Niddah 70

Chapter 70

א שהוא עושה משכב ומושב

1 in that he causes a couch and a seat to be unclean.1

ב אימת אילימא בראייה שניה היכא הוה בכלל בעל קרי אלא פשיטא בראייה ראשונה וקתני להקל עליו שאינו מטמא באונס

2 Now when [does this ruling apply]? If it be suggested: When a second discharge was observed [the objection would arise]: How could he then be included in 'the same law of uncleanness as one who emitted semen'? It is consequently obvious [that is was meant to apply] when a first discharge was observed;2 and yet it was stated, was it not, 'To relax the law for him in that he does not become unclean in case of a mishap'?3 — But how do you understand this: 'To restrict it for him in that he causes a couch and a seat to be unclean'; is he capable4

ג ותסברא להחמיר עליו שהוא עושה משכב ומושב בראייה ראשונה בר משכב ומושב הוא

3 after a first observation to cause a couch and a seat to be unclean? But the fact is that it is this that was meant: 'R. Isaac said, A zab after his first observation was surely included in the same law of uncleanness as one who emitted semen, why then was he in the case of a second observation excluded? In order to relax the law for him in one respect and to restrict it for him in another respect. "To relax the law for him" in that he does not become unclean in case of a mishap; "and to restrict it for him" in that he causes a couch and a bed to be unclean'.5

ד אלא הכי קאמר רבי יצחק אומר והלא זב בכלל בעל קרי היה בראייה ראשונה ולמה יצא בראייה שנייה להקל עליו ולהחמיר עליו להקל עליו שאינו מטמא באונס ולהחמיר עליו שהוא עושה משכב ומושב

4 R. Huna stated: The discharge of a zab resembles the dough water of barley. The discharge of the zab issues from dead flesh while semen issues from live flesh. The former is watery and resembles the white of a crushed egg while the latter is viscous and resembles the white of a sound egg. THE BLOOD OF A WOMAN AFTER CHILDBIRTH WHO DID NOT UNDERGO RITUAL IMMERSION etc. It was taught: Beth Hillel said to Beth Shammai, Do you not agree that if a menstruant who did not undergo ritual Immersion observed some blood she is unclean?6

ה אמר רב הונא זוב דומה למי בצק של שעורים זוב בא מבשר המת שכבת זרע בא מבשר החי זוב דיהה ודומה ללובן ביצה המוזרת שכבת זרע קשורה ודומה ללובן ביצה שאינה מוזרת

5 Said Beth Shammai to them: [This is] no [comparison]. If you apply this law7 to a menstruant who, even after she had undergone immersion, is unclean if she observed a discharge, would you also apply it to a woman after childbirth who, if she had undergone immersion and then observed a discharge, is clean? The former retorted: The case of one who gave birth during zibah proves our case; for if such a woman had undergone ritual immersion8 and observed a discharge after the counted days she is clean9

ו דם היולדת שלא טבלה וכו'

6 while if she did not undergo immersion and observed a discharge she is unclean. The latter replied: The same law10

ז תניא אמרו להן בית הלל לבית שמאי אי אתם מודים בנדה שלא טבלה וראתה דם שהיא טמאה אמרו להם בית שמאי לא אם אמרתם בנדה שאפילו טבלה וראתה טמאה תאמרו ביולדת שאם טבלה וראתה שהיא טהורה

7 applies,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To a childbirth in zibah: sc. the latter also is clean, if the discharge occurred after the unclean days of childbirth and the seven clean days after zibah had been counted, though she had undergone no immersion. ');">11 and this is our reply. This then implies that they12 are in disagreement.13 But have we not learnt: THEY12 AGREE, HOWEVER, THAT IF SHE GAVE BIRTH WHILE IN ZIBAH, IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS BOTH WHEN WET AND WHEN DRY? — This is no difficulty, since the latter14

ח אמרו להם יולדת בזוב תוכיח שאם טבלה וראתה לאחר ימי ספירה טהורה לא טבלה וראתה טמאה

8 refers to one who already counted the prescribed days while the former15 refers to one who did not count them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. the discharge occurred before the lapse of seven clean days after the zibah. As she is then still a zibah her discharge (unlike that of a woman in childbirth in the absence of zibah that is unclean only when wet) is unclean whether wet or dry. ');">16

ט אמרו להם הוא הדין והיא התשובה

9 And so it was also taught: If a woman who gave birth during zibah had counted the prescribed number of clean days but did not undergo ritual immersion and then observed a discharge. Beth Shammai gave their ruling17 in accordance with their own view<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Expressed in the case of a childbirth that was free from zibah, viz., that even prior to immersion the discharge is clean if the prescribed number of clean days had been duly counted. ');">18

י למימרא דפליגי והתנן ומודים ביולדת בזוב שהיא מטמאה לח ויבש

10 and Beth Hillel ruled in accordance with their own view.19 It was stated: Rab said, [the blood discharge20 emanates21

יא לא קשיא כאן שספרה כאן שלא ספרה

11 from] one and the same source; but it is the Torah that declared it unclean during one period22

יב והתניא יולדת בזוב שספרה ולא טבלה וראתה הלכו בית שמאי לשיטתן וב"ה לשיטתן

12 and clean during another.23 Levi, however, said, It emanates from two different sources. When the unclean one is closed24

יג איתמר רב אמר מעין אחד הוא התורה טמאתו והתורה טהרתו

13 the clean one opens, and when the clean one closes,25 the unclean one opens. What is the practical difference between them?26

יד ולוי אמר שני מעינות הם נסתם הטמא נפתח הטהור נסתם הטהור נפתח הטמא

14 — The practical difference between them is the case of a continuous discharge from within the seven days into the period following these seven days, or from within the fourteen days into the period after the fourteenth, or from within the forty days to the period after the forty days or from within the eighty days into the period following eighty days. According to Rab the law is to be relaxed in the first case<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From within the seven and the fourteen days to the respective periods following them. Though the discharge was continuous it becomes clean, in accordance with the ordinance of the Torah, after the seventh and the fourteenth day respectively. ');">27 and restricted in the latter;28

טו מאי בינייהו איכא בינייהו שופעת מתוך שבעה לאחר שבעה ומתוך ארבעה עשר לאחר ארבעה עשר ומתוך ארבעים לאחר ארבעים ומתוך שמנים לאחר שמנים

15 but according to Levi the law is to be restricted in the first case29 and relaxed in the latter.30 An objection was raised: THE BLOOD OF A WOMAN AFTER CHILDBIRTH WHO DID NOT UNDERGO RITUAL IMMERSION, BETH SHAMMAI RULED, IS LIKE HER SPITTLE AND HER URINE, BUT BETH HILLEL RULED: IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS BOTH WHEN WET AND WHEN DRY, It was now presumed that this is a case where31

טז לרב רישא לקולא וסיפא לחומרא

יז ללוי רישא לחומרא וסיפא לקולא

יח מיתיבי דם היולדת שלא טבלה בית שמאי אומרים כרוקה וכמימי רגליה וב"ה אומרים מטמא לח ויבש

18 there was a break.32 This then is satisfactory according to Rab who said that the discharge emanates from one and the same source,33 for this reason it conveys uncleanness both when wet and dry.34

יט קא ס"ד דפסקה בשלמא לרב דאמר מעין אחד הוא משום הכי מטמא לח ויבש אלא ללוי דאמר שני מעינות הן אמאי מטמא לח ויבש

19 But according to Levi who said that it emanated from two different sources why35

כ אמר לך לוי הכא במאי עסקינן בשופעת אי בשופעת מ"ט דב"ש קסברי ב"ש מעין אחד הוא

20 should it convey uncleanness both when wet and when dry? — Levi can answer you: We are here dealing with the case of a woman whose discharge was continuous.36 But if the discharge was continuous, what is Beth Shammai's reason? — Beth Shammai are of the opinion that there exists only once source. According to Levi37 one can quite well see the point that divides Beth Shammai from Beth Hillel;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to the latter, since the sources are two, and since the unclean one had not yet closed, the discharge must be unclean; while according to the former, since there is only one source and the Torah ordained that after the unclean days prescribed it becomes clean, the discharge must be clean. ');">38 but, according to Rab,39 what40

כא בשלמא ללוי היינו דאיכא בין ב"ש וב"ה אלא לרב מאי בינייהו

21 is the point that divides them?41

כב איכא בינייהו יומי וטבילה דבית שמאי סברי ביומי תלה רחמנא וב"ה סברי ביומי וטבילה

22 — The point that divides them in the question whether42

כג ת"ש ומודים ביולדת בזוב שהיא מטמאה לח ויבש ס"ד הכא נמי דפסקה

23 both the termination of the prescribed number of days and also ritual immersion are required; Beth Shammai holding that the All Merciful made the cleanness dependent on the days alone while Beth Hillel hold that43 it is dependent on both the days and immersion.44 Come and hear: THEY AGREE, HOWEVER, THAT IF SHE GAVE BIRTH WHILE IN ZIBAH, IT CONVEYS UNCLEANNESS BOTH WHEN WET AND WHEN DRY. It was now assumed that here also45

כד בשלמא לרב דאמר מעין אחד הוא משום הכי מטמא לח ויבש אלא ללוי דאמר שני מעינות הן אמאי מטמא לח ויבש

כה אמר לך הכא נמי בשופעת אי בשופעת למאי איצטריך

25 it is a case where there was a break.46 Now, according to Rab who stated that there exists only one source one can quite well see the reason why the discharge conveys UNCLEANNESS BOTH WHEN WET AND WHEN DRY;47 but according to Levi who stated that the sources are two why does the discharge48

כו לב"ש איצטריך אף על גב דקאמרי בית שמאי מעין אחד הוא וביומי תלה רחמנא הני מילי ביולדת גרידתא דשלימו להו יומי אבל יולדת בזוב דבעי ספירה לא

26 CONVEY UNCLEANNESS BOTH WHEN WET AND WHEN DRY?49 — He can answer you: Here also it is a case of a continuous discharge. But if the discharge was continuous, what was the need of stating the law?50

כז תא שמע (ויקרא יב, ב) דותה תטמא לרבות את בועלה

27 — It was necessary to state it for the sake of Beth Shammai: Although Beth Shammai maintain that there is only one source and that the All Merciful had ordained the uncleanness to be dependent entirely on the lapse of the prescribed number of days,51 this applies only to a woman in normal52

כח דותה תטמא לרבות הלילות דותה תטמא לרבות היולדת בזוב שצריכה שתשב שבעה ימים נקיים בשלמא לרב דאמר מעין אחד הוא משום הכי בעיא שבעה ימים נקיים

28 childbirth, the prescribed number of whose unclean days had passed,53 but not to a woman who gave birth in zibah who is required also to count seven clean days.54 Come and hear: Her sickness shall be unclean55 includes56 the man who had intercourse with her;57 'her sickness shall be unclean'55 includes58 the nights;59 'her sickness shall she be unclean'60 includes58 a woman who gave birth while in zibah who remains in her uncleanness61 until seven clean days have passed.62 This63 is quite intelligible according to Rab who said that there exists only one source, since it is for this reason that she64 requires seven clean days,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The discharge emanating from the same source as the unclean blood, the Torah (by its insertion of the superfluous text mentioned) ordained that cleanness cannot be attained before the woman had counted seven clean days. ');">65

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