Niddah 54a

נדה נ״ד ע״א

Learn Niddah 54a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Fixing the wording of רבי יהושע's statement in the משנה (טועות instead of שוטות), and a ברייתא that shows how a woman with a regular, predictable bleeding pattern figures out which days she may be with her husband.

Overview

The גמרא first fixes a word in רבי יהושע's statement in the משנה. Women who are unsure of their cycle are 'mistaken' (טועות), not 'foolish' (שוטות). It then quotes a ברייתא about women with a steady, predictable bleeding pattern, and works out which days each one may be with her husband. It counts her 7 days of נדה and 11 days of זיבה for patterns from one-on-one-off up to eight-on-eight-off. In the two-and-two case, the גמרא asks why day 19 is not permitted. רב ששת learns from this that the 'גרגרן' of the משנה is truly forbidden. רב אשי says instead that bleeding on the tenth day of זיבה still needs a clean day. Some patterns make her a זבה גדולה who can never become permitted again, while others repeat in fixed cycles. Finally, the גמרא objects that the eight-and-eight case gives only fourteen permitted days, not fifteen. רב אדא בר יצחק answers that clean days within her נדה week count toward her seven clean days of זיבה. He notes this was once raised as a question, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (16)

1. ChallengeWhy call them 'foolish' and not 'mistaken'?
2. ResolutionChange the word to 'mistaken'
3. StatementOne day bleeding, one day clean: the eighth day is permitted
4. StatementFour nights in eighteen days, unless she bleeds in the evening
5. StatementTwo days bleeding, two days clean: days 8, 12, 16 and 20
6. ChallengeWhy not day nineteen too?
7. Resolutionרב ששת: the 'glutton' is truly forbidden
8. Resolutionרב אשי: the tenth day still needs a clean day
9. StatementThree days bleeding, three days clean
10. StatementFour days bleeding, four days clean
11. StatementFive days bleeding, five days clean
12. StatementSix days bleeding, six days clean
13. StatementSeven days bleeding, seven days clean
14. StatementEight days bleeding, eight days clean
15. ChallengeThe permitted days are only fourteen
16. ResolutionClean days within the נדה week count toward the זיבה count