Bekhorot 22a — the Talmud in English

And we answer: The reason that they bury it is not because of the sanctity of the firstborn, but

in order to publicize that it was exempted from the firstborn status

, for if this were not a fetus, they would not bury it; but in truth, it does not have the status of a fetus so as to be buried.

And we still ask:

Does this mean

—from the fact that it was exempted from the firstborn status because of the blood clot—

that it is a fully-fledged fetus

[it is an important fetus],

and

if so,

why does it not impart impurity, neither through contact nor through carrying!?

Rabbi Yohanan said: They addressed this matter on account of nullification through the majority

, for the dissolved fetus that is in the blood clot is nullified by the majority of the blood of the birth.

And Rabbi Yohanan follows

—who explained the reason of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov as being because of nullification through the majority—

his own reasoning, for Rabbi Yohanan said: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov and Rabbi Shimon stated one thing: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov

, that is,

that which we said

, that the flesh is nullified by the majority.

What is Rabbi Shimon’s statement, as we learned:

The afterbirth

that a woman expelled

in a house

, behold,

the house is impure

because of the tent of the corpse,

and not

because

the afterbirth

itself is a

fetus

that imparts impurity,

but because there is no afterbirth without a fetus

, except that it dissolved; and although it dissolved, it imparts impurity.

Rabbi Shimon says

: It had already

dissolved before it emerged

, and therefore it does not impart impurity, because it is nullified by the majority of the blood of the birth, which is greater than it and nullifies it.

We learned there

in Tractate Oholot 7:4:

a. A woman whose fetus died within her, and she sat on the birthing stool and the opening of the womb opened in this house, but the fetus did not emerge there, and they took her out to another house, where it was born: the first house is impure as though it had been born there, for the impurity breaks through by way of the opening of the womb.

b. But

for miscarried fetuses there is no opening of the womb until

they make the head round like a spindle-whorl

. That is, a woman whose fetus has not yet made its head round and become thick like a spindle-whorl [he proceeds to explain it], does not impart impurity by means of the opening of the womb.

And we explain:

What is a spindle-whorl?

Rav Huna said: A spindle-whorl

[the spindle for spinning]

of wool.

.

Hiyya bar Rav said to Rav Huna: Master! Explain

to me: Is it the spindle-whorl

of the warp

, which is smaller,

or

the spindle-whorl

of the woof

, which is larger?

He said to him

, Rav Huna to Hiyya bar Rav:

It was taught: The spindle-whorl of the warp, the words of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Yehuda says

: The spindle-whorl

of the woof.

Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Tzadok says

: Even if the miscarried fetuses have not made their heads round like a spindle-whorl,

from

the time that her womb has opened so much that

the folds will be seen

within her womb, it imparts impurity.

And we explain:

What are the folds?

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Tzadok: This is how they explained it in Jerusalem: Like a mule that crouches to urinate

, and through its crouching its womb opens greatly

and a spindle-whorl appears from within a spindle-whorl

[folds appear in the womb].

Rav Huna said: I heard of two spindle-whorls

[two measures that were measured as a spindle-whorl]:

one of the warp and one of the woof, and I have no explanation

, as to with regard to what the measure is the spindle-whorl of the warp, and with regard to what the measure is the spindle-whorl of the woof.

When Rav Dimi arrived, he said that Rabbi Yohanan said: I heard of three spindle-whorls: one of the warp, one of the woof, and one of a large spindle-whorl of sack-makers

[he proceeds to explain it],

and I have no explanation.

When Ravin arrived, he explained it in the name of Rabbi Yohanan:

A woman

’s measure is

like

a spindle-whorl

of the warp

with regard to the impurity of a tent, as we learned above: for miscarried fetuses there is no opening of the womb until they make the head round like a spindle-whorl; and this spindle-whorl is that of the warp, in accordance with Rabbi Meir in the beraita above.

An animal

’s measure is

like that of the woof

, and this concerns what we learned in Chullin 70b: An animal whose fetus died within it, and the shepherd inserted his hand and touched it, is pure, because it is swallowed impurity. Once the fetus has made its head round like the spindle-whorl of the woof, it imparts impurity.

The large spindle-whorl of the sack-makers, as we learned:

A clod that comes from a field of uncertain impurity

[a field in which a grave was plowed, whose earth imparts impurity by rabbinic decree], and a clod that comes

from the land of the nations

[upon which they decreed impurity],

its measure

for imparting impurity

is like the large spindle-whorl of the sack-makers,

which is like the seal of the sack-makers

[the size of that spindle-whorl is like the size of the seal made for large sacks of reed],

and it is found on the upper side of the stopper of the Bethlehem jar

, [the size of that spindle-whorl and that seal is like the knob that is like the handle of the cover of the jar made in Bethlehem].

Reish Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda Nesi’a:

One who takes brine

[that which comes out of fish when they salt them, and they mix it with water]

from an am ha-aretz

, whose contact imparts impurity, may

immerse it in water, and it becomes pure

, [he places the brine in a cup and inserts it into a ritual bath, and when the waters of the ritual bath touch the brine in the cup, the brine becomes pure]. For

whichever way you look at it:

If the water is the majority, since he performs immersion for it, it becomes pure

[if the water is the majority, then the status of water applies to it, and immersion is effective to purify it].

And if the majority is brine

, then

brine is not capable of receiving impurity.

But

what is there

because of those minority waters

?

Those are nullified by the majority

, [and if the majority is brine, with the status of food applying to it so that immersion is ineffective to purify it, nevertheless it is pure, because brine does not receive impurity, as it is not food, while the water is nullified by the majority of the brine].

Rabbi Yirmeya said:

They taught

that the brine becomes pure through immersion

only for immersing in it

one’s

bread, but for

placing the brine in a

pot

containing water—

not

, because

when a species encounters its own species, it awakens. That is, although the minority water was initially nullified by the majority so that it would not become impure, nevertheless, when the water in the pot joins it and the water becomes greater than the brine, the water returns and becomes impure.

. That is, although the minority of water was initially nullified by the majority so that it would not become impure, once it joins the water in the pot and the water becomes the majority over the brine, the water becomes impure again.

Rav Dimi was sitting and stating this teaching! Abaye said

to him, surprised:

Abaye:

But does impurity that was nullified return and awaken!?

He said to him

, Rav Dimi to Abaye:

And can you not reason

that impurity, even though it was nullified, returns and awakens!?