Shabbat 86a — the Talmud in English

And they see them

the five seeds when they are arranged in a bed -

as a square table.

And we infer precisely: specifically because the bed appears

as a table is it permitted; but if not so,

when he makes it round -

it is forbidden!

Thus, a round bed is not called a bed for permission to sow in this manner.

And we answer:

There,

the fact that we require the bed to be square is in order

to be lenient with it with another leniency -

to consider it as a field,

to permit the projecting corner coming out from it into another field, which was permitted only with a square bed.

which was permitted only in the case of a square garden bed.

Mishna:

From where

is it established concerning a woman who

expels semen on the third day

after her intercourse

that she is impure?

Since until the third day it still has the status of “semen,” for the semen is still fit to be absorbed in her womb and for a fetus to be formed from it.

And a woman who had intercourse and immersed, and afterward expelled semen, is impure according to the law of a man who experiences a seminal emission. But after three days the semen becomes spoiled, and it no longer imparts impurity.

As it is stated

concerning the giving of the Torah:

“Be ready for three days,

do not approach a woman.” For they were warned to separate from a woman for three days before the giving of the Torah, since they needed to be pure at the standing at Mount Sinai; and if he had intercourse during those days, perhaps at the time of the giving of the Torah she would expel semen and become impure.

From where is it established that one bathes the circumcision on the third day

after the circumcision

that occurs on Shabbat?

For until the third day the circumcised man is still in danger, and it is permitted to violate Shabbat for his sake and to heat water for him, since bathing strengthens and restores his body.

As it is stated

concerning the people of Shechem, after they circumcised themselves:

“And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain.”

From where is it established that one ties

on Yom Kippur

a strip of crimson wool

a strip of red wool

on the head of

the

scapegoat?

And when they pushed it from the cliff, the strip would turn white, and they would know that the sins of Israel had been atoned for.

From where is it established that anointing is like drinking on

like a crimson thread—red]

they shall become white as snow.”

Yom

Kippur?

For it is forbidden to anoint one’s body on Yom Kippur just as it is forbidden to drink on it.

Although there is no proof

complete

for the matter,

but

there is a remembrance of the matter

there is,

as it is stated: “And it entered like water into his innards and like oil into his bones,”

for anointing has thus been equated with drinking.

Gemara:

And we raise a difficulty concerning it:

The beginning

of the Mishna

is not according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya,

whereas

the end is according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya?!

For Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya is the tanna who taught [below, 137b] the end of the Mishna, that one bathes the circumcision on the third day that occurs on Shabbat.

Whereas the beginning of the Mishna, that a woman who expels semen on the third day is impure, does not accord with him.

For if it is Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya -

she is

pure,

as

we heard him say

below in a beraita?

And we answer: Indeed,

the one who does not establish

the Mishna

as the opinions of different tannaim,

for the amoraim disagreed concerning the matter [see Rashi], there is one who prefers to emend the Mishna rather than say that it follows the opinions of two tannaim, and that amora

taught

in

the beginning

of the Mishna, concerning a woman who expels semen, that she is

pure, and establishes all of

the Mishna

according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

And the one who establishes it as the opinions of different tannaim,

who prefers to establish the Mishna according to two tannaim rather than emend it, will say that

the beginning is according to the Rabbis

and the end is according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

The Sages taught: A woman who expels semen on the third day is pure; these are the words of Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

And according to his view, everything depends on counting the days and not on counting the periods [a period means a span of time of a day or a night]; that is, if she had intercourse on Thursday and expelled on Shabbat, whether she had intercourse at the beginning of Thursday night, so that four periods had passed until Shabbat [Thursday night, Thursday day, Friday night, Friday day], or whether she had intercourse at the end of Thursday day, when there are only two periods until Shabbat, she is pure, for part of the day [Thursday] is like the whole of it, and it follows that Shabbat is the third day.

Rabbi Ishmael says:

I agree with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya that everything depends on counting the days; however, I disagree with his words, for only if she expelled on the fourth day after her intercourse is she pure, but not on the third day; that is, if she had intercourse on Wednesday and expelled on Shabbat, she is pure. And

sometimes they are four periods

complete from the intercourse until the expulsion, for example, if she had intercourse at the end of Wednesday day.

Sometimes they are five periods,

for example, if she had intercourse at the beginning of Wednesday day.

Sometimes they are six periods,

for example, if she had intercourse during twilight at the beginning of Wednesday night.

Rabbi Akiva says: Always five

periods; everything depends on the periods, and if she expelled within five periods of her intercourse, she is impure.

And if part of the first period has elapsed,

for example, if she had intercourse in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day,

we give her part of the sixth period

to complete the count of the hours that passed from the beginning of the first period until her intercourse; and if she expels in the middle of the sixth period, she is pure.

The Rabbis said it before Rav Pappa. And some say: Rav Pappa said to Rava: Granted, Rabbi Elazar

ben Azarya

held

like the Rabbis who say

in the beraita [below, 86b]

on Thursday

of the week

he carried out separation

from their wives; and there were those who separated only at the end of the day, and on Shabbat the Torah was given, and they immersed on Shabbat night [as explained below]. And since they did not take into consideration the possibility that the women might expel immediately after the immersion, infer from this that a woman who expels on the third day is pure.

And Rabbi Ishmael

held

like Rabbi Yosei, who says: on Wednesday

of the week

he carried out separation,

and Shabbat was the fourth day after their intercourse; and if so, we have proof only that a woman who expels on the fourth day is pure.

But Rabbi Akiva, according to whom

did he hold? From where did he learn that the Torah was particular about periods, for they were warned to separate only from the end of the day, and here there are days and not periods?

And we answer:

He always held according to Rabbi Yosei,

who held that they separated on Wednesday, but he held that they separated from the beginning of the day, and

as Rav Adda bar Ahava said: Moses ascended early and descended early,

all his ascents and descents to Mount Sinai were early in the morning.

He ascended early: as it is written, “And Moses arose early in the morning and ascended to Mount Sinai.” He descended early: as it is written, “Go, descend, and you and Aaron with you shall ascend”; it compares descent to ascent -

just as ascent was early, so descent was early.

Therefore, this that is written, “And Moses descended from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people,” meaning that he warned them concerning separation, took place early in the morning. From then they were required to separate. And from the beginning of Wednesday until Shabbat night there are five periods; infer from this that until five periods a woman still imparts impurity through her expulsion.

And we object:

Why did he need

Moses

to tell them

immediately in the morning that they should separate? In any event, they would not have intercourse during the day.

But did Rav Huna not say: Israel are holy, and they do not have intercourse during the day?

And we answer:

Rava said this: If the house was dark, it is permitted.

And Rava said, and some say Rav Pappa: A Torah scholar

who is modest and will not come to look

may cover himself with his garment, and it is permitted,

and therefore it was necessary to warn them in the morning that they should separate.