Niddah 30a

נדה ל׳ ע״א

Learn Niddah 30a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Counting the 95 and 35 immersions of the woman with an unknown miscarriage, and the new משנה on miscarriage at day forty versus forty-one

Overview

The ברייתא describes a woman who came back from a trip no longer pregnant, without knowing when or what she miscarried. It says she must immerse 95 times according to בית שמאי and 35 times according to בית הלל. The גמרא checks the math. For בית שמאי it finds only 94, and רב ירמיה מדפתי explains that she arrived at בין השמשות, which adds one more immersion. For בית הלל, the 35 are 28 already explained plus 7 nights in the fifth week. The גמרא then asks why the count leaves out various immersions, such as those of a זבה, daytime immersions, and an end-of-week immersion. Each time it answers by narrowing what the count includes. It concludes that the ברייתא follows רבי עקיבא and רבי שמעון, and holds טבילה בזמנה מצוה. Then a new משנה teaches that a miscarriage from day 41 may be a baby, and רבי ישמעאל disagrees about when a girl is formed. The גמרא begins asking why the משנה mentions a boy, and that discussion continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. Challengeבית שמאי's count adds up to 94, not 95
2. ResolutionShe arrived at twilight, so she gets one extra immersion
3. ChallengeWhy do בית הלל need 35 immersions?
4. ResolutionTwenty-eight as explained, plus seven nights in the fifth week
5. ChallengeWhy describe ten weeks if eight and a half are enough?
6. ResolutionThe ברייתא simply completes the pattern
7. ChallengeWhat about the immersion of a זבה?
8. ResolutionOnly immersions before being with her husband are counted
9. ChallengeWhy don't בית שמאי count immersions for a possible זבה?
10. Resolutionבית שמאי only count immersions from giving birth
11. ChallengeBut בית שמאי do count a woman who gave birth as a זבה
12. ResolutionBirth together with זיבה counts, but plain זיבה does not
13. ChallengeWhy no daytime immersions in the first week?
14. ResolutionThe ברייתא follows רבי עקיבא: the clean days must be counted in front of us
15. ChallengeWhy not immerse at the end of the first week?
16. ResolutionThe ברייתא does not count once-a-week immersions
17. ChallengeWhy not immerse on the very first day?
18. ResolutionThe ברייתא deals only with a זבה גדולה
19. ConclusionFirst lesson: the ברייתא follows רבי עקיבא
20. ConclusionSecond lesson: the ברייתא follows רבי שמעון
21. ConclusionThird lesson: immersing at its proper time is a מצוה
22. StatementMiscarriage on day forty versus day forty-one
23. Statementרבי ישמעאל: a girl takes eighty-one days to form
24. StatementThe חכמים: boy and girl are both formed by day forty-one
25. QuestionWhy does the משנה mention a male?
26. ChallengeThe boy's days of impurity are already covered by the girl's
27. QuestionTurning to the days of purity