Gemara Clarity

Niddah 56a

נדה נ״ו ע״א

Learn Niddah 56a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Niddah 56a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The זב's fluids, a dried or burnt שרץ, טומאה only when moist, and retroactive טומאה from a שרץ or a כתם

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a ברייתא: a זב's urine is טמא because of the word "וזאת", since logic fails when blood from the same place is טהור. The word "הוא" teaches that the blood is טהור. To explain why urine is included and blood excluded, רבי יוחנן in the name of רבי שמעון בן יוחי says the impure fluids are like רוק: they gather, come out, and can be reabsorbed. This rule also excludes a woman's milk. רבא explains that זוב itself cannot serve as a model, because it is unique. The גמרא then turns to the שרץ. ריש לקיש rules that a dried or burnt שרץ with an intact skeleton is still טמא. רבי זירא defends him by splitting whole from partial, backed by a ברייתא on the words "בהם" and "מהם". The גמרא then gives sources for why the items in the משנה are טמא only when moist, discusses soaking dried items in lukewarm water, and has שמואל explain that dried corpse flesh still carries טומאת רקב. A new משנה teaches that a שרץ found in an alleyway or a כתם found on a garment makes things טמא back to the last check or cleaning. The גמרא begins asking why sweeping counts as a cutoff.

Opening lines

מִמָּקוֹם טָמֵא —

From a place of impurity,

אֵינוֹ דִּין שֶׁיְּהוּ טְמֵאִין?

is it not logical that they should be impure?

דָּם הַיּוֹצֵא מִפִּי הָאַמָּה יוֹכִיחַ,

Blood that comes out of the opening of the penis will prove otherwise,

שֶׁבָּא מִמָּקוֹם טָמֵא וְטָהוֹר.

for it comes from an impure place, and yet it is pure.

The steps (34)

  1. StatementA logical argument that urine should be impure
  2. RejectionBlood from the same place proves the logic fails
  3. ConclusionThe verse includes urine in impurity
  4. QuestionHow do we know the blood is pure?
  5. ResponseThe word 'it' excludes blood
  6. ChallengeWhy not flip the two דרשות?
  7. ResolutionLike saliva: fluids that gather and then come out
  8. ChallengeChallenge from a woman's milk
  9. ResolutionThe saliva model, refined: gathers, comes out, and can be reabsorbed
  10. ChallengeChallenge: learn from זוב that even non-gathering fluids are טמא
  11. Resolutionרבא: זוב is unique because it creates טומאה
  12. Statementריש לקיש: a dried שרץ with an intact skeleton is טמא
  13. ChallengeThe משנה says dry ones are not טמא
  14. Resolutionרבי זירא: whole skeleton versus partial
  15. ProofA ברייתא: the Torah speaks of both the whole and part of a שרץ
  16. ProofThe ברייתא resolves the two verses: moist versus dry
  17. StatementDried lizards of מחוזא with an intact skeleton are טמא
  18. StatementA burnt שרץ with an intact skeleton is טמא
  19. ChallengeA משנה says a burnt שרץ found on olives leaves them טהור
  20. Resolutionרבי זירא: whole skeleton versus partial skeleton
  21. ProofThe ברייתא of רבי שמעון בן יוחי is quoted again as support
  22. ProofThe ברייתא resolves the two verses: burnt versus not burnt
  23. StatementWhy the זב and his fluids make things טמא only when moist
  24. StatementWhy the שרץ, semen, and נבלה make things טמא only when moist
  25. QuestionMust the soaking water stay lukewarm the whole time?
  26. ResponseHow long the lukewarm soaking must last
  27. Statementשמואל explains רבי יוסי on dried corpse flesh
  28. ProofA ברייתא supports שמואל
  29. StatementA שרץ found in an alleyway makes things טמא back in time
  30. StatementA stain found on a garment makes things טמא back in time
  31. StatementMoist or dry: how far back the טומאה reaches
  32. QuestionWhy does sweeping mark the cutoff?
  33. QuestionWhat difference does it make?
  34. ResponseSwept but not checked