננא בר שלמיא משמיה דרב

it was not as you think<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'do you think?' ');">²⁰</span>

כיון שנתקו שניו של אדם נתמעטו מזונותיו שנאמר

that every three months represented a period; every two months rather represented a period.

{עמוס ד } גם (אנכי נתתי לך) נקיון שנים בכל עריכם וחוסר לחם בכל מקומותיכם

Menjamin of Saksanah was embarking on a journey<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'took and went'. ');">²¹</span>

ראתה ועודה

to the locality of Samuel where he intended to act<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to do a deed'. ');">²²</span>

תנו רבנן ראתה ועודה בבית אביה בית הלל אומרים

according to the ruling of Rab,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That one of mature age is allowed all the first night (supra 64b ad fin.). ');">²³</span>

כל הלילה שלה ונותנין לה עונה שלמה

even where the woman had observed a discharge, assuming that Rab drew no distinction between one who did and one who did not observe a discharge, but he died while he was underway. Samuel accordingly applied to Rab<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whose ruling was misinterpreted by Menjamin. ');">²⁴</span>

וכמה עונה שלמה

the Scriptural text, There shall no mischief befall the righteous.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XII, 21. Rab was spared the mischief that would have ensued if Menjamin had acted in accordance with his erroneous interpretation (cf. prev. n.). ');">²⁵</span>

פירש רבן שמעון בן גמליאל

R. Hinena b. Shelemya observed: As soon as a person's teeth fall out<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Metaph. for old age. ');">²⁶</span>

לילה וחצי יום

his means<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'his foods'. ');">²⁷</span>

ומי בעינן כולי האי

of a livelihood are reduced; for it is said: And I also have given you cleanness of teeth<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Metaph. for old age. ');">²⁶</span>

ורמינהי

in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Amos IV, 6. ');">²⁸</span>

הרי שהיו גתיו ובית בדיו טמאות ובקש לעשותן בטהרה כיצד הוא עושה הדפין והלולבין והעדשין מדיחן

IF SHE OBSERVED A DISCHARGE WHILE SHE WAS STILL etc. Our Rabbis taught: If a girl observed a discharge while she was still in her father's house, Beth Hillel ruled: She is permitted marital intercourse all the night<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That follows her marriage. Lit., 'all the night is hers'. ');">²⁹</span> and, moreover, she is allowed a full 'onah. And how long is a full 'onah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A period, ');">³⁰</span> — R. Simeon b. Gamaliel explained: A night and half a day. But do we require an 'onah to be so long?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., all this'. ');">³¹</span> Is not [such a requirement] rather incongruous with the following: If a person's winepresses or oil-presses were unclean and he desired to prepare his wine and oil respectively<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to do them'. ');">³²</span> in conditions of cleanness, how is he to proceed? He rinses the boards,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That are placed on the grapes or the olives. ');">³³</span> the twigs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Wherewith the presses are swept and cleaned. ');">³⁴</span> and the troughs;