Niddah 66b — the Talmud in English

Rava said: A woman

who needs to immerse for her purification —

shall not shampoo

her head

with neither natron nor sand 39 .

With natron

she shall not shampoo —

because it cuts,

for it cuts the hair, and pieces of hair remain entangled in the hair at the time of immersion and constitute an interposition.

And with sand

she shall likewise not shampoo

because it entangles,

for it tangles the hairs and the water does not enter among them.

And Ameimar said in the name of Rava: A woman shall shampoo only with hot water, but not with cold water, and even with water heated by the sun,

water that was heated by the sun alone.

And the Gemara explains:

What is the reason that cold water is not permitted —

because it is cold,

for it is cold,

and it hardens the hair,

for it stiffens the hair, and the dirt in it does not pass out.

And Rava said: A person should always teach those in his household that a woman should wash

before her immersion

the folds of her body

with water.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

The folds of the body and the concealed places do not require the entry of water

at the time of immersion; and if so, why does she need to remove the interposition from there before her immersion?

The Gemara answers:

Granted, the entry of water

in practice

we do not require

there. But that the place be clean, so that it will be

a place suitable for the entry of water —

we do require 41 .

As Rabbi Zeira. For Rabbi Zeira said:

one does not bring a meal-offering of more than sixty issaron in one vessel, because it is impossible to mix the flour and the oil properly when they are more than sixty issaron in one vessel, and one of the requirements of a meal-offering is that it be “mixed.”

And when he brings it in a vessel no larger than sixty issaron, the meal-offering is valid even if he does not mix the flour with the oil. For:

Anything suitable for mixing —

the mixing does not invalidate it.

But,

that which is not suitable for mixing —

the mixing invalidates it 42 .

Ravin bar Rav Adda said in the name of Rabbi Isaac: An incident occurred with Rabbi’s maidservant, who immersed and emerged, and a bone was found interposed between her teeth, and Rabbi required her to immerse a second time

and this was because the place “between her teeth” was not suitable for the entry of water.

And Rava said: If she immersed and emerged, and an interposing substance was found upon her

43 , if she immersed soon after shampooing —

she does not need

to be concerned that the interposition was upon her at the time of immersion. Therefore, she is not obligated

to shampoo and immerse; but if not,

that she did not shampoo soon before immersion —

she must shampoo and immerse.

Some say: If she immersed on the same day on which she shampooed —

she does not need to shampoo and immerse.

But if not —

she must shampoo and immerse.

What difference is there between them

what is the practical halakhic difference between the two expressions?

There is a difference between them:

a.

To rely on the shampooing for the immersion,

according to the first expression she must make the immersion adjacent to it, whereas according to the latter expression she need not [provided that the shampooing and immersion are on the same day].

b. Whether she is permitted

to shampoo

to shampoo

during the day and immerse at night

that follows it, when it is adjacent but is not on the same day. For according to the latter expression, we require it to be on that very same day.

Rava said: A woman shall not stand upon an earthenware vessel and immerse.

Rav Kahana thought to say: What is the reason —

because of the decree concerning bathhouses.

For it is forbidden to immerse in a place where there are benches upon the ground and people sit upon them, lest they come to immerse in bathhouses that have earthenware benches , and these bathhouses are invalid for immersion.

This

to immerse while standing

upon a sileta,

a thick wooden beam —

is perfectly acceptable

it is permitted, because a wooden beam does not resemble benches made of earth.

Rav Hanan of Nehardea said to him: There

in this matter, where Rava said that a woman shall not stand upon an earthenware vessel and immerse, the reason is not because of “the decree concerning bathhouses,” but

what is the reason —

because she is afraid,

for she fears that she might fall, and therefore she does not immerse properly. And if so, when she stands at the time of immersion upon

a sileta —

she too is afraid —

she also fears that she might fall, and therefore this too is forbidden .