Shabbat 129a (קכט.) — the Talmud in English

But from the time that

the grave has been closed, whether she said

“I need it,”

for the purpose of permitting desecration of Shabbat,

or whether she did not say, “I need it,”

and her companions say that she needs it—

one may not desecrate Shabbat for her.

Rav Ashi taught

it

as follows,

as above.

Mar Zutra taught

it

as follows:

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: With regard to a woman in childbirth, as long as the grave is open, whether she said, “I need it,” or

she said, “I do not need it,”

one may desecrate Shabbat for her.

And from the time that

the grave has been closed: If she said, “I need it,” one may desecrate Shabbat for her.

And if

she did not say, “I need it,” one may not desecrate Shabbat for her.

Ravina said to Marimar:

This matter—

Mar Zutra teaches

it

leniently, whereas Rav Ashi teaches

it

stringently.

What is the halakha?

He said to him: The halakha is in accordance with Mar Zutra,

because

in a case of uncertainty concerning life

the ruling is lenient.

And we raised a question about it:

From when

is

“the opening of the grave,”

which we learned above, the time when she is considered a dangerously ill patient?

Abaye said: From the time that

the woman

sits upon the birthing stool,

the object upon which she sits during childbirth.

Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, said: From the time that the blood trickles and descends.

And

there are those who

say that it is from the time that her companions carry her in their arms,

in their arms, since she can no longer walk under her own power.

And we raised another question:

Until when

is there

“the opening of the grave”?

Abaye said: Three days

from the time of childbirth.

Rava said in the name of Rav Yehuda: Seven days

from the time of childbirth.

And some say:

Until

thirty

days from the time of childbirth.

The scholars of Neharde’a said: A woman in childbirth

is subject to three distinct periods of law:

three

days,

seven

days,

and thirty

days.

We shall now explain them:

During all the first

three

days,

whether

the woman who gave birth

said, “I need

Shabbat to be desecrated for me,”

or

if she

said, “I do not need

Shabbat to be desecrated for me” [some versions read:

“or whether she did not say, ‘I need it’”],

in any event

one may desecrate Shabbat for her.

During all the first

seven

days after childbirth, if she

said, “I need it,” one may desecrate Shabbat for her; if she said, “I do not need it,” one may not desecrate Shabbat for her.

During all

thirty

days after childbirth,

even

if she

said, “I need it”

and asked that Shabbat be desecrated,

one may not desecrate Shabbat for her. But one may perform

the work for her

through a gentile,

a non-Jew.

This is in accordance with the statement of Rav Ulla, son of Rav Ilai, who said: All the needs of an ill person

who is not dangerously ill

are performed through a gentile on Shabbat.

And it is also in accordance with the statement of Rav Hamnuna.

For Rav Hamnuna said:

An ill person

who

would be endangered if nothing were done for his needs, but

is not dangerously ill—

a Jew tells

a

non-Jew

to perform the work for him,

and

the non-Jew

performs it.

But in a matter involving danger, a Jew himself performs it for him.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: With regard to a woman in childbirth—

thirty days.

For what halakhic purpose

is this stated?

And we explain:

The scholars of Neharde’a said: With regard to immersion,

she should not immerse until thirty days have passed, because of the cold.

Rava said: We said

that she should not immerse during the entire thirty-day period

only when her husband is not with her,

and she is immersing for purposes of ritual purity.

But

if

her husband is with her—

her husband warms her through marital relations, and there is no concern about the cold.

As in the case of the daughter

of Rav Ḥisda,

his daughter,

who was Rava’s wife,

and who

immersed within

a period of

thirty days

after childbirth,

and

as a result

became chilled,

she caught cold.

And they brought her bed

and carried it

after Rava

to the place where her husband was,

to the entrance of the courthouse.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: One may make a bonfire,

a large fire,

for a woman in childbirth

so that she can warm herself by it

on Shabbat.

The Rabbis thought

that this applied only

to a woman in childbirth, yes,

it is permitted to make a bonfire for her, but

for

the needs of

an ill person, no,

it is not permitted.

And only

during the rainy season is it

permitted to kindle a fire, but

during the hot season it is not

permitted.

It was stated: Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin said that Shmuel said:

One who

had blood let and became chilled,

or who was ill—

one may make a bonfire for him even during the season of Tammuz.

Shmuel

had blood let, and they found no wood with which to kindle a fire for him.

Therefore:

They split for him

and instructed that it be chopped for him,

a teak chair,

a valuable chair made of plane wood, and they kindled a fire for him from the broken pieces of wood.

Rav Yehuda

had blood let, and there was nothing with which to kindle a fire for him.

Therefore:

They split for him

and chopped for him

a table,

a table made of cedar wood.

For Rabba, they split for him

and chopped for him

a bench,

a bench.

And Abaye said to Rabba: But you are transgressing

by breaking the table,

because of

the prohibition of

“Do not destroy.”

He said to him—

Rabba said:

The “do not destroy” of my body,

for I am liable to become ill because I will have nothing with which to warm myself after the bloodletting,

is preferable to me

than refraining from breaking the bench.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: A person should always sell

even

the beams of his house and purchase shoes for his feet,

for there is no greater humiliation than walking barefoot in the marketplace.

Despite the great importance of shoes, a person who

has had blood let and has nothing

that he can

eat

after the bloodletting

should sell the shoes on his feet and obtain from them

—purchase with their proceeds—

the requirements of a meal

following bloodletting.

And we raised a question about it:

What are the requirements of a meal?

Rav said: Meat.

And Shmuel said: Wine.

And we explain their reasons:

Rav said meat—

one life in place of another life.

And Shmuel said wine: Red in place of red.

On the day that Shmuel underwent the procedure,

bloodletting,

they prepared for him

in his house

a dish of spleen,

a food made from spleen, which is rich in blood.

Rabbi Yoḥanan

would

drink

a large quantity of wine on the day of bloodletting,

until the smell of wine emerged from his ears,

so that the aroma of wine came from his ears.

And Rav Naḥman would drink

a large quantity of wine,

until his spleen floated,

his spleen floated in the wine.

Rav Yosef would drink

a large quantity of wine,

until

the wine emerged

from the scratches of the bloodletting,

from the wounds made by the bloodletting.

Rava,

on the day of bloodletting,

would seek wine that had aged for three years,

wine that had matured for three years.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to the Rabbis

his students:

Please,

I ask you,

from you:

On the day of bloodletting, tell your wives

to prepare an important meal, for

Naḥman is visiting us.

That is, tell them that I am dining at your homes, and let them prepare an important meal, although I will not actually come to dine with you.

And all forms of deception—

are prohibited, except for this deception, which is permitted.

We explain which deception is permitted:

This

person who undergoes the procedure,

bloodletting,

and cannot

purchase wine:

He should take a defective coin,

a zuz coin that is bad and is not accepted in commerce,

and go to seven

seven

shops,

and in each shop ask the merchant to let him taste the wine that he ostensibly wishes to purchase. In each shop they will give him a little wine to taste, and once the merchant sees that he has a defective zuz, he will not wish to sell to him. He should thus continue from shop to shop,

until

the amount he has tasted from all of them together comes to

the measure of a revi'it.

And if he cannot

do this because he does not have a defective coin,

he should eat seven black dates,

seven black dates.

And he should rub oil on his temples,

which are things that warm the body.

And he should lie in the sun,

and warm himself.

Ablat

a non-Jewish name

found Shmuel lying in the sun,

he found him sitting in the sun.

He said to

Shmuel:

Wise man of the Jews,

the sun, whose heat is

harmful,

bad for a person—

is it good

for him?

Shmuel said to him: It is the day of my bloodletting,

and I need to warm myself in the heat of the sun.

That is not so;

this was not Shmuel’s reason.

Rather,

indeed

there is a day on which it is beneficial

and

its

heat,

the sun’s heat, is greater throughout the entire year,

more than during the rest of the year.

And this is the day:

the day on which it occurs,

the day on which the beginning of

the season of Tammuz falls.

And

Shmuel

thought: This matter was not revealed to him,

and therefore he gave him another reason.

The Gemara cites several statements of Rav and Shmuel concerning bloodletting. Their mnemonic is:

“Was lenient, wind, reason, delayed, sign.”

Rav and Shmuel, both of whom say: Anyone who is lenient,

who diminishes

the meal following bloodletting is treated leniently,

his sustenance is diminished

from Heaven.

And they say:

Here

he is,

this person,

who had no concern for his own life;

why should

I have concern for him?

Rav and Shmuel, both of whom say: This person who undergoes the procedure,

bloodletting,

should not sit where the wind blows forcefully,

he should not sit in a place with windows through which the wind blows. For

perhaps the practitioner drained him,

perhaps the practitioner drained all the blood from his body,

and left him with a revi'it,

the minimum quantity of blood necessary for him to remain alive.

And

perhaps

a wind will come

and

blow upon him,

and the wind will reduce somewhat the blood that remained in him,

and

through this

he will come

to

danger.

Shmuel was accustomed to undergoing bloodletting

in his house

of seven and a half bricks. One day he underwent the procedure and felt unwell. He checked and found that one brick was missing.

The wall was seven and a half bricks wide [a brick is three handbreadths: 22.5 = 37.5].

Rav and Shmuel, both of whom say: This person who undergoes the procedure,

bloodletting,

should taste something and only afterward leave.

Because

if he does not taste something,

and leaves, then

if he encounters

a

grave,

a corpse,

his face will turn green.

that is, his face will become pale.

And if he encounters one who has killed a person,

one who has committed murder, he

will die.