Shabbat 129a — the Talmud in English

But from the time that

the grave was closed, whether she said ![](pamud.bmp "

exact column location")

“I need it,”

for the violation of Shabbat,

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

and her companions say that she needs it —

one may not violate Shabbat for her.

Rav Ashi taught

it

thus,

as above.

Mar Zutra taught

it

thus:

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: A woman in childbirth, as long as the grave is open, whether she says, “I need it,” and whether

she says, “I do not need it,”

one may violate Shabbat for her.

And from the time that

the grave was closed: if she says, “I need it,” one may violate Shabbat for her.

And if

she does not say, “I need it,” one may not violate Shabbat for her.

Ravina said to Marimar:

As for this matter,

Mar Zutra teaches

it

leniently, and Rav Ashi teaches

it

stringently.

In accordance with whom is the halakha?

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

because

a doubt concerning lives —

is treated leniently.

And we raised the question:

From when

is

“the opening of the grave”

that we learned above, that at this time she is considered a dangerously ill person?

Abaye said: From the time that

the woman

sits upon the birthing stool,

which is the vessel upon which she sits at the time of childbirth.

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

And

there are those who

say it: From the time that her companions carry her in their arms,

in their arms, since she is already unable to walk by her own strength.

And again we raised the question:

Until when

is there

“the opening of the grave”?

Abaye said: Three days

from the time of childbirth.

Rava in the name of Rav Yehuda said: Seven days

from the time of childbirth.

And some say:

Until

thirty

days from the time of childbirth.

The scholars of Nehardea said: A woman in childbirth,

has three divisions of law:

three

days,

seven

days,

and thirty

days.

And now we explain them:

All

three

first days,

whether

the woman in childbirth

says, “I need it,”

that they violate Shabbat for my sake,

and whether

she

says, “I do not need

that they violate Shabbat for my sake [some versions read:

“and whether she does not say, ‘I need’]],

in any event

one may violate Shabbat for her.

All

seven

first days after childbirth, if

she says, “I need it,” one may violate Shabbat for her. If she says, “I do not need it,” one may not violate Shabbat for her.

All

thirty

days from childbirth,

even

if

she says, “I need it,”

that they violate Shabbat,

one may not violate Shabbat for her. But they perform

work for her

through an Aramean,

a gentile.

As Rav Ulla son of Rav Ilai said: All the needs of a sick person

who is not dangerously ill

are performed through an Aramean on Shabbat.

And as Rav Hamnuna.

For Rav Hamnuna said:

A sick person

who

if nothing is done for his need

is not in danger —

a Jew says

to a

gentile

to perform work for him,

and

he

performs it.

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

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: For a woman in childbirth —

thirty days.

For what halakhic purpose

does he say this?

And we explain:

The scholars of Nehardea said: For immersion,

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

Rava said: We said

that she should not immerse throughout the thirty days

only when her husband is not with her,

and she immerses for ritual purity.

But

if

her husband is with her —

her husband warms her

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

Like that incident involving the daughter

of

Rav Hisda,

who was Rava’s wife, who

immersed within

within

thirty days

of childbirth,

and

as a result

she became chilled,

she caught cold.

And they brought her bed,

and they brought her bed,

after Rava

to the place of her husband,

before the doors of the court.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: One makes a bonfire,

a large fire,

for a woman in childbirth,

so that she may warm herself by it,

on Shabbat.

The Sages thought

that only

for a woman in childbirth, yes,

it is permitted to make a bonfire. But

for

the sake of

a sick person, no,

it is not permitted.

And only

during the rainy season, yes,

it is permitted to kindle a fire, but

during the hot season, no,

we do not permit it.

It was stated: Rav Hiyya bar Avin said in the name of Shmuel: A person who

has

had blood let and became chilled,

or who was ill —

one makes a bonfire for him even in the season of Tammuz.

Shmuel

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

and for that reason:

they split for him,

he ordered that they split for him,

a teak chair,

a chair made of teak, whose value was great, and they kindled a fire for him with the pieces of wood.

Rav Yehuda

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

And for that reason:

they split for him,

they split for him,

a cedar table,

a table made of cedar wood.

For Rabba, they split for him,

they split for him,

a bench,

a bench.

And Abaye said to Rabba: But the master is transgressing

by breaking the table,

because of

the prohibition of

“Do not destroy.”

He said to him,

Rabba:

“Do not destroy” concerning my body,

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

is preferable to me

than breaking the bench.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person should always sell

even

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

for there is no greater disgrace than this, that he walks barefoot in the marketplace.

And 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 provide himself with

[purchase with their proceeds]

the needs of a meal

for the bloodletting.

And we raised the question:

What are the needs of a meal?

Rav said: Meat.

And Shmuel said: Wine.

And we explain their reasons:

Rav said meat —

one life in exchange for another life.

And Shmuel said wine: red in exchange for red.

Shmuel, on the day on which he performed the procedure,

bloodletting,

they would prepare for him

in his house

a dish of spleen,

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

Rabbi Yohanan

would

drink

a large amount of wine on the day of the bloodletting,

until the scent of the wine came out of his ears,

so that the smell of the wine came from his ears.

And Rav Naḥman would drink

a large amount of wine,

until his spleen floated,

so that his spleen floated in the wine.

Rav Yosef would drink

a large amount of wine,

until it came out

the wine

from the incision of the bloodletting instrument,

from the scratches of the bloodletting.

Rava

on the day of the bloodletting would

seek wine more than three-leaf wine,

wine that had aged for three years.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to the Sages

his students:

Please,

I request,

from you.

On the day of the bloodletting, tell your wives

to prepare an important meal, because

Naḥman has arrived among us.

That is, inform them that I am dining with you, and let them prepare an important meal, although I will not come to you to dine.

And all acts of deception —

are forbidden, except for this act of deception, which is permitted.

And we explain which act of deception is permitted:

This

person who performs the procedure,

bloodletting,

and is unable

to purchase wine.

Let him take a defective coin,

let him take in his hand a coin of a zuz that is bad and is not accepted in commerce

and let him go to seven

seven

shops,

and in each of the shops he should ask the seller to let him taste the wine that he supposedly wishes to purchase, and in each of the shops they will give him a little wine to taste. Once the seller sees that he has a bad zuz in his hand, he will not wish to sell to him. And so he should continue from shop to shop,

until

from all of them together he obtains

a taste equivalent to a quarter-log.

And if not

he can do this, because he does not have a bad zuz,

let him eat seven black dates,

let him eat seven black dates.

And let him rub oil on his temples,

and let him apply oil to his temples, for these are things that warm the body.

And let him lie in the sun,

and let him lie in the sun and warm himself.

Ablat [

the name of a gentile]

found Shmuel lying in the sun,

and found that he was sitting in the sun.

He said to

Shmuel:

“Wise man of the Jews.”

The sun, whose heat is

bad,

bad for a person —

is it good

for him?

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

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

It is not so,

this was not Shmuel’s reason.

Rather,

indeed

there is a day that is beneficial

when it is good

in it

the heat

of the sun throughout the entire year,

more than throughout the entire year.

And that is:

the day on which it fell,

the day on which the beginning of

the season of Tammuz occurred.

And

Shmuel

thought: This matter was not revealed to him,

and therefore he told him another reason.

The Gemara brings several statements of Rav and Shmuel concerning the matter of bloodletting. Their mnemonic is:

(was lenient, in the wind, reason, delayed, sign)

Rav and Shmuel, both of them said: Whoever is lenient,

who reduces

in the meal of bloodletting, they reduce,

they diminish

his sustenance from Heaven.

And they say:

Behold,

he

this person

did not have pity on his own life,

and should

I have pity on him?

Rav and Shmuel both said: This person who performs the procedure,

bloodletting —

should not sit where the wind blows,

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

perhaps the practitioner emptied him,

perhaps the practitioner drained all the blood from his body,

and left him with a quarter,

and left in his body only a quarter-log of blood, which is the minimum amount needed for him to be able to live.

And

perhaps

the wind will come

the wind will come

and blow it away from him,

and the wind will diminish somewhat of the blood that remained for him,

and

as a result

he will come

he will come

to danger.

Shmuel was accustomed to performing the procedure

of bloodletting

in a house of seven-and-a-half bricks. One day he performed it, and felt something in himself. He examined it and found that one brick was missing.

The width of the wall had been seven and a half bricks [a brick is three handbreadths: 22.5 = 37.5]

Rav and Shmuel both said: This person who performs the procedure,

bloodletting,

should taste something immediately, and afterward go out.

Because

if he does not taste something,

and goes out, then

if he encounters

encounters

a corpse,

a corpse,

his face becomes green,

his face becomes pale.

And if he encounters one who has killed a person,

one who has killed a person, he

dies.