Niddah 6b

נדה ו׳ ע״ב

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Topic

Does a נדה's backward impurity (מעת לעת) apply to תרומה or only to קודש? Testing רב הונא, and dough before and after kneading

Overview

This amud keeps testing רב הונא's ruling about the 24-hour backward impurity (מעת לעת) of a נדה. First the גמרא explains the story of רבי: the הלכה had never been decided, but רבי remembered that many חכמים disagreed with רבי אליעזר, so he relied on him only בשעת הדחק. The גמרא argues the story must be about תרומה, since there was no קודש after the Temple. It answers, based on עולא, that some people still kept the purity standards of קודש. Two stories about רבן גמליאל's maidservants are also explained as קודש: the 'תרומה' loaves were the כהן's share of the לחמי תודה, set aside as dough, and the two questions came from two different maidservants. Then the גמרא brings another version, where רב הונא says מעת לעת applies to תרומה too. רב נחמן challenges him with a ברייתא, and רב שמואל בר רב יצחק explains that the ברייתא is about חולין kept at those purity levels. Finally the גמרא quotes a משנה from מסכת חלה: before kneading, dough is ordinary חולין and may be made impure, but after kneading it is treated like חלה and must be kept pure. A new ברייתא begins at the very end and continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (21)

1. QuestionWhat does 'after he remembered' mean?
2. ResponseThe law was undecided, but many disagreed with רבי אליעזר
3. ChallengeThe case must have been תרומה, which seems to contradict רב הונא
4. ResolutionSome people kept the purity standards of קודש even in רבי's time
5. ChallengeThe story of רבן גמליאל's maidservant baking תרומה loaves
6. ResolutionThe 'תרומה' means the priest's share of the תודה loaves
7. ChallengeWhy would she bake the priest's share on its own?
8. ResolutionThey were set aside while still dough, as רב טובי taught
9. ChallengeBut forty loaves are required!
10. ResolutionForty is only the best way
11. ChallengeWith only four loaves, how is the priest's share taken?
12. ConclusionSet aside at kneading, and the same in our story
13. ChallengeA second story about רבן גמליאל's maidservant
14. ChallengeWhy would she ask the same question twice?
15. ResolutionIt was two different maidservants
16. StatementAnother version of רב הונא's ruling
17. ProofProof: it is not on the list of extra stringencies
18. Challengeרב נחמן: a ברייתא says not for תרומה
19. ResolutionThe ברייתא is about חולין kept at different purity levels
20. StatementA משנה about dough that may have become impure
21. StatementWhy kneading changes the rule: kneaded dough is treated like חלה