Yoma 88a (פח.) — the Talmud in English

And this proves that Rav’s opinion is not correct; rather, the evening prayer must be recited after Ne’ilah!

And we answer: It is a dispute

between tannaim.

As it was taught: All those obligated to immerse themselves may immerse in the usual manner on Yom Kippur.

And likewise,

a menstruant woman and a woman after childbirth may immerse

for their purification

in the usual manner on the night of Yom Kippur.

One who experienced a seminal emission

whom the Sages instituted may not pray until he immerses himself—

may immerse throughout the day until Mincha.

But once he has recited the Mincha prayer, he may not immerse; rather, he must wait until night, and then immerse and recite Ne’ilah at night. For the Sages hold that the time for the Ne’ilah prayer is at night, and that it exempts one from the evening prayer, in accordance with Rav’s statement.

Rabbi Yose says:

one who experienced a seminal emission

may immerse throughout the entire day,

even after he has recited the Mincha prayer, so that he will be able to recite Ne’ilah while it is still day; and according to his opinion, Ne’ilah does not exempt one from the evening prayer.

And we raise a contradiction

from a beraita that is taught in the opposite manner:

As it was taught:

A zav and a zava, a male leper and a female leper, one who engages in intercourse with a menstruant woman, and one rendered impure by contact with the dead—

may immerse in the usual manner on Yom Kippur.

A menstruant woman and a woman after childbirth may immerse in the usual manner on the night of Yom Kippur.

One who experienced a seminal emission may immerse throughout the entire day.

Rabbi Yose says: From Mincha onward, he may no longer immerse.

And we answer:

There is no difficulty.

This

the second beraita speaks of a case

in which he has already prayed,

that he has already recited

the Ne’ilah prayer.

This

the first beraita speaks of a case in which he

has

not yet

prayed

Ne’ilah.

And the Gemara explains:

If he has already prayed—

what is the reasoning of the Sages

who permit him to immerse even though he has already prayed?

The Sages hold: Immersion at its proper time,

even when it is not for the purpose of prayer, is

a mitzva.

And the Gemara asks:

Does it follow

from this

that Rabbi Yose,

who disagrees and does not permit him to immerse,

holds

that immersion at its proper time

is not a mitzva

?

But was it not taught: If the Divine Name was written

on

his flesh—

he may neither wash nor anoint himself,

lest he erase it.

And he may not stand in a filthy place

out of respect for the Divine Name.

If an immersion for a mitzva becomes necessary for him—

he wraps a reed around it and descends and immerses.

Rabbi Yose says: He descends and immerses in the usual manner, provided that he does not scrub.

And we establish that

Rabbi Yose and the Sages disagree

regarding immersion at its proper time,

whether it is

a mitzva!

And Rabbi Yose is the one who holds that it is a mitzva to immerse at the proper time.

And we answer:

That

beraita—

it is Rabbi Yose bar

Yehuda,

not Rabbi Yose.

As it was taught: Rabbi Yose bar Yehuda says:

A woman who is uncertain when the time of her purification is—

her immersion

for her purification

need only be at the latest time,

at the end of the period in question; she need not immerse on the days whose status is uncertain in order to fulfill the mitzva of immersion at its proper time out of doubt.

The Sages taught: One who experiences a seminal emission on Yom Kippur—

descends and immerses

without removing from his body any dirt that constitutes an interposition in the immersion.

And in the evening he should scrub

his body to remove the dirt, because of the interposition.

And we ask:

In the evening,

what benefit is there in scrubbing? He has already immersed,

and what has happened—

has happened!

If there was an interposition on him, his immersion was ineffective; what benefit can scrubbing provide him now?

Rather, say: From the evening before,

before Yom Kippur,

he should scrub

his flesh so that it will be clean, so that if he must immerse on Yom Kippur because he experienced a seminal emission, there will be no interposition on his flesh.

A tanna taught before Rav Naḥman: One who experiences a seminal emission on Yom Kippur—

it is a sign for him that

his sins are forgiven,

as he will see an emission of semen and live many days.

And we challenge this:

But was it not taught: His sins are arranged,

implying that they are not forgiven; rather, they remain in existence and are arranged so that he will be judged for them?

And we answer:

What does “arranged”

mean? Arranged to be forgiven.

The tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: One who experiences a seminal emission on Yom Kippur—

should worry throughout the entire year,

lest his fast was not accepted; and corresponding to his abstention from marital relations, the parable of a servant who poured a cup for his master, and his master poured it back over him, has been enacted with him.

And if the year passes over him—

it is assured to him that he is destined for the World-to-Come.

For his good deeds protected him so that he would not die during that year.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: Know that the entire world is hungry

because of abstention from marital relations,

whereas he is satiated,

and the fact that he was satiated from Heaven, without his intending it, is a sign that if he was vindicated in judgment despite not having fasted, he is completely righteous.

When Rav Dimi came, he said: One who experienced a seminal emission on Yom Kippur has a favorable sign:

he will

increase life,

live long,

abundantly and increasingly,

and see sons and grandsons.

We shall return to you, chapter “Yom Kippur”; and the tractate Yoma is concluded.