Niddah 65a (סה.) — the Talmud in English

“Until the wound heals,” we learned,

which is the rule for a minor, and not merely four nights.

Rather, he gave

that he gave

her all of them,

all four nights,

during her maidenhood.

But this too is impossible, because

can there be twelve months of maidenhood?

Is it possible for the period of maidenhood to extend over twelve months?

But Shmuel said: The only interval between maidenhood and full maturity is six months!

And should you say: There cannot be less than this,

less than six months,

but there can be more,

more than six months of maidenhood,

there can be

even as much as twelve months.

But

does not Shmuel say, “The only interval between maidenhood and full maturity is six months,”

only

is what he said

?

Rather,

he gave her

Rabbi

two

nights

during her minority and two during her maidenhood,

and these four acts of intercourse took place over twelve months.

Rav Ḥinnana bar Shelemya asked Rav:

A minor who had not reached the age at which she was expected to see blood married and had intercourse, and her law was that she was permitted to have intercourse until the wound healed; before the wound healed,

she reached the age at which she was expected to see blood while married,

meaning that she became twelve years old—

what is the law?

Does she have the status of one who reached the age at which she was expected to see blood and married, or not?

He said to him: All the acts of intercourse that you have with her

while she is a minor who has not reached the age at which she is expected to see blood

are not

considered

other than

as one act of intercourse,

and the rest,

the three nights during which she has intercourse after she grows older and reaches the age at which she is expected to see blood,

complete the four nights—

as in the law of one who has reached the age at which she is expected to see blood and married. Thus, it cannot be that she saw blood during two nights in her minority and two during her maidenhood over twelve months.

For all her acts of intercourse during her minority are considered only as intercourse during a single night, leaving three acts of intercourse for the period of her maidenhood; and it is impossible to divide them into periods of three months each, because the period of maidenhood is only six months!?

Rather,

it must necessarily refer to a case in which

he gave her

Rabbi

one during her minority, two during her maidenhood, and one during her full maturity.

Granted, if you say that an ordinary bogeret

if you say that the law of every bogeret who marries after reaching full maturity is that

we give her more

than one night, it is understandable why Rabbi gave the minor who married and reached full maturity while married one complete night during her full maturity [after we counted all her nights during her minority as one and gave her two additional nights during her maidenhood],

because just as it benefited her

in that all her acts of intercourse during

minority

which

during her maidenhood reduce one from her allowance,

only one is deducted, because all her acts of intercourse during her minority were counted as one, and three nights therefore remained for her maidenhood, so too

it also benefited her

the nights during which she had intercourse during

maidenhood until full maturity—

to reduce one from her allowance,

so that of the two nights given to every bogeret, only one night remained.

But if you say that an ordinary bogeret

that every bogeret who marries is given only the first night, and

we do not give her more, then

she should be given only the mitzva intercourse

one act during her full maturity,

and no more!

The Gemara replies:

Actually,

he gave her one during her minority and three during her maidenhood.

Do you think that every three months

are considered

one

“period”

—one period?

That is not so. Rather,

every two months

two months are considered

one

“period,”

and it follows that it is possible to give her three acts of intercourse during three periods within the six months of her maidenhood, while she has no allowance at all during her full maturity.

Minimin Saksanah was proceeding

on his way

to the place

of his residence,

of Shmuel.

He thought

that he would

perform

an act,

a practical ruling “

a halakhic ruling”

in accordance with Rav,

according to Rav’s view, that a mature virgin is permitted to remain with her husband throughout the entire first night

even if she had seen

blood before the marriage.

He said: He did not distinguish

between the cases:

Rav made no distinction between whether she had seen blood and whether she had not seen blood.

He preceded him,

he went ahead of him,

and died on the road,

before he was able to carry out his intention [to rule in accordance with Rav’s view, even if she had seen blood].

Shmuel applied to Rav the verse: “No harm will befall the righteous,”

so that Rav would not come to err through Minimin Saksanah’s carrying out a practical ruling while relying on his understanding of Rav’s words, as though Rav had said that she is permitted to remain with her husband throughout the entire night even if she had seen blood.

Rav Ḥinnana bar Shelumya said in the name of Rav:

Once a person’s teeth have become detached,

when he has grown old,

his sustenance diminishes,

and comes to him with difficulty.

As it is stated: “I also gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities

and lack of bread in all your places.”

We learned in the Mishna:

She saw blood while she was still [in her father’s house].

The Sages taught: If she saw blood while she was still in her father’s house,

Beit Hillel say: The entire night is hers, and we give her one full ona.

And how long is one full ona?

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel explained: A night and half a day.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

Do we really require all this

—is the period called an ona really so long?

And we raise a contradiction: If one had winepresses

in which grapes are trodden in order to extract their juice and make wine,

and olive presses

where oil is extracted from olives,

that were impure,

and he wished to prepare them in purity

so that they would not render impure the liquid found in them,

what does he do?

The boards

that are placed on the grapes in order to press them,

the lulavin

used to clean the winepress,

and the adashin,

the presses themselves in which the grapes are placed—

he rinses them,

washing them with water so that none of the impure wine or oil will remain.