Niddah 10b

נדה י׳ ע״ב

Learn Niddah 10b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Counting and judging sightings of blood: a young girl's כתם and flows, checking girls, and how far a pregnant or nursing woman's דיה שעתה extends.

Overview

This amud deals with how to count and judge sightings of blood in several special cases. It opens with רבי אלעאי challenging חזקיה's ruling that a young girl's כתם is טמא, and רבי זירא defends it: a newly married בתולה often bleeds from her wound, but a young girl does not. עולא then quotes רבי יוחנן in the name of רבי שמעון בן יהוצדק that such a girl's spit, מדרס and כתם are all טהור, and רבין's report shows that חזקיה stands alone against two. Next, רב חלקיה בר טובי teaches that seven days of nonstop flow count as one sighting, and after re-reading רב שימי בר חייא's words, that dripping counts the same as nonstop flow. A ברייתא sets the default status of girls before and after maturity, and רבי יהודה explains a gentle way to check them. The גמרא then turns to רבי יוסי's ruling in the משנה and shows that a woman's missed cycles during pregnancy and during nursing combine to make three. Finally, רב and ריש לקיש argue with שמואל and רבי יוחנן about whether the limit of דיה שעתה to the first sighting covers all four women in the משנה. The גמרא begins to link this argument to a dispute between תנאים, and the quote continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. ChallengeWhy is a young girl different from a newly married virgin?
2. ResolutionThe virgin's bleeding is common; the girl's is not
3. StatementA ruling that the young girl's stain is pure
4. QuestionWhy does it matter who said it?
5. ResponseOne opinion against two
6. ConclusionThe travelers report it was the teacher's ruling
7. StatementSeven days of continuous flow count as one sighting
8. ChallengeThe word 'even' makes no sense
9. ResolutionRead the statement without 'even'
10. StatementA dripping woman is not like one who sees
11. ChallengeBut she did see blood
12. ResolutionDripping is like stopping and starting
13. ChallengeDoes a continuous flow run like a river?
14. ResolutionDripping is just like continuous flow
15. StatementYoung girls: presumed pure before maturity, presumed impure after
16. Statementרבי יהודה: check them gently with oil, not by hand
17. StatementA reciter quotes רבי יוסי's ruling before רבי אלעזר
18. Challengeרבי אלעזר: you started with two women and ended with one
19. ResolutionIt means one woman who is pregnant and also nursing
20. ProofA ברייתא confirms that pregnancy and nursing days combine
21. StatementThe ברייתא lists examples of cycles combining
22. ChallengeHow can nursing days count toward pregnancy days?
23. ResolutionThree ways to explain the hard case
24. Statementרב: the משנה's limit applies to all four women
25. Statementשמואל limits the rule to the virgin and the elderly woman
26. Statementריש לקיש and רבי יוחנן argue the same way
27. ProofLinking the argument to a dispute between תנאים