Yevamot 121a — the Talmud in English

Alternatively, perhaps it was he himself, the slaughtered one, who, through his convulsions, excessively

brought about the death itself

and brought his death closer, and there is galut only for one who himself carried out the entire death.

What difference is there between them, between the two explanations?

If he slaughtered him in a house of marble,

which has no wind,

and he convulsed,

the slaughtered one.

Alternatively, if he slaughtered him outside,

in the open, in a place where there is wind,

and he did not convulse,

the slaughtered one.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Not every

person and not every place.

It was asked of them: Did Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava disagree leniently, or did he disagree stringently?

Does he mean to say that they can testify concerning a dead man according to the conditions of the place and the time even after three days, and he is lenient?

Or perhaps, according to the conditions of the place and the time, it is possible that they cannot testify even if three days have not elapsed since his death; and he is stringent.

Come and hear: There was a certain man who drowned in

a city called

Karmi.

And they brought him up,

and raised him from the water to a place called

“Bei Hadiya,” after three days.

And

nevertheless

Rav Dimi of Nehardea married his wife off.

And further, there was a certain man who drowned in

the

Tigris River, and they brought him up onto the bridge of Shavistana, and Rava married his wife off on the basis of the word of the groomsmen,

according to the testimony of his groomsmen, his companions,

after five days.

If you say it is satisfactory that he disagreed leniently—

they,

who married their wives off,

acted in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava.

But if you say that he disagreed stringently, they, who acted

to marry their wives off—

in accordance with whom

did they permit them to marry?

And we answer:

It is different

with one who drowns in

water—

for it contracts.

For it contracts the form of the face, and the face of the dead man does not swell and change as does one who dies on dry land.

And we raise an objection:

But you said

that

water aggravates

the

wound!?

And we answer:

These words

—that water aggravates the wound—

apply where there is a wound.

But where there is no wound—

it contracts intensely.

And these words apply when, when they brought him up,

at the time that they raise the drowning dead man from the water,

they saw him at that moment,

they saw and recognized him then.

But if he was delayed—

he swells up.

And they do not testify concerning him.

Mishna:

One who

fell into water,

and drowned in it,

whether it has an end,

as will be explained below,

or whether it has no end—

his wife is forbidden.

In water that has an end, there is concern that perhaps he remained in it for a day or two.

In water that has no end, there is concern that perhaps he remained in the water, emerged from another place, and is still alive.

Rabbi Meir said: An incident occurred involving one who fell into the great cistern

of water

and emerged

from there

after three days.

Rabbi Yosei said:

There is no need to wait three days in the case of one who drowned in water that has an end, because if he had been saved, they would have seen him.

And

there was an incident involving a blind man who went down to immerse in a cave,

which is water that has an end,

and the man who was leading him

the one guiding the blind man

went down

after him

into the water.

And they remained

there

until their souls departed,

and they did not wait,

and they married off

the court

their wives.

But if he drowned in water that has no end, Rabbi Yosei concedes that she is forbidden forever, lest he emerged from the water in a place that cannot be seen from here.

And again, an incident occurred in Asia, involving one whom they lowered into the sea,

in water that has no end,

and they were able to bring up from him

only

his leg,

and his entire body disappeared in the water.

The Sages said: If his leg was severed

from the knee

[from the knee]

and above—

his wife may marry,

because he cannot live in this condition.

[from the knee]

From the knee and below—

she may not marry.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: One who fell into water, whether it has an end or whether it has no end— his wife is forbidden; these are the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: Water that has an end—

his wife is permitted; and water that has no end—

his wife is forbidden.

And the Gemara discusses:

What are the circumstances of “water that has an end”?

Abaye said: Any [water] where a person stands

and

sees

the entire place of the water into which he drowned

from its four sides.

There was a certain man who drowned in the lake

which is water surrounded on all sides by land and has an end,

of Dsemaki

[a place-name].

Rav Shila married his wife off

to his wife.

Rav said to Shmuel: Come, let us excommunicate him,

let us excommunicate Rav Shila for this.

He said to him: Let us send to him

to warn him

first,

at the outset.

They sent to Rav Shila: One who drowns in

water that has no end—

is his wife forbidden or permitted?

He sent to them

Rav Shila:

His wife is forbidden.

They sent him another question:

And the lake of Dsemaki—

is it water that has an end or water that has no end

?

He sent to them: It is water that has no end.

They sent to him:

And, master, for what reason did you act in this way

to permit his wife?

He sent to them:

I made a mistaken assumption.

I thought: Since they gather

the waters of the lake

and remain,

—

it resembles water that has an end,

for he cannot move away to a place that cannot be seen.

But it is not so, since there are waves—

say that the waves carried him away,

pushed him to a distant place, and he emerged there.

Shmuel recited this verse concerning Rav

[Proverbs 12]

“No harm shall befall the righteous”.

He did not come to err by excommunicating Rav Shila.

Rav recited this verse concerning Shmuel, who advised him to approach Rav Shila first:

[Proverbs 11]

“But there is deliverance in the multitude of counselors.”

It was taught: Rabbi said: An incident occurred involving two men

who were

casting nets

spreading nets to catch fish

in the Jordan.

One of them entered a fish cavern,

part of which was raised above the water and part of which was filled with water.

The sun set, and he did not see the opening of the cavern.

And his companion waited

until

his soul departed, and came and informed his household

that he had died.

The next day, the sun rose, and his companion recognized

the

opening of the cavern, and came and found a great lamentation within his household.

He said

concerning this:

How great are the words of the Sages, who said: Water that has an end—

his wife is permitted; water that has no end—

his wife is forbidden.

And we challenge this:

If so,

even if he drowned in

water that has an end, we should also be concerned for a fish cavern!?

And we answer:

In water that has an end, a fish cavern is not common.

Rav Ashi said: This that the Sages said, “Water that has no end—his wife is forbidden,” applies specifically to an ordinary person.

But not to a Torah scholar,

because

if

it happened that he

emerged—

he would have a public reputation.

But it is not so; it makes no difference whether he is an ordinary person or whether he is a Torah scholar.

After the fact, yes; initially, no.

It was taught: Rabban Gamliel said: Once I was traveling on a ship, and I saw one ship that broke apart, and I was distressed over the Torah scholar who was in it—and who was he? Rabbi Akiva.

And when I went up onto dry land, he came, sat down, and discussed halakha before me.

I said to him: My son, who brought you up?

He said to me: A plank of a ship came to me, and each wave that came upon me, I nodded my head to it.

And thus the wave passed over me, and I did not drown.

From here the Sages said: If wicked people come upon a person, he should nod his head to him.

He should not stand against him; rather, he should wait and not provoke him.

I said at that time: How great are the words of the Sages, who said: Water that has an end—

she is permitted; water that has no end—

she is forbidden.

It was taught: Rabbi Akiva said: Once I was traveling on a ship, and I saw one ship being battered in the sea, and I was distressed over the Torah scholar who was in it—and who was he? Rabbi Meir.

When I went up to the land of Cappadocia, he came, sat down, and discussed halakha before me.

I said to him: My son, who brought you up? He said to me: One wave drove me toward another, and that one toward another, until it vomited me onto dry land.

I said at that time: How great are the words of the Sages, who said: Water that has an end—

his wife is permitted; water that has no end—

his wife is forbidden.

The Sages taught: One who fell into a den of lions—

one does not testify concerning him.

Into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions—

one testifies concerning him.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: Even into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions—

one does not testify concerning him,

one may testify concerning him.

Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: Even if he fell into a pit full of snakes and scorpions—

one may not testify concerning him,