Niddah 53a

נדה נ״ג ע״א

Learn Niddah 53a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether we worry that a woman saw blood during בין השמשות, how רבי decides between רבי יהודה בן אגרא and the חכמים, and how two ברייתות about this are reconciled.

Overview

A woman's sighting of blood might have happened during בין השמשות, which could count as seeing on two days. רבי יהודה בן אגרא, quoting רבי יוסי, worries about this, and the חכמים do not. רבי says each side is right in a different case: when she did not check, and when she did. רבא reports how the רבנן of רב's study hall explained this: she checked all through רבי יהודה's longer twilight but not during רבי יוסי's final moment, which the רבנן treat as night and רבי יוסי treats as a doubt. The גמרא then reads רבי's words on its own and finds that his two halves seem to contradict each other. It resolves this by explaining that רבי is describing where the חכמים actually argue: everyone worries if she never checked, and they argue only about checking during רבי יהודה's twilight alone. A second ברייתא about a כתם, where רבי gives a stricter version of רבי יוסי's view, makes רבי יהודה בן אגרא lenient in that same in-between case, so he seems to contradict himself. The גמרא answers that two תנאים report his view differently, and the explanation continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (23)

1. Statementרבי splits the case between the two opinions
2. QuestionWhat counts as checking and not checking?
3. ResponseShe checked during רבי יהודה's twilight but not רבי יוסי's
4. ResponseWhy each side rules the way it does
5. Challengeרבא: maybe she saw the moment she stopped checking
6. ResolutionShe checked for the whole twilight
7. QuestionThe גמרא Re-Examines רבי's Words: What Does 'She Did Not Check' Mean?
8. RejectionFirst Reading Rejected: She Checked Only During רבי יהודה's Twilight
9. ResponseThe Correct Reading: She Checked During Neither Twilight
10. ConclusionInference: For רבי, רבי יוסי's Twilight Is Night
11. QuestionTesting the Second Half: What Does 'She Checked' Mean?
12. RejectionChecking only during רבי יהודה's twilight cannot be what 'she checked' means
13. Response'She checked' means she checked during both twilights
14. Challengeרבי's two statements contradict each other
15. Resolutionרבי is describing where the חכמים actually argue
16. ChallengeA contradicting ברייתא about a stain
17. Statementרבי's version: she worries in both cases, if she checked
18. QuestionWhat does 'she checked' mean here?
19. RejectionIt cannot mean she checked only during רבי יהודה's twilight
20. ResponseSo 'checked' means during both twilights
21. Challengeרבי יוסי's twilight is night for רבי יהודה בן אגרא, a contradiction
22. ChallengeWithout רבי's addition this could be answered, but with it the difficulty stands
23. ResolutionTwo תנאים disagree about רבי יהודה בן אגרא's view