## Yevamot Daf 121a

###### Yevamot 121a:1
[Yevamot 121a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:1)

קֵירַב מִיתָתוֹ. מַאי בֵּינַיְיהוּ?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**hastened his** own **death.** For instance, if the maimed man convulsed intensely, injuring himself, the perpetrator is not culpable for the death and should not be exiled. The Gemara asks: **What is** the practical difference **between these** two considerations, that the wind or the victim himself hastened his death?


###### Yevamot 121a:2
[Yevamot 121a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:2)

דְּשַׁחְטֵיהּ בְּבֵיתָא דְשֵׁישָׁא וּפַרְכֵּיס. אִי נָמֵי: דְּשַׁחְטֵיהּ בְּבָרָא וְלָא פַּרְכֵּיס.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains: There is a practical difference between them in a case **where one cut** someone **in a house of marble** that was closed on every side, in which there was no wind, **and** the victim **convulsed. Alternatively,** there is a difference in a case **where one cut** the victim **outside,** where there is wind, **and** the victim **did not convulse** at all.


###### Yevamot 121a:3
[Yevamot 121a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:3)

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: לֹא כָּל וְכוּ׳. אִיבַּעְיָא לְהוּ: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא לְקוּלָּא פְּלִיג, אוֹ לְחוּמְרָא פְּלִיג.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ It was taught in the mishna that one may testify to someone’s death only when he saw the corpse within three days of the individual’s death. However, **Rabbi Yehuda** ben Bava **says: Not every** person, nor every place, nor every hour is identical. **A dilemma was raised before** the Sages: **Did Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava disagree** with the Rabbis with the intent **to** rule more **leniently** and hold that sometimes one may testify to the identity of one who died even if he did not see the body within three days of his death? **Or, did he disagree** with the intent **to** rule more **stringently** and hold that sometimes one may not testify even if he saw the body within three days of the individual’s death?


###### Yevamot 121a:4
[Yevamot 121a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:4)

תָּא שְׁמַע: דְּהָהוּא גַּבְרָא דְּטָבַע בְּכַרְמֵי, וְאַסְּקוּהוּ אַבֵּי הֲדָיָא לְבָתַר תְּלָתָא יוֹמִין, וְאַנְסְבַהּ רַב דִּימִי מִנְּהַרְדְּעָא לִדְבֵיתְהוּ. וְתוּ: הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דִּאטְבַע בְּדִגְלַת, וְאַסְּקוּהוּ אַגִּישְׁרָא דְּשַׁבִּיסְתָּנָא, וְאַנְסְבַהּ רָבָא לִדְבֵיתְהוּ אַפּוּמָּא דְשׁוֹשְׁבִינֵי לְבָתַר חַמְשָׁה יוֹמֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Come** and **hear** a solution: **A certain man drowned in** a place called **Carmi, and they drew him out** of the water **near Bei Hedya after three days, and Rav Dimi from Neharde’a allowed his wife to marry. And furthermore, a certain man drowned in the Tigris** River, **and they drew him out** of the river **onto the Bridge of Shabistana, and Rava allowed his wife to marry based upon his friends’ testimony,** although the body was seen only **five days after** death.


###### Yevamot 121a:5
[Yevamot 121a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:5)

אִי אָמְרַתְּ בִּשְׁלָמָא לְקוּלָּא פְּלִיג, אִינְהוּ דַּעֲבוּד כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בָּבָא. אֶלָּא אִי אָמְרַתְּ לְחוּמְרָא פְּלִיג, אִינְהוּ דַּעֲבוּד כְּמַאן? שָׁאנֵי מַיָּא, דְּצָמְתִי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Granted, if you say** Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava **disagreed** with the intent **to** rule more **leniently, these** Sages **who acted** here, allowing these women to marry, acted **in accordance with** the opinion of **Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava. But if you say he disagreed** with the intent **to** rule more **stringently, in accordance with whose** opinion did these Sages **act?** The Gemara answers: **Water is different, since it contracts** the body, preventing it from bloating and changing shape.


###### Yevamot 121a:6
[Yevamot 121a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:6)

וְהָאָמְרַתְּ מַיָּא מַרְזוּ מַכָּה! הָנֵי מִילֵּי הֵיכָא דְּאִיכָּא מַכָּה, אֲבָל הֵיכָא דְּלֵיכָּא מַכָּה — מִיצְמָת צָמֵית. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי דְּכִי אַסְּקֵיהּ חַזְיֵיהּ בְּשַׁעְתֵּיהּ. אֲבָל אִישְׁתַּהִי, מִיתְפָּח תָּפַח.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara wonders about this: **But didn’t you say** (120b) that **water aggravates a wound** by causing additional swelling? The Gemara answers: **This applies when there is a wound, but when there is no wound, the water contracts** the body and thereby prevents the shape of the face from changing. The Gemara comments: **And this applies** only in a case **where they drew him out** of the water and **viewed him at that time. But** if the viewing **was delayed** for some time after the body was drawn from the water, it certainly **will have become** very **bloated,** making it impossible to positively identify.


###### Yevamot 121a:7
[Yevamot 121a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:7)

**מַתְנִי׳** נָפַל לְמַיִם, בֵּין שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶן סוֹף, בֵּין שֶׁאֵין לָהֶן סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה. אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁנָּפַל לְבוֹר הַגָּדוֹל, וְעָלָה לְאַחַר שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** If a man **fell into the water** and did not come out, **whether** the body of water **has** a visible **end or does not have** a visible **end, his wife is prohibited** from remarrying. There is no absolute proof that the man died, as it is possible that he emerged from the water some distance away. **Rabbi Meir said: An incident** occurred **involving a certain** person **who fell into the Great Cistern and emerged** only **after three days.** This is evidence that sometimes one may survive a fall into water, even when everyone assumes he is dead.


###### Yevamot 121a:8
[Yevamot 121a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:8)

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּסוֹמֵא שֶׁיָּרַד לִטְבּוֹל בִּמְעָרָה, וְיָרַד מוֹשְׁכוֹ אַחֲרָיו, וְשָׁהוּ כְּדֵי שֶׁתֵּצֵא נַפְשָׁם — וְהִשִּׂיאוּ אֶת נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם. וְשׁוּב מַעֲשֶׂה בְּעַסְיָא, בְּאֶחָד שֶׁשִּׁלְשְׁלוּהוּ לַיָּם, וְלֹא עָלְתָה בְּיָדָם אֶלָּא רַגְלוֹ, אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: מִן הָאַרְכּוּבָּה וּלְמַעְלָה — תִּנָּשֵׂא. מִן הָאַרְכּוּבָּה וּלְמַטָּה — לֹא תִּנָּשֵׂא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yosei said: An incident** occurred **involving a blind man who descended to immerse** for ritual purity **in a cave, and his guide descended after him,** and they disappeared there, **and they remained there long enough for their souls to have departed, and** the Sages **permitted their wives to marry** because they had disappeared into the water and not emerged. **And** there was **another incident in Asya in which they lowered a certain** man **into the sea** on a rope, **and** when they pulled the rope back to land **only his leg came up in their hands,** and they were not certain whether he was alive or dead. **The Sages said:** If his leg was cut **from the knee and above,** his wife **may marry,** as he did not survive such a wound; if his leg was cut only **from the knee and below, she may not marry.**


###### Yevamot 121a:9
[Yevamot 121a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:9)

**גְּמָ׳** תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: נָפַל לַמַּיִם, בֵּין שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף, בֵּין שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת, וְשֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **The Sages taught:** If a man **fell into the water, whether** the body of water **has** a visible **end or does not have** a visible **end, his wife is prohibited** from marrying; this is **the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say:** If he fell into a body of water **with** a visible **end, his wife is permitted** to marry, **but** if he fell into a body of water **with no end, his wife is prohibited** from marrying.


###### Yevamot 121a:10
[Yevamot 121a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:10)

הֵיכִי דָּמֵי מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: כֹּל שֶׁעוֹמֵד וְרוֹאֶה מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹתָיו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **What are the circumstances** defining a body of **water with** a visible **end? Abaye said: Any** body of water **where one stands** in one place **and can see** the shore **in** all **four directions** is considered water with a visible end, since anyone emerging from the water would be seen. However, if the body of water is so large that it is impossible to see its shore on all sides, the individual may have emerged at a place where he could not be seen by others standing at the place where he fell in.


###### Yevamot 121a:11
[Yevamot 121a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:11)

הָהוּא גַּבְרָא דִּטְבַע בְּאַגְמָא דְסַמְקֵי, אַנְסְבַהּ רַב שֵׁילָא לִדְבֵיתְהוּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב לִשְׁמוּאֵל, תָּא נְשַׁמְּתֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נִשְׁלַח לֵיהּ בְּרֵישָׁא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
There was **a certain man who drowned in the lake in** a place called **Samkei. Rav Sheila allowed his wife to marry** based on the testimony of witnesses who saw that he entered the water and did not emerge. **Rav said to Shmuel: Come, let us excommunicate him** for having issued this ruling. Shmuel **said to him: Let us first send him** a message and clarify whether he had a sufficient reason to issue this ruling.


###### Yevamot 121a:12
[Yevamot 121a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:12)

שְׁלַחוּ לֵיהּ: מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף, אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה אוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת? שְׁלַח לְהוּ: אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה. וְאַגְמָא דְסַמְקֵי — מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף, אוֹ מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף? שְׁלַח לְהוּ: מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף הוּא. וּמָר, מַאי טַעְמָא עֲבַד הָכִי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**They sent him** the following question: When a man disappears in **an endless body of water, is his wife a forbidden or a permitted** woman, i.e., may she remarry? **He sent** back **to them: His wife is forbidden.** They asked him further: **Is the lake of Samkei a body of water with** a visible **end or an endless body of water? He sent** a response **to them: It is an endless body of water,** since one cannot see the water’s edge on every side. They then asked him: If so, **what is the reason** that **the Master,** i.e., Rav Sheila, **acted this way,** allowing the wife to remarry?


###### Yevamot 121a:13
[Yevamot 121a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:13)

מִיטְעָא טְעֵינָא, אֲנָא סְבַרִי כֵּיוָן דִּקְווּ וְקָיְימִי — כְּמַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף דָּמֵי, וְלָא הִיא: כֵּיוָן דְּאִיכָּא גַּלֵּי — אֵימוֹר גַּלֵּי אַשְׁפְּלוּ[הּ].

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
He answered them: **I erred** in my reasoning. **I thought: Since the waters are gathered and stagnant** and not flowing like a river, **they are considered as a body of water with** a visible **end. But that is not so. Since there are waves** in this body of water, **say that the waves carried him** away from our sight, allowing him to emerge without being seen.


###### Yevamot 121a:14
[Yevamot 121a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:14)

קָרֵי שְׁמוּאֵל עֲלֵיהּ דְּרַב: ״לֹא יְאוּנֶּה לַצַּדִּיק כׇּל אָוֶן״. קָרֵי רַב עֲלֵיהּ דִּשְׁמוּאֵל: ״וּתְשׁוּעָה בְּרוֹב יוֹעֵץ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In light of this response, **Shmuel recited** this verse **about Rav: “No mischief shall befall the righteous”** (Proverbs 12:21). Since the righteous Rav waited and did not excommunicate Rav Sheila, he was prevented from causing him injustice. Rav Sheila had been mistaken and had not intentionally violated the decree of the Sages prohibiting a woman from remarrying on the basis of her husband having disappeared into an endless body of water. **Rav recited** this verse **about Shmuel: “But salvation** lies **in much counsel”** (Proverbs 11:14), since it was Shmuel’s advice that caused Rav to wait.


###### Yevamot 121a:15
[Yevamot 121a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:15)

תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי: מַעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם מְכַמְּרִין מִכְמוֹרִין בַּיַּרְדֵּן, וְנִכְנַס אֶחָד מֵהֶם לִמְחִילָּה שֶׁל דָּגִים, וְשָׁקְעָה חַמָּה וְלֹא רָאָה פִּתְחָהּ שֶׁל מְחִילָּה, וְשָׁהָה חֲבֵרוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁתֵּצֵא נַפְשׁוֹ, וּבָא וְהוֹדִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ. לְמָחָר, זָרְחָה חַמָּה וְהִכִּיר פִּתְחָהּ שֶׁל מְחִילָּה, וּבָא וּמָצָא הֶסְפֵּד גָּדוֹל בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי: כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלִים דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁאָמְרוּ: מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **said: An incident** occurred **involving two people** who **were fishing with nets on the Jordan** River, **and one of them entered a cave containing a** pond of **fish** next to the shore. Meanwhile, **the sun set and** the one who had entered the cave **could not see the cave’s opening** and did not exit, so his friend thought he had drowned. **His friend waited long enough for his soul to have departed and came and notified** the man’s **household** that he had drowned. **The following day the sun rose, and** the man in the cave **recognized the opening of the cave** and exited through it. **And he came and found profuse eulogizing in his house. Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **said** about this: **How great are the words of the Sages, who said:** If a man fell into **a body of water with** a visible **end, his wife is permitted** to marry, but in a case of water **with no end, his wife is prohibited** from marrying.


###### Yevamot 121a:16
[Yevamot 121a:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:16)

אִי הָכִי, מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף נָמֵי, לֵיחוּשׁ לִמְחִילָּה שֶׁל דָּגִים! בְּמַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף מְחִילָּה שֶׁל דָּגִים לָא שְׁכִיחָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **If so,** even in the case of **a body of water with** a visible **end, let us also be concerned about a cave containing a** pond of **fish.** Even if the individual did not emerge for a long period of time, it is possible that he entered a cave and is still alive. The Gemara answers: **A cave containing a** pond of **fish is not common in a body of water with** a visible **end.**


###### Yevamot 121a:17
[Yevamot 121a:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:17)

אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: הָא דַּאֲמַרוּ רַבָּנַן מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה — הָנֵי מִילֵּי בְּאִינִישׁ דְּעָלְמָא, אֲבָל צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן — לָא. אִי דִּסְלֵיק — קָלָא אִית לֵיהּ. וְלָא הִיא: לָא שְׁנָא אִינִישׁ דְּעָלְמָא, וְלָא שְׁנָא צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן, דִּיעֲבַד — אִין, לְכַתְּחִלָּה — לָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Ashi said: That which the Sages said,** that if a man fell into **an endless body of water, his wife is prohibited** from remarrying, **applies** only **to an ordinary person** who is not well known and could slip away secretly and live in anonymity, hiding the fact that he survived. **But** it does **not** apply to **a Torah scholar,** because **if he would emerge** from the water, **publicity would be** generated and the news of his survival would spread. The Gemara rejects this: **That is not so. It is no different** for **an ordinary man and it is no different** for **a Torah scholar. After the fact,** i.e., if she remarried, **yes,** she may remain with her new husband, but she may **not** remarry ***ab initio*.**


###### Yevamot 121a:18
[Yevamot 121a:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:18)

תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל: פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בִּסְפִינָה, וְרָאִיתִי סְפִינָה אַחַת שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרָה. וְהָיִיתִי מִצְטַעֵר עַל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁבָּהּ, וּמַנּוּ — רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. וּכְשֶׁעָלִיתִי בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּא וְיָשַׁב וְדָן לְפָנַי בַּהֲלָכָה. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּנִי, מִי הֶעֶלְךָ? אָמַר לִי: דַּף שֶׁל סְפִינָה נִזְדַּמֵּן לִי, וְכׇל גַּל וְגַל שֶׁבָּא עָלַי — נִעְנַעְתִּי לוֹ רֹאשִׁי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **It is taught** in a *baraita*: **Rabban Gamliel said: Once I was traveling on a boat, and** from a distance **I saw a boat that shattered** and sank. **And I was grieved over** the apparent death of **the Torah scholar who was on board. And who was it? Rabbi Akiva. But when I disembarked onto dry land, he came, and sat, and deliberated before me about *halakha*. I said to him: My son, who brought you up** from the water? **He said to me: A plank from the boat came to me, and I bent my head before each and every wave that came toward me.** The waves did not wash me off of the board, and I reached the shore.


###### Yevamot 121a:19
[Yevamot 121a:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:19)

מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: אִם יָבוֹאוּ רְשָׁעִים עַל אָדָם — יְנַעְנֵעַ לוֹ רֹאשׁוֹ. אָמַרְתִּי בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה: כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלִים דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁאָמְרוּ: מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף — מוּתֶּרֶת, מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף — אֲסוּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**From here the Sages stated: If wicked people come upon a person, he should bend his head before them.** That is, he should temporarily restrain himself and not fight them, and he will therefore be saved. After this parenthetical statement, the Gemara returns to Rabban Gamliel’s story. **I said at that moment: How great are the words of the Sages, who said:** If a man fell into **a body of water with** a visible **end,** his wife **is permitted** to remarry. But in a case of **an endless body of water,** his wife **is prohibited** from remarrying.


###### Yevamot 121a:20
[Yevamot 121a:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:20)

תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בִּסְפִינָה, וְרָאִיתִי סְפִינָה אַחַת שֶׁמִּטָּרֶפֶת בַּיָּם, וְהָיִיתִי מִצְטַעֵר עַל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁבָּהּ, וּמַנּוּ — רַבִּי מֵאִיר. כְּשֶׁעָלִיתִי לִמְדִינַת קַפּוֹטְקְיָא, בָּא וְיָשַׁב וְדָן לְפָנַי בַּהֲלָכָה. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: בְּנִי, מִי הֶעֶלְךָ? אָמַר לִי: גַּל טְרָדַנִי לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וַחֲבֵרוֹ לַחֲבֵרוֹ, עַד שֶׁהֱקִיאַנִי לַיַּבָּשָׁה. אָמַרְתִּי בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה: כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלִים דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁאָמְרוּ: מַיִם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ מוּתֶּרֶת, מַיִם שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם סוֹף — אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲסוּרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It is taught** in a *baraita*: **Rabbi Akiva said: Once I was traveling on a boat, and I saw a certain boat sinking at sea, and I was grieved over** the apparent death of **the Torah scholar who was on board. And who was it? Rabbi Meir. But when I disembarked at the province of Cappadocia, he came, and sat, and deliberated before me about *halakha*. I said to him: My son, who brought you up** from the water? **He said to me:** One **wave carried me to another, and that other** wave **to another, until** I reached the shore, and a wave **cast me up onto dry land. I said at that moment: How great are the words of the Sages, who said:** If a man fell into **a body of water with** a visible **end, his wife is permitted** to remarry. But in a case of **an endless body of water, his wife is prohibited** from remarrying.


###### Yevamot 121a:21
[Yevamot 121a:21](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Yevamot/r/121a:21)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: נָפַל לְגוֹב אֲרָיוֹת — אֵין מְעִידִין עָלָיו. לַחֲפוּרָה מְלֵאָה נְחָשִׁים וְעַקְרַבִּים — מְעִידִין עָלָיו. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָא אוֹמֵר: אַף לַחֲפוּרָה מְלֵאָה נְחָשִׁים וְעַקְרַבִּים אֵין מְעִידִין עָלָיו, חָיְישִׁינַן

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught:** If an individual **fell into a lion’s den, one may not testify about him** that he died, since the lions might not have killed him. If he fell **into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions, one may testify** about his death, since it is certain that they killed him. **Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: Even** if he fell **into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions, one may not testify about him** that he died, because **we are concerned**