Niddah 14b

נדה י״ד ע״ב

Learn Niddah 14b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Niddah 14b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Whether blood on a checking cloth makes a woman a definite נדה, the dispute of רבי and רבי יוסי, and the משנה's time frames ('immediately', 'after some time') for blood found after relations

Overview

The גמרא finishes the exchange between רבי חייא and רבי about blood found later on a checking cloth. It concludes that in his youth רבי חייא ruled the woman a full נדה. Next comes a story: רבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי meets רבי חמא בר ביסא. He is surprised that רבי חמא prefers רבי's view over that of רבי יוסי, who was רבי's teacher. The גמרא explains that רבי's rulings were sharpened by the many חכמים in his yeshiva. A ברייתא shows that in the unchecked-cloth case רבי says טמאה and רבי יוסי says טהורה. רבי זירא links each view to the dispute between רבי מאיר and רבי יוסי about blood seen while urinating. The גמרא then returns to our משנה. It defines 'immediately' with the doorpost picture and explains why our משנה requires no אשם תלוי. Finally, it works through the contradiction about how long 'after some time' is. רב חסדא and רב אשי each give an answer, and a ברייתא from אושא begins a challenge to רב אשי that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. Challengeרבי חייא argues that רבי is really treating the blood as a stain
2. ResolutionWhy רבי still holds the woman is definitely טמאה
3. ProofProof that in his youth רבי חייא ruled her טמאה as a נדה
4. Statementרבי praises רבי חמא בר ביסא to רבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי
5. Questionרבי חמא asks about blood found later on an unchecked cloth
6. Responseרבי ישמעאל offers two opinions, and רבי חמא chooses רבי
7. Challengeרבי ישמעאל is shocked that רבי חמא prefers the student over the teacher
8. ResolutionWhy רבי חמא chose רבי: debate at the head of the yeshiva sharpens rulings
9. QuestionWhat were the two opinions?
10. Responseרבי says impure, רבי יוסי says pure
11. StatementEach view fits a bigger approach
12. ProofThe case of blood seen while urinating
13. ChallengeChallenge: רבי מאיר made her impure only because of a stain
14. ResolutionThe statement actually said רבי מאיר rules she is a נדה
15. StatementHow short is 'immediately'? The doorpost picture
16. StatementThis time frame is for wiping, not a full check
17. Statement'After time': a ברייתא adds an אשם תלוי
18. QuestionWhy doesn't our משנה require an אשם תלוי?
19. ResponseAn אשם תלוי needs a doubt between two pieces
20. ChallengeA ברייתא defines 'after some time' as a shorter time
21. Resolutionרב חסדא: The משנה means 'after the after'
22. ChallengeA challenge to רב חסדא from the 'get down and rinse' definition
23. ResolutionThe source is describing two different time frames
24. ChallengeBut the dispute is about 'afterward'
25. ResolutionThe rinsing time is the 'afterward'
26. Resolutionרב אשי: it is one time frame, depending on whether she holds the cloth
27. ChallengeA challenge to רב אשי from what was asked in אושא