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Niddah 55b

נדה נ״ה ע״ב

Learn Niddah 55b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The impurity of a זב's fluids: his זוב, saliva, nasal fluid, tears, blood, milk and urine, and the verses they are learned from.

Overview

The גמרא finishes showing that the זוב of a זב makes a person and his clothes impure through both touching and carrying, because the verse "הזב את זובו" compares the זוב to the זב himself. רב יהודה מדסקרתא explains that "זובו טמא" is still needed: otherwise we might compare זוב to the שעיר המשתלח, since the other verse is busy counting sightings. Next comes the זב's saliva. The verse "וכי ירוק בטהור" teaches that it must actually reach the person, and it adds phlegm, mucus and nasal fluid. ריש לקיש reads "בטהור" to teach two things: carrying saliva makes a person impure (unlike a שרץ), and touching it makes his clothes impure too (unlike a נבלה). רב and רבי יוחנן argue about nasal fluid: is it impure only because it mixes with saliva in the mouth, or as a flow of its own? A ברייתא of nine fluids of a זב is used to challenge רבי יוחנן, and the גמרא defends him. Then פסוקים show that tears, blood from a wound and a woman's milk count as liquids. The amud ends as a ברייתא asks whether a קל וחומר from saliva could prove that urine is impure. That argument continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

כִּי אִיצְטְרִיךְ קְרָא לְמַשָּׂא.

When the verse was needed, it was for carrying.

וְאֵימָא: בְּמַשָּׂא מְטַמֵּא אָדָם וּבְגָדִים,

But say: by carrying, it makes a person and his clothes impure,

וּבְמַגָּע אָדָם מְטַמֵּא

and by touching, it makes the person impure,

בְּגָדִים לָא לְטַמֵּא,

but it does not make the clothes impure,

The steps (35)

  1. ResolutionThe verse was needed to teach impurity through carrying
  2. ChallengeMaybe touching זוב does not make clothes impure, like נבלה
  3. Resolutionאחרים: זוב is compared to the זב himself
  4. ChallengeThen why do we need "זובו טמא"?
  5. ResolutionWithout the verse we might compare זוב to the שעיר המשתלח
  6. Resolution"הזב את זובו" is used for counting sightings
  7. ResolutionCounting the sightings: one, two, and the third
  8. ResolutionThat is why the Torah wrote 'זובו טמא'
  9. ConclusionNow the comparison can also be learned
  10. QuestionWhere do we learn that saliva is impure?
  11. Response'וכי ירוק בטהור': the saliva must touch
  12. StatementPhlegm, mucus and nasal fluid are included too
  13. QuestionWhy would we think saliva makes someone impure without touching?
  14. ResponseThe possible comparison to a יבמה's spitting
  15. ChallengeMaybe saliva makes impure by touching but not by carrying
  16. Resolution'בטהור' teaches that carrying also makes impure
  17. ChallengeMaybe touching saliva does not make one's clothes impure
  18. ResolutionTouching the saliva makes clothes impure too, unlike touching a carcass
  19. ChallengeMaybe 'pure elsewhere' means carrying a שרץ
  20. ResolutionThe word 'pure' is extra, so learn both laws
  21. QuestionWhat are the 'nose fluids'?
  22. Responseרב: only nose fluid that comes out through the mouth
  23. Responseרבי יוחנן: even nose fluid that comes out of the nose
  24. ChallengeAccording to רב, why not count tears too?
  25. ChallengeEye fluids can reach the mouth
  26. ResolutionOnly the poison reaches the mouth, not the tears
  27. ChallengeA ברייתא listing nine fluids of a זב
  28. ChallengeThe missing nose fluid fits רב but not רבי יוחנן
  29. ResolutionSaliva covers everything included with it
  30. ProofTears count as a liquid
  31. ProofBlood from a wound counts as a liquid
  32. ProofA woman's milk counts as a liquid
  33. QuestionWhere do we learn that urine is impure?
  34. ResponseThe word 'וזאת' includes urine
  35. ChallengeCouldn't a קל וחומר from saliva teach this?