## Niddah Daf 13b

###### Niddah 13b:1
[Niddah 13b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:1)

מֵעֲטָרָה וּלְמַעְלָה — אָסוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**From the corona and above,** toward the body, it is **prohibited.**


###### Niddah 13b:2
[Niddah 13b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:2)

אָמַר רַב: הַמְקַשֶּׁה עַצְמוֹ לְדַעַת — יְהֵא בְּנִדּוּי. וְלֵימָא ״אָסוּר״! דְּקָמְגָרֵי יֵצֶר הָרַע אַנַּפְשֵׁיהּ. וְרַבִּי אַמֵּי אָמַר: נִקְרָא ״עֲבַרְיָין״, שֶׁכָּךְ אוּמָּנֻתוֹ שֶׁל יֵצֶר הָרַע: הַיּוֹם אוֹמֵר לוֹ ״עֲשֵׂה כָּךְ״, וּלְמָחָר אוֹמֵר לוֹ ״עֲשֵׂה כָּךְ״, וּלְמָחָר אוֹמֵר לוֹ ״לֵךְ עֲבוֹד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה״ — וְהוֹלֵךְ וְעוֹבֵד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **Rav says: One who intentionally causes himself an erection shall be ostracized.** The Gemara suggests: **And let** Rav **say** simply that it is **prohibited.** The Gemara explains that it is proper to ostracize such a man, **as he arouses the evil inclination upon himself. And Rabbi Ami says: He is called** a habitual **transgressor, as this is the craft of the evil inclination. Today he says to** a person: **Do this** sin, **and** when the individual obeys his inclination, **on the following day** the evil inclination **says to him: Do that** sin, **and on the following day he says to him: Go** and **worship idols, and he goes and worships** idols.


###### Niddah 13b:3
[Niddah 13b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:3)

אִיכָּא דְאָמְרִי, אָמַר רַבִּי אַמֵּי: כׇּל הַמֵּבִיא עַצְמוֹ לִידֵי הִרְהוּר — אֵין מַכְנִיסִין אוֹתוֹ בִּמְחִיצָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה׳״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״כִּי לֹא אֵל חָפֵץ רֶשַׁע אָתָּה לֹא יְגוּרְךָ רָע״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Some say** that **Rabbi Ami says:** With regard to **anyone who brings himself into** a state of **arousal,** they **do not bring him within the boundary of the Holy One, Blessed be He.** The proof is that **it is written here,** with regard to Onan, son of Judah: **“And the thing that he did was evil in the eyes of the Lord,** and He slew him also” (Genesis 38:10), **and it is written there: “For You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with You.** The boasters shall not stand in Your sight…But as for me, in the abundance of Your kindness will I come into Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy Temple in fear of You” (Psalms 5:5–8). This demonstrates that whoever does evil, like Onan, shall not sojourn with God.


###### Niddah 13b:4
[Niddah 13b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:4)

וְאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מַאי דִכְתִיב ״יְדֵיכֶם דָּמִים מָלֵאוּ״? אֵלּוּ הַמְנָאֲפִים בַּיָּד. תָּנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: ״לֹא תִנְאָף״ — לֹא תְּהֵא (בְּךָ נִיאוּף) [נוֹאֵף], בֵּין בַּיָּד בֵּין בָּרֶגֶל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And Rabbi Elazar says,** with regard to the severity of this transgression: **What** is the meaning of that **which is written:** “And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even when you make many prayers, I will not hear; **your hands are full of blood”** (Isaiah 1:15)? **These are** those men **who commit adultery with the hand,** by masturbating. Likewise, **the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:** When it is stated in the Ten Commandments: **“You shall not commit adultery”** (Exodus 20:13), this means that **there shall not be adultery among you, whether** you masturbate **by hand** or **whether with** one’s **foot.**


###### Niddah 13b:5
[Niddah 13b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:5)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַגֵּרִים וְהַמְשַׂחֲקִין בְּתִינוֹקוֹת — מְעַכְּבִין אֶת הַמָּשִׁיחַ. בִּשְׁלָמָא גֵּרִים — כִּדְרַבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ: ״קָשִׁין גֵּרִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּסַפַּחַת״, אֶלָּא מְשַׂחֲקִין בַּתִּינוֹקוֹת מַאי הִיא?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **Converts and those who play with children delay** the coming of **the Messiah.** The Gemara asks: **Granted** with regard to **converts,** this is **in accordance with** the opinion **of Rabbi Ḥelbo, as Rabbi Ḥelbo says: Converts are as harmful to the Jewish people as a leprous scab** on the skin, as they are not proficient in the performance of the mitzvot and born Jews learn from them. **But** with regard to the category of **those who play with children,** to **what is it** referring?


###### Niddah 13b:6
[Niddah 13b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:6)

אִילֵימָא מִשְׁכַּב זְכוּר — בְּנֵי סְקִילָה נִינְהוּ! אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ אֵבָרִים — בְּנֵי מַבּוּל נִינְהוּ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**If we say** that this is referring to **homosexuality,** such men **are liable to** be executed by **stoning,** and their behavior is criticized not simply because they delay the Messiah. **Rather,** one might suggest that this is referring to those who emit semen **by way of** other **limbs,** i.e., without engaging in intercourse; if so, **they are** considered as though they are bringing a flood, and are therefore **liable to** be punished themselves with **a flood.**


###### Niddah 13b:7
[Niddah 13b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:7)

אֶלָּא דְּנָסְיבִי קְטַנּוֹת, דְּלָאו בְּנוֹת אוֹלוֹדֵי נִינְהוּ, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: אֵין בֶּן דָּוִד בָּא עַד שֶׁיִּכְלוּ כׇּל הַנְּשָׁמוֹת שֶׁבַּגּוּף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי רוּחַ מִלְּפָנַי יַעֲטוֹף וּנְשָׁמוֹת אֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** the *baraita* means **that they marry minor girls who are not** yet **capable of bearing children,** consequently emitting semen for naught. **As Rabbi Yosei said: The** Messiah, **son of David, will not come until all the souls of the body have been finished,** i.e., until all souls that are destined to inhabit physical bodies do so. **As it is stated: “For the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me, and the souls that I have made”** (Isaiah 57:16). The verse is interpreted as follows: The spirit, i.e., the souls about which it has been decreed by Me that they are to be born, if they are not born, they enwrap the Messiah and prevent him from coming.


###### Niddah 13b:8
[Niddah 13b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:8)

בָּאֲנָשִׁים תִּקָּצֵץ. אִיבַּעְיָא לְהוּ: דִּינָא תְּנַן אוֹ לָטוּתָא תְּנַן? דִּינָא תְּנַן, כִּי הָא דְּרַב הוּנָא קַץ יְדָא, אוֹ לָטוּתָא תְּנַן?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that with regard to any hand that is diligent to examine bodily emissions, **among men,** such a hand **should be severed. A dilemma was raised before** the Sages: **Do we learn** this statement as a practical ***halakha*,** i.e., that the court should actually sever his hand, **or do we learn** it as a mere **curse,** but not as an actual instruction to punish him in that manner? The Gemara elaborates: **Do we learn** it as a practical ***halakha* like that** prohibition against striking another, in which the same expression is used: With regard to anyone who raises his hand upon another, his hand should be severed, and **Rav Huna** indeed acted accordingly and **severed the hand** of an offender? **Or** perhaps **do we learn** it as a mere **curse?**


###### Niddah 13b:9
[Niddah 13b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:9)

תָּא שְׁמַע, דְּתַנְיָא: רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר: יָד לָאַמָּה — תִּקָּצֵץ יָדוֹ עַל טַבּוּרוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: יָשַׁב לוֹ קוֹץ בִּכְרֵיסוֹ, לֹא יִטְּלֶנּוּ?! אָמַר לָהֶן: לֹא. וַהֲלֹא כְּרֵיסוֹ נִבְקַעַת! אָמַר לָהֶן: מוּטָב תִּבָּקַע כְּרֵיסוֹ, וְאַל יֵרֵד לִבְאֵר שַׁחַת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara suggests: **Come** and **hear, as it is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi Tarfon says:** If one’s **hand** goes **to** his **penis, his hand should be severed upon his navel.** The Rabbis **said to him:** If so, in a case where **a thorn was stuck in** one’s **belly, should he not remove it?** Rabbi Tarfon **said to them:** Indeed, he should **not** remove it, and if he does so his hand should be severed. The Rabbis replied: **But** if his hand is severed while it is upon his navel, **won’t his belly be split open?** Rabbi Tarfon **said to them: It is preferable that the belly of** one who acts in this manner **should be split open, and he should not descend into the pit of destruction.**


###### Niddah 13b:10
[Niddah 13b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:10)

אִי אָמְרַתְּ בִּשְׁלָמָא דִּינָא תְּנַן, הַיְינוּ דְּאָמְרִי: ״וַהֲלֹא כְּרֵיסוֹ נִבְקַעַת״, אֶלָּא אִי אָמְרַתְּ לָטוּתָא תְּנַן, מַאי ״כְּרֵיסוֹ נִבְקַעַת״? אֶלָּא מַאי דִּינָא תְּנַן, לָא סַגִּי דְּלָאו עַל טַבּוּרוֹ?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara analyzes this discussion: **Granted, if you say** that **we learn** the statement in the mishna as a practical ***halakha*, this is** the meaning of that **which** the Rabbis **said: But** if his hand is severed upon his navel, **won’t his belly be split open? But if you say** that **we learn** the statement in the mishna as a mere **curse, what** is the meaning of the phrase: Won’t **his belly be split open?** The Gemara responds: **Rather, what** explanation is the alternative? That **we learn** the mishna as stating a practical ***halakha*?** That would not explain the exchange between the Rabbis to Rabbi Tarfon, because is it **not sufficient that** the hand be severed **not upon his navel?** In other words, even if the hand must actually be severed, it is not clear why it should be severed while it is upon his navel.


###### Niddah 13b:11
[Niddah 13b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:11)

אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן: כׇּל הַמַּכְנִיס יָדוֹ לְמַטָּה מִטַּבּוּרוֹ — תִּקָּצֵץ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ לְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן: יָשַׁב לוֹ קוֹץ בִּכְרֵיסוֹ לֹא יִטְּלֶנּוּ?! אָמַר לָהֶן: לֹא. וַהֲלֹא כְּרֵיסוֹ נִבְקַעַת! אָמַר לָהֶן: מוּטָב תִּבָּקַע כְּרֵיסוֹ, וְאַל יֵרֵד לִבְאֵר שַׁחַת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, this** is what **Rabbi Tarfon is saying:** With regard to **anyone who inserts his hand below his navel,** his hand **should be severed.** The Rabbis **said to Rabbi Tarfon:** If **a thorn was stuck in** one’s **belly, should he not remove it?** Rabbi Tarfon **said to them:** He should **not.** They responded: **But won’t his belly be split open** due to the thorn? Rabbi Tarfon **said to them: It is preferable that his belly be split open, and he should not descend into the pit of destruction.**


###### Niddah 13b:12
[Niddah 13b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:12)

**מַתְנִי'** הַחֵרֶשֶׁת, וְהַשּׁוֹטָה, וְהַסּוֹמָא, וְשֶׁנִּטְרְפָה דַּעְתָּהּ — אִם יֵשׁ לָהֶם פִּקְּחוֹת, מְתַקְּנוֹת אוֹתָן, וְהֵן אוֹכְלוֹת בִּתְרוּמָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** In the case of a woman **who is deaf [*haḥereshet*], or an imbecile, or blind, or who went insane,** and is therefore unable to examine herself reliably, **if** such women **have competent** friends, those friends **prepare them** by examining them and immersing them in a ritual bath. **And** on that basis the incompetent women **may partake of *teruma*** after the sun sets.


###### Niddah 13b:13
[Niddah 13b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:13)

**גְּמָ'** חֵרֶשֶׁת — אִיהִי תִּבְדּוֹק לְנַפְשַׁהּ! דְּתַנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי: חֵרֶשֶׁת הָיְתָה בִּשְׁכוּנָתֵינוּ, לֹא דַּיָּה שֶׁבּוֹדֶקֶת לְעַצְמָהּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁחַבְרוֹתֶיהָ רוֹאוֹת וּמַרְאוֹת לָהּ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The mishna states that competent women must assist **a deaf woman.** The Gemara asks: **Let her examine herself; as it is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **said: There was a deaf woman in our neighborhood** who was so proficient in these matters that **not only did she examine herself, but** when **her friends would see** stains similar to blood **and** were unsure whether or not the stains were ritually impure, they would **show her** the stains.


###### Niddah 13b:14
[Niddah 13b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:14)

הָתָם — בִּמְדַבֶּרֶת וְאֵינָהּ שׁוֹמַעַת, הָכָא — בְּשֶׁאֵינָהּ מְדַבֶּרֶת וְאֵינָהּ שׁוֹמַעַת, כְּדִתְנַן: חֵרֵשׁ שֶׁדִּבְּרוּ חֲכָמִים בְּכׇל מָקוֹם — אֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ וְאֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **There,** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is referring **to** a woman who **can speak but cannot hear.** It is possible for such a woman to be an expert in examining blood. But **here,** the mishna is dealing **with** a woman **who can neither speak nor hear,** and she is therefore considered incompetent and incapable of examining herself. **As we learned** in a mishna (*Terumot* 1:2): The **deaf person** of **whom the Sages spoke everywhere** is one **who can neither hear nor speak,** i.e., a deaf-mute.


###### Niddah 13b:15
[Niddah 13b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:15)

הַסּוֹמָא — אִיהִי תִּבְדּוֹק לְנַפְשַׁהּ, וְתַיחְזֵי לַחֲבִירְתַּהּ! אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא: סוֹמָא אֵינָהּ מִשְׁנָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna further teaches that competent women must assist **a blind** woman. The Gemara similarly asks: **Let her examine herself and show** the cloth **to her friend. Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says:** The correct version of the **mishna** does **not** mention **a blind** woman.


###### Niddah 13b:16
[Niddah 13b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:16)

וְשֶׁנִּטְרְפָה דַּעְתָּהּ — הַיְינוּ שׁוֹטָה! שֶׁנִּטְרְפָה דַּעְתָּהּ מֵחֲמַת חוֹלִי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna also states that competent women must assist **a woman who went insane.** The Gemara asks: With regard to her ability to examine herself, **isn’t this** the same as **an imbecile,** who is already mentioned in the mishna? The Gemara answers: Here, the mishna is referring to a woman **who went insane due to illness,** which is a different category than that of an imbecile.


###### Niddah 13b:17
[Niddah 13b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:17)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כֹּהֵן שׁוֹטֶה — מַטְבִּילִין אוֹתוֹ, וּמַאֲכִילִין אוֹתוֹ תְּרוּמָה לָעֶרֶב, וּמְשַׁמְּרִין אוֹתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִישַׁן. יָשַׁן — טָמֵא, לֹא יָשַׁן — טָהוֹר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara further discusses *halakhot* pertaining to an imbecile. **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: With regard to **an imbecile priest** who was ritually impure, competent men deal with his purification: **They immerse him, and** then **enable him to partake of *teruma* in the evening,** like any other priest who was impure. **And** those taking care of him must **watch over him** to ensure **that he does not sleep** before he partakes of *teruma*, in case he experiences a seminal emission, which would render him impure. If **he slept,** he is once again **impure,** and may not partake of *teruma*; if he **did not sleep** he is **pure.**


###### Niddah 13b:18
[Niddah 13b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:18)

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר: עוֹשִׂין לוֹ כִּיס שֶׁל עוֹר. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: כׇּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁמֵּבִיא לִידֵי חִימּוּם! אָמַר לָהֶן: לְדִבְרֵיכֶם, שׁוֹטֶה אֵין לוֹ תַּקָּנָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says** that there is another method of allowing an imbecile priest to partake of *teruma*: **One prepares for him a leather pouch,** which is wrapped around his penis, and before giving him *teruma* to partake of one checks this pouch to see if he has emitted semen. The other Sages **said to him:** It is improper to do this, as **all the more so** he will be prevented from partaking of *teruma*; this pouch **warms him** and increases the likelihood of a seminal emission. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Tzadok, **said to them: According to your statement, an imbecile** priest **has no remedy** that will enable him to partake of *teruma*.


###### Niddah 13b:19
[Niddah 13b:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:19)

אָמְרוּ לוֹ: לִדְבָרֵינוּ — יָשַׁן טָמֵא, לֹא יָשַׁן טָהוֹר; לִדְבָרֶיךָ — שֶׁמָּא יִרְאֶה טִפָּה כְּחַרְדָּל, וְתִבָּלַע בַּכִּיס!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**They said to him: According to our statement** there is a way he can partake of *teruma*, as stated above: If **he slept,** he is **impure;** if he **did not sleep** he is **pure.** But **according to your statement,** that one wraps a pouch around his penis, this is not a reliable method, as **perhaps he will see,** i.e., experience the emission of, **a drop** of semen as small **as a mustard** seed, **and it will be absorbed in the pouch** and will not be noticed, which would mean that he is eating *teruma* in a state of ritual impurity.


###### Niddah 13b:20
[Niddah 13b:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:20)

תָּנָא מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמְרוּ: עוֹשִׂין לוֹ כִּיס שֶׁל מַתֶּכֶת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara continues to discuss the methods by which an imbecile priest can partake of *teruma*. It was **taught** in a *baraita* that the Sages **said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: One prepares for him a metal pouch,** which is placed on his penis and does not warm it.


###### Niddah 13b:21
[Niddah 13b:21](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:21)

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: וְשֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת, כִּדְתַנְיָא: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: רוֹאִין אוֹתָן גִּבְעוֹלִין שֶׁל אֵזוֹב כְּאִילּוּ הֵן שֶׁל נְחֹשֶׁת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In explanation of this statement, **Abaye says: And** when this *tanna* speaks of metal, he means that the pouch should be made **of copper,** which does not absorb liquid, and therefore any drop of semen would be visible. This is **as it is taught** in a mishna (*Para* 12:5), with regard to the amount of water of purification that must be sprinkled on an individual who is impure due to impurity imparted by a corpse, that **Rabbi Yehuda says: One considers those hyssop stems,** with which the waters of purification are sprinkled, **as though they are** made **of copper,** which does not absorb any of the water.


###### Niddah 13b:22
[Niddah 13b:22](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:22)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ מִכְנָסַיִם אֲסוּרִים, וְהָכְתִיב: ״וַעֲשֵׂה לָהֶם מִכְנְסֵי בָד לְכַסּוֹת בְּשַׂר עֶרְוָה״!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Pappa says:** One can **learn from** the statement of the Rabbis that a pouch wrapped around one’s penis can warm it enough to cause a seminal emission, that **trousers are prohibited** to be worn, as they too warm the penis, by being placed so they are tight against it. The Gemara asks: **But isn’t it written** with regard to the priestly garments: **“And you shall make them linen trousers to cover the flesh of their nakedness,** from the loins even to the thighs they shall reach” (Exodus 28:42)?


###### Niddah 13b:23
[Niddah 13b:23](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:23)

הָהוּא, כִּדְתַנְיָא: מִכְנְסֵי כֹהֲנִים לְמָה הֵן דּוֹמִין? כְּמִין פְּמָלַנְיָא שֶׁל פָּרָשִׁים, לְמַעְלָה — עַד מׇתְנַיִם, לְמַטָּה — עַד יְרֵכַיִם, וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם שְׁנָצִים, וְאֵין לָהֶם לֹא בֵּית הַנֶּקֶב וְלֹא בֵּית הָעֶרְוָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains: **That** garment, the trousers worn by priests, was different, **as it is taught** in a *baraita*: **The trousers of priests, to what are they comparable?** They are **similar to riding trousers [*pamalanya*] of horsemen,** and this is what they look like: **Above,** they reach **up to** the **loins; below,** they go **down to** the **thighs, and they have straps, and they have no opening,** neither **at the back nor at the front.**


###### Niddah 13b:24
[Niddah 13b:24](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Niddah/r/13b:24)

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Abaye says:**