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Niddah 5b

נדה ה׳ ע״ב

Learn Niddah 5b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How a בדיקה limits retroactive טומאה, and זעירי's ruling that the מעת לעת period makes a bed and seat טמא

Overview

The גמרא first explains why the משנה had to say that a בדיקה shortens even the short time since her last examination. We might have thought the רבנן worried about ruining טהרות only over a full מעת לעת. Next it asks why the משנה's case of דיה שעתה mentions a bed. It answers that the detail teaches that retroactive מעת לעת טומאה makes the bed טמא, which supports זעירי. The גמרא then asks how a bed, which cannot be 'asked', can become טמא through a doubt. It gives two answers: her friends were carrying the bed, or, following רבי יוחנן, a doubt caused by a person counts as 'can be asked' anyway. רבי יוחנן's rule is tested against a ברייתא about a man wrapping himself in his cloak, and the גמרא answers that the ברייתא is about רשות הרבים. Finally, זעירי's ruling is challenged from אבימי's ברייתא, which says her bed is 'like her touch'. רבא defends זעירי with a קל וחומר from a sealed clay vessel. The גמרא begins to reread the ברייתא, and the reading continues on the next עמוד.

Opening lines

מִפְּקִידָה לִפְקִידָה מִיבַּעְיָא?!

Is it necessary to teach that it shortens from examination to examination?!

מַהוּ דְּתֵימָא:

Lest you say:

מֵעֵת לְעֵת —

With regard to a twenty-four-hour period,

חַשּׁוּ בַּהּ רַבָּנַן לִפְסֵידָא דִטְהָרוֹת,

the Sages were concerned about the loss of pure items,

The steps (18)

  1. ChallengeWhy teach that a בדיקה shortens the shorter period?
  2. ResolutionThe concern for losing טהרות might apply only to the longer period
  3. ChallengeWhy does the משנה mention the bed?
  4. ResolutionThe bed teaches that a מעת לעת woman makes the bed טמא
  5. ProofThis supports זעירי's ruling on bed and chair
  6. ChallengeA bed cannot be asked, so its doubt should be pure
  7. Resolutionזעירי meant when her friends carry her in the bed
  8. ResolutionWith רבי יוחנן's rule, no carrying is needed
  9. Statementרבי יוחנן's rule stated on its own
  10. ChallengeThe case of the man wrapping himself in his cloak
  11. StatementEnd of the cloak ברייתא: repeating the motion
  12. ChallengeWhy are the items pure if a person caused the doubt?
  13. ResolutionThe ברייתא is about the public domain
  14. StatementBack to זעירי: what the מעת לעת period does
  15. ChallengeAvimi's ברייתא seems to contradict זעירי
  16. Rejectionרבא's קל וחומר: beds and seats must be fully impure
  17. ChallengeBut Avimi's ברייתא still says otherwise
  18. ResolutionRereading the ברייתא: 'her bed and her seat'