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Niddah 39a

נדה ל״ט ע״א

Learn Niddah 39a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

What the משנה's 'presumed pure during ימי זיבה' teaches: four explanations, and רב פפא's question about caution on a day that is not a fixed וסת

Overview

The משנה rules that a woman who skipped her בדיקה stays טהורה, unless the time of her וסת arrived. In that case she is טמאה, but רבי מאיר says a woman in hiding stays pure, because fear stops bleeding. People counting clean days after a discharge are presumed טמא. The גמרא asks what practical law comes from the משנה's line that a woman is presumed pure during the ימי זיבה. רב יהודה says it means she needs no בדיקה. רב חסדא says it means that even רבי מאיר permits a woman without a וסת to her husband during those days, and the גמרא defends this by filling in missing words in the משנה. רבא says it means she does not make things impure backward מעת לעת, but a ברייתא refutes him. שמואל says it means she cannot set a fixed וסת during ימי זיבה, and אביי proves to רב יוסף that he himself once taught this. רב פפא then asks whether she must still be careful on such a day, gets no answer, and begins to work it out from a משנה; his reasoning continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

יָשְׁבָה לָהּ וְלֹא בָּדְקָה,

If she sat and did not examine herself,

שָׁגְגָה, נֶאֶנְסָה,

whether by mistake, or because she was prevented,

הֵזִידָה וְלֹא בָּדְקָה —

or she deliberately did not examine herself,

טְהוֹרָה.

she is pure.

The steps (26)

  1. StatementSkipping the check does not make her impure
  2. StatementWhen her expected period time arrives
  3. StatementA woman in hiding stays pure
  4. StatementThose who already had a discharge are presumed impure
  5. QuestionWhat practical law does the presumption of purity teach
  6. ResponseShe does not need a check
  7. ChallengeThe later clause implies she should check
  8. ResolutionThe latter clause is about the days of נדה
  9. Responseרב חסדא: the line is needed for רבי מאיר
  10. ChallengeThen why must he divorce her forever?
  11. ResolutionDivorce is a safeguard against mistakes
  12. ChallengeThe משנה speaks about a woman with a וסת
  13. ResolutionThe משנה is missing words
  14. ResolutionThe rest of the corrected wording of the משנה
  15. ChallengeIf only the last clause names רבי מאיר, the first clause is not his
  16. ResolutionThe whole משנה is רבי מאיר; the last clause is a contrast case
  17. Responseרבא: presumed pure means no backward impurity
  18. ChallengeA ברייתא says even a day-for-day woman makes things impure backward
  19. Conclusionרבא's explanation is refuted
  20. Responseשמואל's explanation: no fixed cycle during ימי זיבה
  21. Statementרב יוסף says he never heard this teaching
  22. Proofאביי reminds רב יוסף of the משנה he taught it on
  23. Proofשמואל's comment: a cycle in ימי זיבה is not fixed
  24. Questionרב פפא asks: must she still be careful on that day?
  25. Statementרב יהודה of Diskarta stays silent
  26. Proofרב פפא tries to solve it from the משנה