Arakhin 3a (ג.) — the Talmud in English

To include women!

For they are obligated in reading the Megilla, and are fit to read it and to discharge the obligation of males on their behalf!

And this is in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.

For Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in reading the Megilla

because

they too were included in that

miracle

of salvation from the decree “to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate.” [And Rashbam in Pesaḥim 108 added that the primary part of the miracle came about through them, namely, Esther.]

Everyone is obligated in zimmun —

what does this come to include?

It comes to include women and slaves.

They have the option of joining for zimmun.

For it was taught in a beraita: Women recite zimmun for themselves, and slaves recite zimmun for themselves,

meaning three women and three slaves. [But a woman and a slave do not join with men, because men possess a factor that women and slaves do not: women do not mention the covenant, and slaves do not say, “for having granted our ancestors their inheritance.”]

And regarding that which was taught in a beraita:

Everyone joins for zimmun —

what does this come to include?

It comes to include a minor who knows to Whom one recites the blessing,

who joins in order to complete the quorum of three for zimmun.

For Rav Naḥman said: A minor who knows to Whom one recites the blessing —

one may recite zimmun with him. [But the halakha follows the Jerusalem Talmud, that one may recite zimmun only with someone who has produced two pubic hairs. Tosafot.]

Everyone conveys impurity through ziva —

Everyone can become impure with ziva —

what does this come to include?

And we answer:

It comes to include a newborn infant

with regard to the impurity of ziva.

For it was taught in a beraita:

Regarding that which is written in the verse,

“A man

when there will be a discharge from his flesh”

what is the meaning of the repeated expression “a man, a man”

?

It serves to include

an infant

one day old, who can become impure with ziva. This is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda.

Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka, says: It is not necessary

to learn this from that verse; rather, it can be derived from another source.

For it says: “This is the law of one who has a discharge” —

“and one who has a discharge, whether male or female”

“for a male and for a female.”

And they expound:

“For a male” —

anyone who is male, whether a minor or an adult. “And for a female” —

anyone who is female, whether a minor or an adult.

If so, what is the meaning of the repeated expression “a man, a man”

twice?

The Torah speaks in the language of human beings,

whose practice is to repeat expressions.

Again, we inquire: Regarding that which is written:

Everyone can become impure through contact with a corpse

to become a primary source of impurity through contact with a corpse —

what does this come to include?

And we answer:

It comes to include a minor

who becomes impure if he touches a corpse. For

it might enter your mind to say

that since it is written,

“A man who becomes impure and does not purify himself”—a man, yes, but not a minor,

he does not become impure.

It teaches us

that he too becomes impure, as this is learned from the verse, “And he shall take hyssop and sprinkle upon the tent

and upon the persons who were there,”

which indicates even the person of a minor: he too becomes impure and requires the purification prescribed there.

We ask again:

Rather, “a man,”

which is written with regard to impurity imparted by a corpse,

what does it serve to exclude?

And we answer:

It serves to exclude a minor from karet

if he enters the Temple while impure, which is the subject of the verse, as it is written: “That person shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has made the Sanctuary of the Lord impure.” We might have said that a minor is also liable to karet, just as he was included with regard to impurity; therefore, the exclusion “a man” teaches us that a minor does not receive the punishment of karet, because he is not subject to punishments.

Again, we inquire: Regarding that which we learned in the Mishna,

Everyone can become impure through nega’im —

what does this come to include?

And we answer:

It comes to include a minor,

meaning that the laws of nega’im apply to him. For

it might enter your mind to say: “A leprous man” is written

in the passage concerning nega’im;

a man, yes, but not a minor,

so his lesion is not considered a lesion.

It teaches us

that it is considered a lesion and renders him impure.

We ask:

But say that this is indeed so,

and let us exclude from “a man” that a minor does not become impure through nega’im?

And we answer: A minor is explicitly included by the verse,

“When a person has on the skin of his flesh” —

in any event!

For a minor is also included within the category of “person.”

We ask again:

But then why do I need “a man”?

What does it come to exclude?

And we answer: It serves

for that which was taught in a beraita: “A man”—I have only a man; from where

do I know that a woman

who can become impure through nega’im

is included?

When it says

in the following verse,

“And the leper

in whom the lesion is,” which implies another leper in addition to the leper mentioned in the first verse,

there are two here,

so what does the Torah teach

by saying

“a leprous man”

in the first verse?

With regard to what follows below,

the statement later in the passage is necessary, as it is written: “His garments shall be torn and the hair of his head shall be untrimmed,” and “man” comes to exclude —

a man lets his hair grow and tears his garments, but a woman does not let her hair grow or tear her garments.

For this is disgraceful for her. [Tosafot.]

Regarding that which is written,

everyone

all the kohanim]

can inspect lesions,

in order to declare them impure or pure by saying “impure” or “pure” [for impurity and purity are determined only through the pronouncement of a kohen, Torat Kohanim]. We learned in the Mishna:

Everyone is fit to inspect lesions —

what does this come to include?

And we answer:

It comes to include

a kohen

who is not expert in their types and names,

of the lesions. He too is fit to declare them impure or pure. A Torah scholar who is an Israelite accompanies him and tells him, “Say: impure,” or “Say: pure,” and he says it, because the pronouncement of a kohen is required.

He challenges this: How can he be fit in this manner?

But the Master said:

A kohen who

is not expert in them and in their names does not inspect lesions!

This implies that even on the instruction of the Torah scholar who accompanies him, he cannot declare them impure or pure?!

And we answer:

Ravina said: It is not difficult.

The case in which he is fit

concerns a kohen

to whom it is explained and who understands,

even though he does not know on his own, since it is sufficient that they teach him and he then understands.

And the case

in which the Master says that he does not inspect concerns a kohen

to whom it is explained but

nevertheless

does not understand.

Everyone is fit to sanctify

living water by mixing it with the ashes of the cow for the purification of one impure through contact with a corpse —

what does this come to include?

And we answer:

According to Rabbi Yehuda, it comes to include a minor

who sanctifies it.

And according to the Rabbis, it comes to include a woman

who sanctifies it.

For we learned in the Mishna: Everyone is fit to sanctify

the water of purification,

except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor!

According to the Sages, a woman is also fit, and this is the purpose of the word “everyone.”

Rabbi Yehuda declares a minor fit,

and the word “everyone” was stated to include him,

but declares a woman and an androgynos unfit.

And regarding that which we learned in the Mishna:

Everyone is fit to sprinkle

the water of purification upon one who is impure —

what does this come to include? It comes to include an uncircumcised man

whose brothers died because of circumcision, who is fit.

And this is in accordance with Rabbi Elazar.

For Rabbi Elazar said: If an uncircumcised man sprinkled —

his sprinkling is valid [even though he is considered impure with regard to eating teruma and consecrated food, he is fit with regard to sprinkling; this is learned in Yevamot 72a from one who immersed that day.]

It is stated twice in the first chapter of Ḥullin:

It is stated twice in the first chapter of Ḥullin:

Everyone slaughters —

what does this come to include?

One instance of “everyone”

“everyone”

comes to include a Samaritan,

whose slaughter is valid, because it holds that they are genuine converts, and slaughtering is also a mitzva in which the Samaritans were careful; therefore, they are trustworthy.

And one instance of “everyone”

“everyone”

comes to include an Israelite who is an apostate with regard to one matter,

who is not thereby considered an apostate with regard to the entire Torah; therefore, his slaughter is valid.

And regarding that which we learned in the Mishna:

Everyone can compel,

a person can compel all members of his household to ascend

to the Land of Israel —

what does this come to include?