Niddah 132

לא תחוף לא בנתר ולא בחול

must not wash her head either with natron or with ohal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An alcalic plant. So Aruk, Alfasi and Asheri. Cur. edd. 'sand'. ');">¹</span>

בנתר משום דמקטף ובחול משום דמסריך

'With natron', because it plucks out the hair;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which, remaining on the head, form an interception between the water of the ritual bath and the body. ');">²</span>

ואמר אמימר משמיה דרבא

and 'with ohal' because it causes the hairs to cling to one another.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. prev. n. mut. mut. ');">³</span>

אשה לא תחוף אלא בחמין אבל לא בצונן ואפילו בחמי חמה

Amemar also citing Raba ruled: A woman<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Before ritual immersion. ');">⁴</span>

צונן מאי טעמא לא משום דקרירי ומשרו מזייא

must wash her head in warm water only and she may do it even with such as was warmed by the sun<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the sequence of the rulings cf. MS.M., BaH. and Asheri. ');">⁵</span>

ואמר רבא

but not with cold water. Why not with cold water? — Because cold water<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. BaH. ');">⁶</span>

לעולם ילמד אדם בתוך ביתו שתהא אשה מדיחה בית קמטיה במים

loosens<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Aliter: hardens. ');">⁷</span>

מיתיבי

the hair.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. prev. n. but five mut. mut. ');">⁸</span>

בית הקמטים ובית הסתרים אינן צריכין לביאת מים

Raba further ruled: A man should always give instructions to his household that a woman<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Before performing ritual immersion. ');">⁹</span>

נהי דביאת מים לא בעינן מקום הראוי לביאת מים בעינן כדר' זירא

should wash the folds of her body<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Her armpits for instance. ');">¹⁰</span>

דא"ר זירא

with water. An objection was raised: It is not necessary for the water<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of a ritual bath. ');">¹¹</span>

כל הראוי לבילה אין בילה מעכבת בו ושאין ראוי לבילה בילה מעכבת בו

to penetrate into the folds of the body<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the house of folds'. ');">¹²</span>

אמר רבין בר רב אדא אמר רבי יצחק

or to its concealed parts!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' How then could Raba maintain that the folds must be washed? ');">¹³</span>

מעשה בשפחתו של רבי שטבלה ועלתה ונמצא לה עצם חוצץ בין שיניה והצריכה רבי טבילה אחרת

— Granted that it is not necessary for the water to penetrate,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Into the folds. ');">¹⁴</span>

ואמר רבא

it is necessary nevertheless that it be capable of penetration to every part;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'a place that is suitable for the entry of the water we require'. ');">¹⁵</span>

טבלה ועלתה ונמצא עליה דבר חוצץ אם סמוך לחפיפה טבלה אינה צריכה לחוף ולטבול ואם לאו צריכה לחוף ולטבול

in agreement with a ruling of R. Zera. For R. Zera ruled: Wherever proper mingling<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the flour and the oil of a meal-offering. Perfect mingling is effected with one log of oil to sixty 'esronim of flour in one pan; v. Men. 103b. ');">¹⁶</span>

איכא דאמרי

is possible actual mingling is not essential,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The meal-offering being acceptable even if no mingling took place. ');">¹⁷</span>

אם באותו יום שחפפה טבלה אינה צריכה לחוף ולטבול ואם לאו צריכה לחוף ולטבול

but where proper mingling is not possible<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If, for instance, the proportions were less than a log of oil to sixty 'esronim of flour. ');">¹⁸</span>

מאי בינייהו

the actual mingling is indispensable.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Similarly in the case of ritual immersion, though the water need not penetrate to all parts of the body, the immersion is invalid if owing to dirt or some other interception the water cannot penetrate everywhere. ');">¹⁹</span>

איכא בינייהו

Rabin son of R. Adda citing R. Isaac stated: It once happened that a bondmaid of Rabbi performed immersion and when she ascended [from the water] a bone constituting an interposition was found between her teeth, and<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though it is not necessary for the water to come in contact with the teeth. ');">²⁰</span>

למסמך לחפיפה טבילה למיחף ביממא ולמטבל בליליא

Rabbi required her to perform a second immersion.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In agreement with R. Zera's rule. ');">²¹</span>

אמר רבא

Raba further ruled: If a woman performed immersion, and when she ascended [from the water] an object that caused an interposition was found upon her, she need not wash her head or perform immersion again if her immersion was performed immediately after the washing of her head;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It being assumed in such a case that the interposition became attached to the body after the immersion. ');">²²</span>

אשה לא תעמוד על גבי כלי חרס ותטבול

otherwise, she must wash her head and perform immersion again. There are others who say: If she performed her immersion on the same day on which she washed her head, she need not wash her head or perform immersion again, otherwise she must wash her head and perform immersion again. What is the practical difference between them?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The two readings. ');">²³</span>

סבר רב כהנא למימר

— The practical difference between them is the question whether immersion must follow immediately upon the washing of the head,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to the first reading it must. ');">²⁴</span>

טעמא מאי משום גזירת מרחצאות הא על גבי סילתא שפיר דמי

and whether a woman may wash her head during the day and perform her immersion at night.

א"ל רב חנן מנהרדעא

Raba ruled: A woman may not stand upon an earthenware when she is to perform ritual immersion. R. Kahana intended to say, 'What is the reason? Because a preventive measure has been enacted against the possibility of using<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For ritual immersion. ');">²⁵</span>

התם טעמא מאי משום דבעית סילתא נמי בעיתא

bath-houses,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where the benches on which people stand when bathing are made of earth and are thus similar to earthenware. Were a woman to be allowed to stand on earthenware when performing ritual immersion in a ritually valid bath she might assume that ritual immersion is also valid when she stands on an earthen bench in a bath-house. ');">²⁶</span>

אמר רב שמואל בר רב יצחק

but that it is quite proper to stand upon a block of wood'. Said R. Hanan of Nehardea to him, 'What is the reason<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why a woman must not stand on earthenware. ');">²⁷</span>

אשה לא תטבול

there?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where immersion is performed in a ritual bath. ');">²⁸</span> Because she is frightened;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That she might fall; and in consequence might not perform the immersion in a proper manner. ');">²⁹</span> on a chip of wood she is also frightened'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That she might fall; and in consequence might not perform the immersion in a proper manner. ');">²⁹</span> R. Samuel b. R. Isaac ruled: A woman shall not perform immersion