Niddah 67a (סז.) — the Talmud in English

Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak said: A woman may not immerse

in a harbor,

because there is mud there that constitutes a barrier .

And

although presently there is no

mud—

perhaps when she stirred the water with her feet

while immersing herself,

it fell

the mud and formed a barrier.

There is a difference between immersion in a spring, whose water issues from the earth, and immersion in collected rainwater.

A spring purifies even while its waters are flowing. A mikveh, by contrast, purifies only when the collected water remains stationary.

River water consists of a mixture of water issuing from springs and rainwater.

During the dry season, most of the water in rivers comes from springs, and therefore it purifies even while flowing. During the rainy season, most of the water in rivers is rainwater, and it can purify only if it is gathered in a place where it remains collected and does not flow.

Avuh of Shmuel made

the arrangement

for his daughters

to construct

mikvaot during the days of Nisan,

because during the winter the rainwater in the rivers exceeded the spring water.

And mats

and reed mats—he placed them for them because of the mud in the rivers themselves—

during the days of Tishrei,

when, after the summer, the spring water exceeded the rainwater.

Rav Giddel said that Rav said:

A woman who

gave her son cooked food

49, and immersed and emerged—

her immersion is invalid,

because perhaps some of the cooked food adhered to her and constituted a barrier during the immersion.

And although presently

after the immersion

there is nothing

upon her that constitutes a barrier, nevertheless one must be concerned that

perhaps

only

when she stirred the water,

when she moved about in the water as she emerged from the immersion, it

fell.

Rami bar Abba said: These scabs resulting from bloodletting,

the scabs on the wound that forms after bloodletting, are

the first three days

soft and attached to the flesh, and are considered part of it ; and

they do not constitute a barrier

during immersion.

From that point onward

they become hard and separate from the flesh, and therefore

they constitute a barrier.

Mar Ukva said: Mucus

discharged

from the eye, when moist—

does not constitute a barrier; when dry—

it constitutes a barrier.

When is it considered dry?

From when it begins to turn green,

to appear green .

Shmuel said: Eye makeup

a pigment

that is

applied

inside the eye—

pigment applied inside the eye—

does not constitute a barrier,

because it is moistened by the tears of the eye .

And that which is on the eye,

which is dry—

constitutes a barrier.

If her eyes were fluttering [Rashi offers two explanations: (a) she continually opens and closes her eyes, thereby moistening the makeup outside the eye as well; (b) her eyes are watering, thereby moistening the makeup outside the eye] —

even

the makeup

on the eye does not constitute a barrier.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: If she opened her eyes excessively,

there is a barrier above her eyes.

Or if she closed her eyes excessively,

there is a barrier below her eyes—

her immersion is invalid,

because she must immerse in her natural bodily state.

Reish Lakish said: A woman may immerse only in her natural manner,

in her normal manner of use and movement. Therefore, she may not press her arms against her body, nor her legs and thighs against one another. Similarly, she need not raise her arms and the like, because these areas are defined as “concealed places,” as they are covered during her ordinary movement and use . And

as we learned

in the laws of leprosy, in which too a lesion found in a concealed place does not render one impure, as it is stated: “According to all the appearance of the eyes of the koen.”

A man

who has a lesion in his armpit must have it

visible

to the koen

as he hoes.

That is, he is not required to raise his arm completely; it is sufficient for him to raise it as one who hoes. If the koen does not see the lesion as impure in that position, he is pure.

If the lesion is in the genital area, he need not bend over completely so that the koen can see it well; it is sufficient for him to bend as

one who gathers olives.

And

a woman

who has a lesion in her armpit need only have it

visible

to the koen when she raises her arm

as a weaver.

If the lesion is in the genital area , it is sufficient for her to bend

as one nursing her son 56 .

Rabba bar Rav Huna said: One hair that is tied,

meaning that it is tightly bound, and therefore

constitutes a barrier.