Shabbat 86a (פו.) — the Talmud in English

And they see them

the five seeds when they are arranged in a garden bed—

as a square tablet.

And we infer: It is specifically because the garden bed appears

as a tablet that it is permitted; but otherwise,

when one makes it round,

it is forbidden!

Apparently, a round garden bed is not considered a garden bed for permission to sow in this manner.

And we answer:

There,

the reason that we require the garden bed to be square is in order

to grant it another leniency—

to regard it as a field,

to permit the corner projecting from it into another field,

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

Mishna:

From where

is it established concerning a woman who

discharges semen on the third day

after intercourse

that she is impure?

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

A woman who had intercourse, immersed, and subsequently discharged semen is impure, as is the law concerning a man who experiences a seminal emission. But after three days the semen deteriorates and no longer renders her impure.

As it is stated

with regard to the giving of the Torah:

“Be ready for the third day,

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

From where is it established that one bathes a circumcised infant on the third day

after the circumcision

when it occurs on Shabbat?

As until the third day the circumcised infant is still in danger, and it is permitted to desecrate Shabbat on his behalf and heat water for him, as 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 sent away?

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 “Though your sins be like scarlet [

like a scarlet thread—red]

they shall become white as snow”?

From where is it established that anointing is like drinking on

Yom Kippur?

For it is prohibited to anoint one’s body on Yom Kippur, just as it is prohibited to drink on that day.

Although there is no definitive proof

for the

matter,

nevertheless

there is an indication of the matter,

as

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

which demonstrates that anointing is compared to drinking.

Gemara:

And we raise a difficulty:

The first clause

of the Mishna

is not in accordance with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya,

whereas

the latter clause is in accordance with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya?!

For Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya is the tanna who taught [below, 137b] the latter clause of the Mishna, that one bathes the circumcised infant on the third day when it occurs on Shabbat.

But the first clause of the Mishna, which states that a woman who discharges semen on the third day is impure, does not accord with his opinion.

If it is according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya—

then 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,

as the amoraim disputed this matter [see Rashi], preferring to emend the text of the Mishna rather than say that it follows the opinions of two tannaim, that amora

teaches

in

the first clause

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

pure, and establishes the entire

Mishna

in accordance with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

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

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

the first clause follows the Rabbis

and the latter clause follows Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

The Sages taught: A woman who discharges semen on the third day is pure; this is the statement of Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya.

According to his opinion, everything depends on counting the days and not on counting the onot [an ona is a period of either a day or a night]. That is, if she had intercourse on Thursday and discharged semen on Shabbat, whether she had intercourse at the beginning of Thursday night, so that four onot had elapsed by Shabbat [Thursday night, Thursday day, Friday night, Friday day], or whether she had intercourse at the end of Thursday day, so that only two onot had elapsed by Shabbat, she is pure, because part of a day is considered as the entire day [Thursday], and it follows that Shabbat is the third day.

Rabbi Yishmael says:

I agree with Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya that everything depends on counting the days; however, I disagree with him in that she is pure only if she discharged on the fourth day after intercourse, and not on the third day. That is, if she had intercourse on Wednesday and discharged on Shabbat, she is pure. And

sometimes there are four complete onot

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

Sometimes there are five onot

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

Sometimes there are six onot

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

Rabbi Akiva says: It is always five

onot that determine the matter, and everything depends on the onot: if she discharges within five onot of intercourse, she is impure.

And if part of the first ona has elapsed,

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

she is given part of the sixth ona

to complete the number of hours that elapsed from the beginning of the first ona until intercourse; and if she discharges in the middle of the sixth ona, she is pure.

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

ben Azarya

held

in accordance with the Rabbis, who say

in a beraita [below, 86b]

on Thursday

the day of the week

he instituted separation

from their wives. Some separated only at the end of the day, and the Torah was given on Shabbat, and they immersed on Friday night [as explained below]. Since they did not take into consideration the possibility that the women would discharge semen immediately after immersion, infer from this that a woman who discharges on the third day is pure.

And Rabbi Yishmael

held

in accordance with Rabbi Yosei, who says that on Wednesday

of the week

he instituted separation,

and Shabbat was the fourth day after intercourse; therefore, we have proof only that a woman who discharges on the fourth day is pure.

But Rabbi Akiva—in accordance with whom

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

And we answer:

He always held in accordance with Rabbi Yosei,

who said 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 in the morning and descended early in the morning.

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

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

just as the ascent was early in the morning, so too the descent was early in the morning.

Therefore, the verse, “And Moses descended from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people,” meaning that he warned them to separate, took place early in the morning. From that point they were required to separate. And from the beginning of Wednesday until Friday night there are five onot. Infer from this that until five onot have elapsed, a woman is still rendered impure by her discharge.

And we raise a difficulty:

Why did Moses need

to tell them

to inform them

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

But Rav Huna said: Israel are holy, and they do not engage in intercourse during the day!

And we answer:

Rava said: 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 cloak, and it is permitted,

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