Niddah 19a

נדה י״ט ע״א

Learn Niddah 19a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Niddah 19a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The colors of impure blood in a woman: the משנה's list, the source that some blood is pure, and how the four types from 'דמיה דמיה' fit the משנה.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier discussion. When a woman does not know what her miscarried piece looked like, רבי יהודה follows the majority of such pieces and rules her impure, while רבנן do not rely on that majority. Then a new משנה lists five colors of blood that make a woman impure: red, black, crocus, earth-water and diluted wine. It brings disputes over extra colors, between בית שמאי and בית הלל and about green blood, and then defines each color with an exact sample. The גמרא asks how we know any blood from a woman is pure, and learns it from the פסוק 'between blood and blood.' It tests that proof against 'between נגע and נגע' and shows that in נגעים of people, houses and clothing there are real disputes a זקן ממרא could argue about. With blood, there would be nothing to argue about unless some blood is pure. רבי אבהו then learns from the double word 'דמיה' that there are four impure types, and רבי חנינא explains that black is really red that went dark. The amud ends by asking how בית הלל differ from the תנא קמא, and the answer begins: there is a practical difference between them.

Opening lines

The steps (31)

1. ResolutionFollowing the majority of miscarried pieces
2. StatementFive colors of impure blood
3. StatementTwo more colors in dispute
4. StatementGreen blood
5. StatementDoes green blood count as a liquid?
6. StatementDefining red, black, and crocus
7. StatementDefining earth-water and diluted wine colors
8. QuestionHow do we know some blood from a woman is pure?
9. ResponseThe פסוק 'between blood and blood'
10. ChallengeThen 'between נגע and נגע' should mean pure and impure too
11. RejectionThe fully white case is not a pure נגע
12. ChallengeA new reading: different kinds of impure marks, and so different kinds of impure blood
13. RejectionPushing back: with נגעים there is room for a real argument
14. ProofThe source: the doubt about which came first, the white hair or the bright spot
15. ProofHouse marks also have an argument: the minimum size and place of the mark
16. QuestionWhat is the source for the corner rule?
17. ResponseOne wall that counts as two walls is a corner
18. ProofClothing marks also have a real dispute
19. ResponseLearning clothing from a person with a גזרה שוה
20. ConclusionWithout pure blood there would be nothing to argue about
21. QuestionHow do we know which colors are pure and which are impure
22. ResponseA פסוק shows that blood is red
23. ChallengeThen only red should be impure
24. ResolutionThe double word דמיה gives four types
25. ChallengeBut the משנה lists five
26. ResolutionBlack is really red that went dark
27. ProofA ברייתא supports the idea that black blood is really red
28. ChallengeHow can בית שמאי add more colors beyond four?
29. ResolutionTwo answers: בית שמאי reject the teaching, or the extra colors are faded red
30. ChallengeIsn't בית הלל's view the same as the תנא קמא's?
31. ResolutionThere is a difference between בית הלל and the תנא קמא