Niddah 58a

נדה נ״ח ע״א

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Topic

כתמים: שמואל's ground ruling, stains on different body parts, stains on looms and robes

Overview

This amud first finishes discussing שמואל's ruling about a woman who checked the ground, sat on it, and found blood. רב ירמיה says she is pure by Torah law but טמאה מדרבנן. רב אשי says she is fully pure, because שמואל follows רבי נחמיה: something that cannot become טמא, like the ground, cannot carry כתמים. The גמרא then explains the משנה's rule about stains on the heel and the big toe. We do not assume blood moved from one place to another. The toe counts because it can end up right under the source while she walks, and the hand counts because every part of it may touch the source directly. Next, the 'inner side' of the leg is defined as reaching up to and including the knee joint (מקום חבק). רבי ירמיה asks about stains of unusual shapes, and an attempted proof is pushed away. רבי ינאי tells a woman who found blood on her loom to weave again as a test. The גמרא explains that a repeated test may be used to be stringent but not to be lenient. Finally, ברייתות discuss a robe worn at night, two women of different heights wearing the same robe, and a checked robe lent to a friend.

Opening lines

The steps (28)

1. ResolutionEnd of רב ירמיה's answer: she is impure by rabbinic law
2. Resolutionרב אשי: שמואל follows רבי נחמיה about stains on things that cannot become impure
3. ChallengeWhy did שמואל say 'ground' according to רב ירמיה?
4. Resolutionשמואל used a 'not only this, but even that' style
5. StatementThe משנה's ruling on heel and big toe stains
6. QuestionWhy does the big toe count?
7. RejectionRejecting the idea that the toe touched the heel
8. ProofProof from the neck and shoulder wound
9. ResolutionThe big toe can end up under the source while walking
10. ChallengeChallenge from a stain on the finger joints
11. ChallengeDoes the hand ruling show that impurity moves?
12. ResolutionThe hand is different
13. QuestionHow far up does 'inner side' go?
14. ResponseUp to the knee joint
15. QuestionIs the joint itself inside or outside?
16. Responseרב קטינא: the joint counts as inside
17. ProofAnother version puts it in רבי ינאי's school's own words
18. Questionרבי ירמיה asks about stains of different shapes
19. ProofTrying to answer רבי ירמיה from a ברייתא about a stain on her flesh
20. RejectionThe ברייתא may only mean a strip-shaped stain
21. StatementThe woman who found blood on the loom threads
22. ChallengeBut we do not rely on repeating an action in matters of טהרות
23. ResolutionThe rule only applies to leniency, not stringency
24. StatementQuoting the משנה about a robe she takes off
25. Proofרבי אליעזר ברבי יוסי ruled stringently in Rome and was approved
26. StatementA tall woman and a short woman swap robes
27. StatementA checked robe lent to a friend
28. Statementרב ששת: the borrower's claim only helps in a money question