מצורע, שישי

ורחצו במים. גְּזֵרַת מֶלֶךְ הִיא שֶׁתִּטְמָא הָאִשָּׁה בְּבִיאָה; וְאֵין הַטַּעַם מִשּׁוּם נוֹגֵעַ בְּשִׁכְבַת זֶרַע, שֶׁהֲרֵי מַגַּע בֵּית הַסְּתָרִים הוּא (נדה מ"א:):

ורחצו במים THEY SHALL BOTH LAVE THEMSELVES IN WATER — It is a decree of the King that a woman should become unclean through sexual intercourse. The reason is not because of the law of “one who touches שכבת זרע” (who, according to Leviticus 22:7 is unclean; cf. Sifra on that verse) for in her case it is מגע בית הסתרים and this does not render her unclean (Niddah 41b).

כי תהיה זבה. יָכוֹל מֵאֶחָד מִכָּל אֵבָרֶיהָ, תַּ"ל וְהִיא גִּלְּתָה אֶת מְקוֹר דָּמֶיהָ — אֵין דָּם מְטַמֵּא אֶלָּא הַבָּא מִן הַמָּקוֹר:

כי תהיה זבה AND IF A WOMAN HAVE AN ISSUE — One might think that this means: if there be an, issue from any limb of her body (e. g. ear, nose)! It, however, states in a law referring to this matter, (Leviticus 20:18) “and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood” — only that issue of blood therefore makes her unclean which comes from her fountain (Sifra, Metzora Parashat Zavim, Section 4 2).

דם יהיה זבה בבשרה. אֵין זוֹבָהּ קָרוּי זוֹב לְטַמֵּא אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן הוּא אָדֹם (שם י"ט):

דם יהיה זובה בבשרה AND HER ISSUE IN HER FLESH BE BLOOD — Her issue does not come under the term “flux” to cause uncleanness except if it is red (cf. Niddah 19a).

בנדתה. כְּמוֹ וּמִתֵּבֵל יְנִדֻּהוּ (איוב י"ח) — שֶׁהִיא מְנֻדָּה מִמַּגַּע כָּל אָדָם:

בנדתה [SHE SHALL BE] PUT APART [SEVEN DAYS] — The word has the same meaning as, (Job. 18:18) “and they shall drive him out (ינדהו) of the world” — and her state is so called because she is set apart from the touch of any person (separated, so that no-one shall touch her).

תהיה בנדתה. אֲפִלּוּ לֹא רָאֲתָה אֶלָּא רְאִיָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה (ספרא):

תהיה בנדתה [SEVEN DAYS] SHALL SHE BE IN HER SEPARATION. even though she has seen a show of blood only once (lit., only the first show — i. e., not 7 days continuously) (Sifra, Metzora Parashat Zavim, Section 4 5).

ואם על המשכב הוא. הַשּׁוֹכֵב אוֹ הַיּוֹשֵׁב עַל מִשְׁכָּבָהּ אוֹ עַל מוֹשָׁבָהּ אֲפִלּוּ לֹא נָגַע בָּהּ, אַף הוּא בְּדַת טֻמְאָה הָאֲמוּרָה בַּמִקְרָא הָעֶלְיוֹן, שֶׁטָּעוּן כִּבּוּס בְּגָדִים:

ואם על המשכב הוא AND IF ONE BE ON HER PLACE OF REPOSE [OR ON ANY THING WHEREON SHE SITTETH] — This means, one who sleeps or sits on the place where she has slept or has sat even though he does not directly touch it (e. g. if there are covers upon the couch or the seat; for if he touches it vv. 21 and 22 apply); he also comes under the law of uncleanness that is stated in the above verse — that he requires washing of garments.

על הכלי. לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַמֶּרְכָּב:

על הכלי UPON A VESSEL — This is intended to add to משכב and מושב any article for riding on (Sifra, Metzora Parashat Zavim, Section 4 15).

בנגעו בו. אֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר אֶלָּא עַל הַמֶּרְכָּב שֶׁנִּתְרַבָּה מֵ"עַל הַכְּלִי":

בנגעו בו WHEN HE TOUCHETH IT — "it" (בו) — this refers only to מרכב which, as has just been stated, is included in the law on account of the words על הכלי.

בנגעו בו יטמא. וְאֵינוֹ טָעוּן כִּבּוּס בְּגָדִים, שֶׁהַמֶּרְכָּב אֵין מַגָּעוֹ מְטַמֵּא אָדָם לְטַמֵּא בְגָדִים (כלים פכ"ג):

בנגעו בו יטמא WHEN HE TOUCHETH IT HE SHALL BE UNCLEAN, but does not require washing of the garments, because so far as the מרכב is concerned its being touched does not communicate uncleanness to people so that they in turn should render their garments unclean (cf. Mishnah Kelim 23:3).

ותהי נדתה עליו. יָכוֹל יַעֲלֶה לְרַגְלָהּ — שֶׁאִם בָּא עָלֶיהָ בַחֲמִישִׁי לְנִדָּתָהּ לֹא יִטְמָא אֶלָּא שְׁלוֹשָׁה יָמִים כְּמוֹתָהּ — תַּ"ל וְטָמֵא שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, וּמַה תַּ"ל וּתְהִי נִדָּתָהּ עָלָיו? מַה הִיא מְטַמְּאָה אָדָם וּכְלֵי חֶרֶס, אַף הוּא מְטַמֵּא אָדָם וּכְלֵי חֶרֶס (ספרא; נדה ל"ג):

ותהי נדתה עליו [AND IF ANY MAN LIE WITH HER AT ALL] THEN SHALL HER UNCLEANLINESS OF SEPARATION BE UPON HIM — One might think that he follows in her wake — that if he had intercourse with her e. g. on the fifth day of her separation he shall become unclean for three days only (for the fifth, sixth and seventh) like herself (i. e. because these are the remaining days during which she is unclean)! Scripture, however, states: "he shall be unclean seven days”. Therefore these words cannot refer to the duration of her uncleanness. What then is the force of ותהי נדתה עליו? They mean: her state of uncleanness as a נדה shall be upon him. How is it in the case of her? She, being an אב הטומאה, makes man unclean, and also earthen vessels by means of ‎‎היסט! So, too, he becomes an אב הטומאה (not a ולד הטומאה), and makes man unclean, and also earthen vessels by means‎ of היסט! (Niddah 33a)

ימים רבים. שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים (ספרא):

‎ימים רבים [AND IF A WOMAN HAVE AN ISSUE OF HER BLOOD] MANY DAYS — at least three days (since the plural ימים suggests at least two days, the word רבים, “more", must imply at least three days) (cf. Sifra, Metzora Parashat Zavim, Section 5 9),

בלא עת נדתה. אַחַר שֶׁיָּצְאוּ שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי נִדָּתָהּ:

בלא עת נדתה OUT OF THE TIME OF HER SEPARATION — i. e. at least three days immediately after the seven normal days of her separation have expired.

או כי תזוב. אֶת שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַיָּמִים הַלָּלוּ:

או כי תזוב OR IF SHE HAS A FLOW during these (the above mentioned) three days,

על נדתה. מֻפְלָג מִנִּדָּתָהּ יוֹם אֶחָד, זוֹ הִיא זָבָה, וּמִשְׁפָּטָהּ חָרוּץ בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ, וְלֹא כְּדַת הַנִּדָּה, שֶׁזּוֹ טְעוּנָה סְפִירַת שִׁבְעָה נְקִיִּים וְקָרְבָּן, וְהַנִּדָּה אֵינָהּ טְעוּנָה סְפִירַת נְקִיִּים, אֶלָּא שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תִּהְיֶה בְנִדָּתָהּ בֵּין רוֹאָה בֵּין שֶׁאֵינָהּ רוֹאָה. וְדָרְשׁוּ בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ י"א יוֹם בֵּין סוֹף נִדָּה לִתְחִלַּת נִדָּה, שֶׁכָּל שְׁלֹשֶׁת רְצוּפִין שֶׁתִּרְאֶה בְאַחַד עָשָׂר יוֹם הַלָּלוּ תְּהֵא זָבָה:

על נדתה BEYOND THE TIME OF HER SEPARATION — i. e. being remote (distant) from her time of separation by one intervening day — this woman (such a woman) is, in both cases, termed a זבה and the law regarding her is decreed in this section that follows; and it is not like the law of a נדה, because she (the former) requires the counting of seven clean days (i. e. her uncleanness does not end until she has counted שבעה נקיים, seven consecutive days that are clean of any flux; cf. v. 28) and a sacrifice on the following day (cf. v. 29); whilst the נדה does not require the counting of the clean days (i. e. התורה ‎מן nor does she require a sacrifice) but she remains seven days in her separation and no longer irrespective as to whether she has or has not seen a show of blood (i. e. even if there is a flow on the seventh day and it then ceases she is still clean on the eighth day after having immersed herself). And they (our Rabbis) in expounding this section in the Sifra explain. There are eleven days intervening between the end of one ,נדה-period and the beginning of the next נדה-period, so that if she sees blood on three immersed herself. And they (our Rabbis) in expounding this section (Sifra, Metzora Parashat Zavim, Chapter 8 2-3) derived the Halacha of the eleven days that intervene between the expiration of one נדה period and the commencement of another ‎נדה period — i. e. that as a result of any three consecutive days that she sees blood within these eleven days she shall be (come under the law of) a זבה and not a נדה.