Berakhot 22b (כב:) — the Talmud in English

When Ravin came, he said: The incident occurred in Usha

in the antechamber

the room before the triclinium

of Rav Oshaya. They came and asked Rav Asi

whether it is sufficient for a ba'al keri to have nine kav of water poured over him.

He said to them

Rav Asi:

They taught

that nine kav must be poured over him

only with regard to a sick person who causes his emission, but a sick person whose emission was involuntary is exempt from anything at all.

Rav Yosef said: The fragments have now been rejoined

from this point the broken pieces of

Rav Naḥman's vessel.

That is, since Rav Asi said that nine kav are sufficient for a sick person who causes his emission, it follows that there is a use for the water container that Rav Naḥman set up for his students, since they are considered “sick” people who cause their emissions through marital relations, and having nine kav poured over them will suffice.

The Gemara discusses: Since Ezra's enactment was a common matter, how could it be that the details of the enactment were not known and were the subject of dispute?

Now

indeed,

all the amoraim and tannaim are disputing

the enactment of

Ezra. And

if so,

let us see what Ezra

himself

enacted!

Abaye said: Ezra enacted that a healthy person who causes his emission

through marital relations

must immerse in forty se'a, and a healthy person

who experiences an emission

involuntarily

requires nine kav. But he did not clarify the status of a sick person who experienced an emission.

And the amoraim,

Rav Dimi and Ravin,

came and disputed the law with regard to a sick person,

what his status is.

One master,

Rav Dimi,

held: A sick person who causes his emission

has the same status

as a healthy person who causes his emission,

and requires immersion in forty se'a.

And a sick person whose emission was involuntary has the same status as a healthy person whose emission was involuntary.

Nine kav poured over him are sufficient.

And the other master,

Ravin,

held: A sick person who causes his emission

has the same status as a healthy person whose emission was involuntary,

and nine kav suffice.

But a sick person whose emission was involuntary

is exempt from anything at all.

Rava said: Granted that Ezra enacted immersion

in forty se'a

but pouring

nine kav of water over a person—

who enacted

that at all?

But didn't the Master say

[in Bava Kamma 82a], with regard to the ten enactments that Ezra enacted:

Ezra enacted immersion for those who experience a seminal emission!

This indicates that he enacted immersion alone, and not the pouring of nine kav of water. From where, then, did Abaye derive that Ezra enacted nine kav for a healthy person whose emission was involuntary?!

Rather, Rava said: Ezra enacted immersion for a healthy person who causes his emission, in forty se'a.

And the Sages came

in the generations after him

and instituted nine kav for a healthy person whose emission was involuntary.

And the amoraim,

Rav Dimi and Ravin,

then disputed the law with regard to a sick person:

We have already explained in note 4 that Ezra did not enact this because of ritual impurity, since he was lenient with regard to a healthy person whose emission was involuntary. It necessarily follows that his enactment was due to frivolity, and therefore he enacted it only with regard to Torah study, so that people would not study in a state in which they had become frivolous. Only later generations enacted the pouring of nine kav because of impurity, or so that such people would not be frequently present, and they enacted it even for one whose emission was involuntary, since this matter is unrelated to frivolity. Therefore, they also enacted it with regard to prayer, since it is a decree intended to prevent such people from initially experiencing a seminal emission; for this reason, the obligation of nine kav is sufficient. See Ḥemdat Yisrael which states that women were not included in which states that women were not included in [introduction to volume 2], which states that women were not included in Ezra’s enactment concerning Torah study. The statement below, on page 26a, that a woman who discharges semen requires immersion refers to the later enactment of the Sages, so that she would be pure for prayer, as Rashi explains there. However, Rambam’s opinion is that she also immerses before reciting the Shema, although his opinion is that Ezra enacted the requirement because of impurity, while the Sages added the requirement so that such people would not be frequently present, and not because of impurity. See Kesef Mishne and Penei Yehoshua who discuss the nature of the Penei Yehoshua, who discuss the nature of the second enactment according to Rambam. Rava did not mean that the tannaitic sages did not enact nine kav for an ill person whose emission resulted from sexual activity, since earlier we found that Ben Azzai taught or whispered this ruling so that people would not neglect procreation, or so that such people would not be frequently present. This refers to an ill person whose emission resulted from sexual activity. Rather, Rav Dimi and Ravin disputed the enactment of the tannaitic sages concerning such an ill person.

One master,

Rav Dimi,

held

that Ezra and the Sages did not distinguish between a sick person and a healthy person. Therefore,

a sick person who causes his emission

has the same status as a healthy person who causes his emission,

and requires immersion in forty se'a,

whereas a sick person whose emission was involuntary

has the same status as a healthy person whose emission was involuntary,

for whom nine kav suffice.

And the other master,

Ravin,

held

that Ezra and the Sages enacted the matter without specifying the circumstances, meaning

for a healthy person who causes his emission, forty se'a.

When the Sages who followed them added an enactment applying also in cases involving a degree of involuntariness, they made

a sick person who causes his emission

equivalent to a healthy person whose emission was involuntary,

for whom nine

kav suffice. But a sick person whose emission was involuntary

is exempt from anything at all.

Rava said: The halakha

concerning a ba'al keri who comes to study Torah is as follows:

a.

A healthy person who causes his emission and a sick person who causes his emission

must immerse before

forty se'a.

b.

And a healthy person whose emission was involuntary

need only have

nine kav poured over him.

c.

But a sick person whose emission was involuntary

is exempt from anything at all.

Rashba

The Sages taught: With regard to a ba'al keri over whom nine kav of water were poured—

he is pure.

In what case is this statement said,

that pouring nine kav over him suffices?

For studying Torah for himself. But for teaching Torah to others—

forty se'a .

Rashba Rashba Rashba

Rabbi Yehuda says: Forty se'a in every case,

including one who studies for himself.

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, and Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina,

were two pairs of amoraim who addressed the words of this beraita.

a.

One

amora

from this pair and one

amora

from that pair

discussed the statement of the first tanna

at the beginning

of the beraita:

One said: This statement that you said

the first tanna,

“In what case is this statement said,

with regard to studying Torah

for himself, but for others, forty se'a,” applies only to a sick person who causes his emission. But for a sick person whose emission was involuntary, nine kav suffice

to enable him to teach Torah to others [but for studying for himself he is exempt from anything, because his status is more lenient than that of a sick person who causes his emission, both when studying for himself and when teaching others].

And one said: With regard to everything involving others, even a sick person whose emission was involuntary

is forbidden to teach

until there are forty se'a.

With regard to others, they were not more lenient with a sick person whose emission was involuntary than with a sick person who caused his emission.

b.

And one

amora

from this pair and one

amora

from that pair

discussed

the latter part,

the statement of Rabbi Yehuda:

One said: This statement of Rabbi Yehuda, “Forty se'a in every case”—

applies only when the water is gathered in the ground; but if it is in vessels, it does not

even if they contain forty se'a.

And one said: Even in vessels as well

immersion is effective, provided that they contain forty se'a.

The Gemara raises an objection:

Granted, according to the one who says that even in vessels

immersion in forty se'a is effective according to Rabbi Yehuda,

this is why he teaches

in the beraita:

“Rabbi Yehuda says: Forty se'a ‘in every case.’”

But according to the one who says that it must be in the ground, yes, but not in vessels—

what does the addition by Rabbi Yehuda of

“in every case”

come to include?

The Gemara answers:

It comes to include

that one may immerse in

drawn water

that is gathered in the ground.

Rav Pappa, Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, and Rava bar Shmuel broke bread

and all three ate bread

together,

in a single meal, and became obligated in zimmun, for the basic rule is that one recites the Grace after Meals on behalf of the others and discharges them of their obligation.

Rav Pappa said to them: Let me recite the blessing

and discharge you of your obligation, since I am more fit to do so than you, because

nine kav fell upon me.

Rava bar Shmuel said to them:

But

we learned: “In what case is this statement said,

that pouring nine kav of water over him suffices?

For himself, but for others—

forty se'a.”

Here you wish to discharge others of their obligation.

Rather, let me recite the blessing,

since I am more fit to do so,

because nine kav fell upon me

—that is, I immersed —in

forty se'a.

Rav Huna said to them: Let me recite the blessing, because neither of these applies to me—

since I am pure, as I did not experience any emission at all today .

Rav Hama immersed on the eve of Passover,

as he would immerse on Passover eve in forty se'a in order

to discharge

the public of their obligation

on the night of the Seder .

And the halakha is not in accordance with his opinion.

Either because nine kav suffice even for teaching others, or because the halakha follows Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira, who says that Ezra's enactment is not observed [Rashi].

Mishna:

a. One who

was standing in prayer and remembered that he was a ba'al keri—

may not interrupt

his prayer,

but he should shorten

the wording of the blessings.

b.

If he descended to immerse,

and the time for the morning recitation of Shema arrived,

if he can ascend, cover himself, and recite it before sunrise—

he should ascend, cover himself, and recite it.

And if not—

he should cover himself with water

[he should keep his head outside the water while his body remains in the water, so that the water covers his body in relation to his head, which is outside the water], and

recite it. [The Gemara presents and explains the Mishna as follows

: ]

The Gemara presents and explains the Mishna as follows:

c.

He may not cover himself either with foul water

[putrid water]

or with water in which flax is soaked,

because of their foul odor. They cannot be rendered fit by adding water to them, since they contain a large quantity of water.

d.

If a vessel containing urine is found in front of him, he may not recite opposite it

until he pours into it

water in addition to

the urine.

Since the quantity of urine is relatively small, it can be nullified by adding water to it.

e.

And how far must he distance himself from it,

from urine, when he does not add water to it,

and from excrement

in order for it to be permissible to recite the Shema—

four cubits.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: If one was standing in prayer and remembered that he was a ba'al keri—

he may not interrupt, but he should shorten

the blessings.

If he was reading

in the synagogue

from the Torah and remembered that he was a ba'al keri—

he does not interrupt

his reading

and ascend, but he reads haltingly

in a hurried manner, so that because of the speed of the reading he sounds as though he is stammering .

Rabbi Meir says: A ba'al keri

who was called to read the Torah in the synagogue

may not read more than three verses from the Torah.

However, he must read three verses, since we learned [Megilla 23b] that in a public reading it is prohibited to read fewer than three verses.

It was taught in another beraita: If one was standing in prayer and saw excrement opposite him—

he should walk forward until he throws it away,

meaning that he distances himself from it until it is

four

cubits behind him .

Rashba Rashba Rashba Rashba Rashba

The Gemara raises an objection:

But wasn't it taught:

It suffices for the excrement to be

four cubits to the side,

and there is no need to distance it behind him?!

The Gemara answers:

This is not difficult! This

statement, that he should distance it behind him, refers to a situation in which

it is possible

for him to walk forward and distance himself from it, whereas

that

statement, that he should walk to the side, refers to a situation in which

it is not possible

for him to walk forward, for example, when there is a river in front of him.

Another law:

If one was praying and found excrement in his place—

Rabba said: Although he sinned

by failing to check whether the place was suitable for prayer, and there was excrement within his four cubits, nevertheless,

his prayer is a valid prayer.

Rava challenged him: But

since he was required to check that the place of prayer was clean and did not do so, how can his prayer be considered a prayer? After all, it is stated [Proverbs 21:27],

“The sacrifice of the wicked—

is an abomination!”

If a sinner has not repented of his sin, his offering does not achieve atonement for him; the same should apply to one who sinned by failing to ensure that the place of prayer was clean, since the prayers were instituted in place of the offerings?

Rather, Rava said: Since he sinned, even though he prayed, -

his prayer is an abomination.

The Sages taught: If he was standing in prayer and

there was

liquid

urine

trickling onto his knees -

he interrupts until the urine ceases, and then resumes praying .

The Gemara discusses:

Where does he resume?

Rav Ḥisda and Rav Hamnuna—one said: He returns to the beginning

of the prayer.

And the other said:

he returns

to the point where he interrupted .

Shall we say that they disagree over this: