Gittin 16a

גיטין ט״ז ע״א

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Topic

Can two partial actions join into one? אילפא's question about washing a hand in halves, parallel questions from רבי ירמיה and רב פפא, and a return to the משנה about two agents bringing a גט.

Overview

The גמרא keeps working on אילפא's question: if someone washes half his hand and then the other half, do the two washings join? It first quotes a משנה that plain moisture (משקה טופח) is not a חיבור, which seems to settle it. The answer is that the question is about a hand wet enough to wet something else (טופח להטפיח). The גמרא objects that we already know such wetness is a חיבור. It replies that this rule may apply only to a מקוה and only according to רבי יהודה. It then quotes his view in the משנה about two people immersing in a מקוה of exactly forty סאה. Next, רבי ירמיה and רב פפא each ask a similar question about joining two different methods halfway: entering drawn water plus having it fall on you, and immersing plus having water poured on you. Both questions end in תיקו. Finally the גמרא returns to our משנה about one agent who saw the גט written and one who saw it signed. רבי יוחנן begins to limit that ruling, and his statement continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (11)

1. ChallengePlain moisture does not connect
2. ResolutionThe question is about a hand that is very wet
3. ChallengeWe already learned that strong wetness connects
4. ResolutionThat rule may be only about a מקוה, following רבי יהודה
5. ProofThe משנה of two people immersing in a forty-סאה מקוה
6. Proofרבי יהודה: the second person is also pure if the first one's feet still touch the water
7. Statementרבי ירמיה cites a known rule about drawn water making a person impure
8. QuestionHalf by entering and half by falling: do they combine?
9. Statementרב פפא cites the rule that pouring nine קבין purifies a sick בעל קרי
10. QuestionHalf by immersion and half by pouring: do they combine?
11. Statementרבי יוחנן limits the ruling about one witness to writing and one to signing