Moed Katan 15a — the Talmud in English

And now the Gemara raises a doubt:

Those under a ban, and

likewise

those afflicted with leprosy—

what is their status with regard to hair-cutting?

And the Geraibetz answers that the term cutting is distinct from the term trimming. Although we know from our Mishna that one placed under a ban is forbidden to cut the hair of his head, we still would not have forbidden him to trim the hair of his entire body. However, this answer is insufficient with regard to laundering, since below the Gemara asks whether one placed under a ban is permitted to launder clothing.

Ta shma,

from that which we learned in a beraita:

a.

Those under a ban and those afflicted with leprosy—

are prohibited from cutting their hair and from laundering.

b.

One under a ban who died—

the court stones

his coffin.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Not that they erect over him a heap of stones like the heap of Achan,

but rather the court sends and places a large stone upon his coffin.

To teach you that anyone who places himself under a ban and dies under his ban—

the court stones his coffin.

And the Gemara continues to explain the laws of mourning:

A mourner is obligated in covering the head.

And we learned this

from that which the Merciful One said to Ezekiel [Ezekiel 24], when the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him not to conduct mourning when his wife died: “

And you shall not cover your mustache,”

whose meaning is that he should not cover his head down to the place of his mustache.

By inference

that the verse excluded the prophet Ezekiel from this conduct of mourning, you learn

that everyone

when they are mourners

is obligated

in covering their heads.

And the Gemara raises a doubt:

One under a ban—

what is his status with regard to covering the head?

Rav Yosef said: Ta shma,

from that which is stated in a beraita in tractate Ta’anit, that after they fasted thirteen fasts because of the withholding of rain, and rain still did not fall for them:

And they,

the Sages,

cover themselves, and sit like those under a ban and like mourners—

until they are shown mercy from Heaven.

And it follows that their sitting like those under a ban requires covering the head.

Abaye said to him: Perhaps

there, when covering the head is because of the conduct of

one under a ban from Heaven —

[that is, they present themselves as though Heaven had placed them under a ban],

it is different,

because

the ban

from Heaven is more severe than a ban imposed by a person.

One afflicted with leprosy—

what is his status with regard to covering the head?

Ta shma,

from a beraita that expounds the words of the verse [Leviticus 13] concerning one afflicted with leprosy, “

And over his mustache he shall cover” —

[the expression “he shall cover himself” means covering, and the verse states that he must cover his head so that it is covered down to his mustache]—

by inference, he is obligated

the one afflicted with leprosy

in covering the head.

And we conclude:

Infer from it.

A mourner—

is prohibited from putting on phylacteries.

From that which the Merciful One said to Ezekiel [Ezekiel 24], that he should not conduct mourning over the death of his wife, but rather, “

Your glory

shall be

bound upon you.”

And the “glory” on a person’s head is the phylacteries. Therefore—

by inference, everyone

the mourners

is prohibited

from putting on phylacteries.

One under a ban—

what is his status with regard to phylacteries?

And we conclude:

Teiku.

One afflicted with leprosy—

what is his status with regard to phylacteries?

Ta shma,

from the words of the beraita that expounds the verse in the section concerning one afflicted with leprosy [Leviticus 13] as follows: “

And the one afflicted with leprosy”—

to include the High Priest,

for the conduct of one afflicted with leprosy. “

His garments shall be torn”—

that they shall be torn. “

And his head shall be unkempt”—

there is no

unkemptness

except the growing of hair; these are the words of Rabbi Eliezer.

Rabbi Akiva says:

The intention of “the unkemptness of the head” is not the growing of hair on the head of one afflicted with leprosy. Rather, the verse teaches about uncovering his head, since

the expression “shall be” [“shall be unkempt”]

[“shall be unkempt”]

is stated

with regard to the head, and the expression “shall be” [“shall be torn”]

is stated with regard to a garment.

garment.

And we learn through a

gzera shava:

the tearing of the

Just as the expression “shall be” stated with regard to the tearing of the

garment

is with regard to something outside his body [for the garment is not part of a person’s body],

[since a garment is not part of a person’s body],

so too the expression “shall be”

stated

with regard to the

the unkempt

head

is with regard to

something

outside his body,

and the verse is not speaking of growing his hair, which is something from his body.

And the Gemara infers from Rabbi Akiva’s words:

What, is it not

the intention of the verse to reveal

concerning phylacteries,

to say that the head of one afflicted with leprosy should be “unkempt,” uncovered, by his not placing phylacteries upon it?

Rav Pappa said: No.

This is not the intention of the verse. Rather, it is

a felt cap and a turban.

His head should be unkempt and uncovered by his not placing upon it an important head-covering; but phylacteries—he always puts them on.

A mourner—

is prohibited from greeting.

From

that which the Merciful One said to Ezekiel [Ezekiel 24], that when his wife dies, “

Groan in silence!”

That is, with regard to greeting, he shall conduct himself as a mourner and refrain from greeting.

One under a ban—

what is his status with regard to greeting?

Rav Yosef said: Ta shma,

from that which is stated concerning the conduct of the Sages during a fast over the withholding of rain:

And

they are prohibited

from greeting one another, like people rebuked by the Omnipresent.

And it follows that one under a ban [who is “rebuked”] is prohibited from greeting.

Abaye said to him: Perhaps

the conduct of

one under a ban from Heaven

is different, for it is more severe

than the conduct of “one under a ban by a person.”

One afflicted with leprosy—

what is his status with regard to greeting?

Ta shma

from the beraita that expounds the verse, “

And over his mustache he shall cover” [“

mustache” means lips joined together]—

that his lips shall be

of the one afflicted with leprosy

joined one to another, so that he shall be like one under a ban and like a mourner, and he is prohibited from greeting.

And we conclude:

Infer from it.

And we raise a question concerning this:

Let us resolve from it,

from this beraita, also the doubt that we raised earlier concerning greeting

by one under a ban.

For the beraita says that one afflicted with leprosy is like one under a ban and like a mourner, and concludes that he is prohibited from greeting. It follows from it that one under a ban is also prohibited from greeting.

And we reject this:

Rav Aḥa bar Pinḥas said in the name of Rav Yosef: Does it state

in the beraita that one afflicted with leprosy should be like one under a ban and like a mourner

who is prohibited

from greeting?

But

that he shall be

the one afflicted with leprosy

like one under a ban and like a mourner

alone

it states.

And the intention is that one afflicted with leprosy should be like a mourner and like one under a ban

in other matters.

But the beraita adds:

And he is also prohibited

the one afflicted with leprosy

from greeting.

But there is no proof from here concerning greeting by one under a ban.

A mourner is prohibited from words of Torah.

From that which the Merciful One said to Ezekiel, “

In silence,”

and it follows that he should not engage in words of Torah.

One under a ban—

what is his status with regard to words of Torah?

Rav Yosef said: Ta shma,

from the beraita:

One under a ban—

he studies, and others study with him.

He may be hired

for work,

and others may be hired for him.

One excommunicated [one under a ban who remained in his ban for thirty days and did not repent, they excommunicate him]—

he neither studies nor do others study with him; he is neither hired nor are others hired for him.

But he does study

the excommunicated person

by himself,

so that

he should not interrupt his learning.

And he makes for himself a small shop for his livelihood.

And Rav said:

The excommunicated person is permitted only

to

sell water

—to sell water—

in Paktā

in the marketplace

of Aravot [a place-name, given as an example of a marketplace].

Infer from it.

One afflicted with leprosy—

what is his status with regard to words of Torah?

Ta shma

from the beraita:

It is written in the Book of Deuteronomy [chapter 4]: “

And you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children, the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb.”

Just as there,

at the standing at Mount Sinai, the acceptance of the Torah was

with awe and with fear and with trembling and with shaking

—so too, Torah study must always be conducted in such a manner.

From here they said: Those afflicted with gonorrhea, those afflicted with leprosy, and those who have relations with menstruating women ,

since their impurity did not come because of frivolity, they are

permitted to read from the Torah and from the Prophets and from the Writings, and to study midrash and Talmud, halakhot and aggadot.

permitted to read the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, and to study homiletic interpretation and the Talmud, halakhot and aggadot.

But

those who experienced a seminal emission,

whose impurity results from frivolity,

are prohibited

from Torah study until they immerse themselves.

Infer from it

that those afflicted with leprosy are permitted to study Torah.

A mourner—

is prohibited from laundering.

And we learned this from that which

We learn this from

is written

in the Second Book of Samuel [chapter 14]: “

And Joab sent to Tekoa, and he took from there a wise woman.

And he said to her: Please mourn, and please wear mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil.

And you shall be like a woman

who

has been mourning over the dead for many days.”

And it follows that a mourner wears garments by which it is recognizable that he is a mourner; that is, he does not launder his garments, but wears them in their soiled state.

Those under a ban and those afflicted with leprosy—

what is their status with regard to laundering?

Ta shma

from a beraita:

Those under a ban and those afflicted with leprosy are prohibited from cutting their hair and from laundering.

And we conclude:

Infer from it.

A mourner—

is obligated in tearing

his garment.

And we learned this

from that which the Merciful One said to the sons of Aaron [Leviticus 10], that they should not conduct mourning, “Your garments

you shall not tear”—

by inference, everyone

the mourners

is obligated

in tearing their garments.

One under a ban—

what is his status with regard to tearing?

And we conclude:

teyku.

metzora —

what is it regarding tearing?

ta shma

from the words of Scripture concerning the metzora [Leviticus 13] “

His garments shall be torn,”

the meaning of which is

that they shall be

his garments

torn .

And we conclude: infer from it.

A mourner —

is obligated in overturning the bed,

by overturning his bed.

For bar Kappara taught: