Niddah 64b (סד:) — the Talmud in English

The thirtieth day was permitted,

because a non-fixed veset is uprooted after one occurrence,

while the twentieth day was prohibited,

the fixed one, even though on the previous two occasions she had not seen blood on the twentieth day and had seen it on the thirtieth.

Because the period

of the twentieth day

had arrived at its time!

And it is uprooted only after three occurrences. [Although she did not see blood on the twentieth day three times, since on the third occasion she also did not see it on the thirtieth day, this occasion is not considered an uprooting].

Mishna:

Women with regard to

blood

of virginity—

they are

like vines:

There is a vine whose wine is red, and there is a vine whose wine is black,

and likewise, there is a woman whose blood is red, and there is one whose blood is black.

There is a vine whose wine is abundant, and there is a vine whose wine is scant,

and likewise, the quantity of blood is not the same in all women.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Every vine has wine

[every woman has virginity and blood],

but one that has no wine is a durketi.

As the Gemara explains.

Gemara:

The tanna:

Durketi is an acronym

for “a truncated generation.”

Since this woman has no blood, she will not have many children.

Rabbi Hiyya taught: Just as leaven is beneficial for dough, so blood is beneficial for a woman.

A tanna taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Any woman whose blood is abundant

will have many children.

We have completed the chapter “The Woman Who Has a Veset.”

Mishna:

A young girl,

who is younger than twelve,

who has not yet reached the age at which she is expected to see blood,

because she becomes capable of seeing blood only from the age of twelve,

and she marries,

and sees blood when she has intercourse—

Beit Shammai say: She is given

four nights

to have intercourse even though she sees blood, because we attribute the blood to hymenal blood: It is pure blood flowing from the wound created by the rupture of the hymen, and it does not flow from the uterus.

And Beit Hillel say:

She may have intercourse even though she sees blood

until

the wound heals

[meaning, until the wound caused by the first intercourse heals], as will be explained in the Gemara.

And if

she has reached the age at which she is expected to see blood,

meaning that she is already twelve years old, but she has still not begun to see menstrual blood,

and she marries,

and sees blood when she has intercourse—

Beit Shammai say: She is given only the first night

and thereafter her blood is impure; we do not attribute it to hymenal blood.

And Beit Hillel say:

She is given [if she married on Wednesday, in accordance with the enactment of the Sages]

until the conclusion of Shabbat

to attribute the blood to pure hymenal blood, which lasts for

four nights.

And if she has already

seen blood while she was still in her father’s house,

and afterward she marries—

Beit Shammai say: She is given the mitzva intercourse

only: During that intercourse itself, although the blood is flowing, he may complete the intercourse, but no more.

And Beit Hillel say: The entire night

she is permitted to have intercourse, and she attributes any blood she sees that night to hymenal blood.

Gemara:

We learned in the first clause of the Mishna: “A young girl who has not reached the age at which she is expected to see blood.”

Rav Naḥman said: Even if

she had already

seen

menstrual blood when she was a minor, she is permitted, according to Beit Hillel, to attribute the blood to hymenal blood until the wound heals, since she is still a minor who has not reached the age at which she is expected to see blood.

From where

do we know that even if she saw menstrual blood during childhood, she is given permission until the wound heals?

From the fact that he distinguishes in the latter clause,

when she reaches the age at which she is expected to see blood, at twelve,

between one who has seen

menstrual blood previously

and one who has not seen it.

By implication,

it follows that

the first clause,

which speaks of a minor, makes no distinction between them—

it makes no difference

whether she previously saw menstrual blood,

and it makes no difference

whether she had not previously seen it: She attributes the blood to hymenal blood until the wound heals.

It was taught likewise

as Rav Naḥman said: A young girl who has not reached the age at which she is expected to see blood and marries—

Beit Hillel say:

She is given permission

until the wound heals, whether she has seen

menstrual blood previously

or has not seen it.

We learned in the Mishna: Beit Hillel say—

until the wound heals!

The Gemara asks:

How long

is she considered not yet healed, so that she may attribute the blood to hymenal blood?

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: As long as she “snorts,”

as will be explained below.

And Rav Yehuda said:

When I stated

Rav’s words, “As long as she snorts,”

before Shmuel, he said to me: “What is this ‘snorting’?”

I do not know what it is! Rather,

“until the wound heals” means

as long as saliva is present in the mouth because of intercourse [meaning: as long as she sees blood when she has intercourse, without there ever being a single occasion of intercourse during which she does not see blood].

The Gemara explains:

“What does Rav’s ‘snorting’ refer to?”

What is its meaning?

Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak said: For me, it was explained by Rav himself—

I heard the explanation of the matter from Rav—

If she stands and sees blood, but sits and does not see blood,

it is certain that the wound has not healed!

If she sits

on the ground and sees blood,

but sits

on cushions and mattresses and does not see blood—

it is certain that the wound has not healed!

This is the meaning of “snorting”: The walls of the vaginal canal have become rough, so that when they touch one another, blood emerges from them. The indication of this is that whenever she stands and sees blood but sits and does not see it, it is certain that the wound has not healed, because when she stands the walls of the vaginal canal contract and touch one another. Likewise, whenever she sits on the ground and sees blood, but on cushions and mattresses does not see it, it is certain that sitting on the ground irritates and exposes [causing the blood to emerge from] the wound. This is the language of the Meiri.

But if she sits

on all of them,

the ground and cushions,

and sees blood, or if she sits

on all of them

and does not see blood—

it is certain that the wound has healed!

We learned in our Mishna:

She has reached the age

at which she is expected to see blood and marries—Beit Shammai say that she is given the first night, and Beit Hillel say until the conclusion of Shabbat!

It was stated: If she had intercourse during the days

meaning, if she had intercourse at night and on the following morning, and again at night and on the following morning.

Rav said: She has not forfeited the nights

during which she is permitted to have intercourse, including the following night, even if she sees blood because of intercourse, until the conclusion of Shabbat.

And Levi said: She has forfeited the nights

meaning that if she sees blood during intercourse on the night following the four periods during which she had intercourse, she becomes forbidden, for they did not permit her both a day and a night.

The Gemara explains their dispute:

Rav said that she has not forfeited the nights—

“Until the conclusion of Shabbat,” we learned,

and the meaning is that the entire period is permitted both during the day and at night.

And Levi said that she has forfeited the nights: What is the meaning

of

“four nights,” as it is taught

in the Mishna? It means

four periods,

each period being a day or a night; and since she has already had intercourse during four periods, she has forfeited the subsequent nights.

The Gemara raises an objection:

And according to Rav,

who said that she is permitted both during the day and at night,

why do I need the Mishna to teach “four nights”?

According to him, she is permitted during the days as well?!

The Gemara answers:

It is the ordinary manner—

“proper conduct”—

that it teaches us:

The usual time for intercourse is at night

only, and not during the day, for reasons of modesty.

The Gemara raises another objection:

And according to Levi,

who said that she is permitted for only four periods,

let the Mishna teach “four nights”

only.

“Until the conclusion of Shabbat,”

which it teaches—

why do I need it?

The Gemara answers:

This teaches us

that it is permitted

for him

to have intercourse initially

during the first intercourse

on Shabbat.

Even though he has had only two acts of intercourse and the opening is constricted, this is permitted,

in accordance with Shmuel 8 .

For Shmuel said: If a breach is constricted,

it is permitted to enter it on Shabbat, even though he dislodges pebbles

of earth; likewise, it is permitted to have initial intercourse with a virgin on Shabbat, even though the opening is constricted.

It was stated: If he had intercourse

for the first time

and found no blood,

and he had intercourse again

within the four nights

and found blood—

Rabbi Ḥanina said:

She is impure, and Rabbi Asi said:

She is pure!

The Gemara explains:

Rabbi Ḥanina said that she is impure—

If it were indeed hymenal blood

during the second intercourse,

it would have come originally—

it should already have come during the first intercourse. Since she did not see blood during the first intercourse, it is established that this is not hymenal blood!

And Rabbi Asi said that she is pure.

The reason she did not see blood during the first intercourse is

perhaps it happened to him as in Shmuel’s statement.

For Shmuel said: I can have intercourse

with a virgin

several times without blood!

By angling the organ.

But the other one,

Rabbi Ḥanina, did not rely on Shmuel’s statement because

Shmuel is different, for his strength is great,

as he is exceptionally powerful, and other men are not comparable to him and cannot have intercourse at an angle without bringing out blood.

Rav said: A bogeret,

a woman who is twelve years and six months old, does not have the status of a maiden who is given permission until the conclusion of Shabbat; rather,

she is given the first night

only.

And this applies

to giving her the entire first night, even for several acts of intercourse,

when she has not seen

menstrual blood before the marriage.

But if she has seen

it previously,

she has only the mitzva intercourse, and no more

and not beyond it ! The Gemara raises an objection:

It was taught in a baraita: An incident

involving a virgin who married,

and Rabbi gave her four nights out of twelve months,

meaning that during the first year of her marriage she had intercourse only four times, with several months between each act, and she saw blood each time; nevertheless, Rabbi permitted her to attribute it to hymenal blood.

The Gemara explains the words of the baraita:

What are the circumstances? If you say

that

he gave

that Rabbi gave

her

Rabbi

all of them,

all four nights,

during her minority,

but—