Gemara Clarity

Niddah 59a

נדה נ״ט ע״א

Learn Niddah 59a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Niddah 59a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

When a woman may blame a stain on another source (size, louse, handled items, colors), why כתמים are rabbinic, and the dispute over רבי אליעזר ברבי צדוק's examination cloth

Overview

The גמרא first defends רב הונא: a ברייתא about small and large drops treats a stain exactly the size of a גריס as one of the larger ones. Next, רבי חנינא and רבי ינאי argue about a stain slightly bigger than a גריס with a squashed louse on the extra part. רבי חנינא says טמאה. רבי ינאי says טהורה, because the visible louse explains the extra blood. רבי ירמיה then asks about a woman who handled something the size of a גריס and found a stain slightly bigger. A ברייתא ('a small item cannot explain a large stain') is pushed away as a proof, and his question is not answered. רבא rules that one kind of stain can explain several kinds, and the גמרא defends his rule in two versions against the ברייתא about red and black. רבינא explains that the laws of כתמים are a rabbinic strictness, so the חכמים could be lenient within them. Finally, שמואל's ruling that the הלכה follows רבי אליעזר ברבי צדוק about the examination cloth proves that the חכמים disagree with him, and the chapter הרואה כתם ends.

Opening lines

הָיוּ עָלֶיהָ טִיפֵּי דָמִים לְמַטָּה

If there were on her drops of blood below

וְטִיפֵּי דָמִים לְמַעְלָה

and drops of blood above

תּוֹלָה בְּעֶלְיוֹן עַד כִּגְרִיס

she may attribute even the upper one, up to the size of a split bean

מַאי לַָאו כִּגְרִיס מִלְּמַטָּה?

What, is it not that a split bean's size counts as from below?

The steps (26)

  1. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to put a גריס-sized stain in the smaller group
  2. ResolutionNo, a גריס-sized stain belongs to the larger group
  3. StatementA stain slightly bigger than a גריס with a squashed louse on it
  4. StatementWhy רבי חנינא says טמאה
  5. StatementWhy רבי ינאי says טהורה
  6. Questionרבי ירמיה asks about a woman who handled something the size of a גריס
  7. QuestionThe question works according to both רבי חנינא and רבי ינאי
  8. QuestionThe question according to רבי חנינא
  9. QuestionThe question according to רבי ינאי
  10. ProofProof from a ברייתא: a small item cannot explain a large stain
  11. RejectionNo, the ברייתא is about a much bigger stain
  12. ChallengeThen why would the ברייתא need to say it?
  13. ResolutionWe do not place the attributed part in the middle
  14. Statementרבא: one kind of stain found on her covers many kinds
  15. ChallengeChallenge from the red and black ruling
  16. ResolutionHandling something is a different case
  17. StatementSecond version: handling one kind covers many kinds
  18. ChallengeSame challenge against the second version
  19. Resolutionרבא meant a chicken with several kinds of blood
  20. ChallengeWere stain laws made to be lenient or strict?
  21. Resolutionרבינא: strict compared to the Torah, but still only rabbinic
  22. QuestionDo the חכמים argue with רבי אליעזר ברבי צדוק?
  23. ProofAttempted proof from stains that combine
  24. RejectionHis rule was only about an examination cloth
  25. ProofProof from שמואל's ruling: they disagree
  26. ConclusionHadran — Closing the chapter of הרואה כתם