Negaim 2

בַּהֶרֶת עַזָּה נִרְאֵית בַּגֶּרְמָנִי כֵּהָה, וְהַכֵּהָה בַכּוּשִׁי עַזָּה. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲנִי כַפָּרָתָן, הֲרֵי הֵן כְּאֶשְׁכְּרוֹעַ, לֹא שְׁחוֹרִים וְלֹא לְבָנִים, אֶלָּא בֵינוֹנִיִּים. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, יֵשׁ לַצַּיָּרִים סַמְמָנִין שֶׁהֵן צָרִין צוּרוֹת שְׁחוֹרוֹת, לְבָנוֹת וּבֵינוֹנִיּוֹת. מֵבִיא סַם בֵּינוֹנִי וּמַקִּיפוֹ מִבַּחוּץ, וְתֵרָאֶה בַבֵּינוֹנִי. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְאוֹת נְגָעִים לְהָקֵל אֲבָל לֹא לְהַחְמִיר, יֵרָאֶה הַגֶּרְמָנִי בִּבְשָׂרוֹ לְהָקֵל, וְהַכּוּשִׁי בַּבֵּינוֹנִי לְהָקֵל. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, זֶה וָזֶה בַּבֵּינוֹנִי:

A bright <i>Baheret</i> [type of diseased patch that creates impurity] looks dull on a light-skinned person [lit. German] and a dull one looks bright on a dark-skinned person [lit. Ethiopian]. Rabbi Yishmael says: Bnei Yisrael, may I am be their atonement, behold they are like box-wood, not black and not white, but intermediate. Rabbi Akiva says: Painters have pigments with which they paint forms black or white or intermediate. One brings an intermediate pigment and surrounds it [the <i>Nega</i>] from outside, and it will appear in the intermediate. Rabbi Yehudah says: The appearances of <i>Negaim</i> [diseased patches on skin, clothes, or houses that create impurity, should be decided] for leniency [when in doubt] but not for stringency: he [the examining priest] should look at the light-skinned person in [comparison with] his skin for leniency and the dark-skinned person in [comparison with] intermediate [dye] for leniency. The Sages say: Both this and this [case should be looked at in comparison with] intermediate [dye].

אֵין רוֹאִים הַנְּגָעִים בַּשַּׁחֲרִית וּבֵין הָעַרְבַּיִם, וְלֹא בְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת, וְלֹא בַיּוֹם הַמְעֻנָּן, לְפִי שֶׁהַכֵּהָה נִרְאֵית עַזָּה. וְלֹא בַצָּהֳרַיִם, לְפִי שֶׁעַזָּה נִרְאֵית כֵּהָה. אֵימָתַי רוֹאִין. בְּשָׁלשׁ, בְּאַרְבַּע, וּבְחָמֵשׁ, וּבְשֶׁבַע, וּבִשְׁמֹנֶה, וּבְתֵשַׁע, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בְּאַרְבַּע, בְּחָמֵשׁ, בִּשְׁמֹנֶה, וּבְתֵשַׁע:

One may not examine <i>Negaim</i> [to check them] in the morning or towards evening, and not inside the house and not on the cloudy day, because the dull [<i>Nega</i>] seems bright [in these circumstances]. And [one may not examine] at noon, because the bright [<i>Nega</i>] seems dull. When does one examine? During the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth [hours of the day]. These are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says: During the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth.

כֹּהֵן הַסּוּמָא בְאַחַת מֵעֵינָיו, אוֹ שֶׁכָּהָה מְאוֹר עֵינָיו, לֹא יִרְאֶה אֶת הַנְּגָעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יג), לְכָל מַרְאֵה עֵינֵי הַכֹּהֵן. בַּיִת הָאָפֵל, אֵין פּוֹתְחִין בּוֹ חַלּוֹנוֹת לִרְאוֹת אֶת נִגְעוֹ:

A priest who is blind in one of his eyes, or whose brightness of vision dulled, may not examine the <i>Negaim</i>, as it says (Leviticus 13:12) "According to all that appears to the eyes of the priest." [When examining] a dark house, one does not open windows in it to [better] examine its <i>Nega</i>.

כֵּיצַד רְאִיַּת הַנֶּגַע. הָאִישׁ נִרְאֶה כְעוֹדֵר, וּכְמוֹסֵק זֵיתִים. הָאִשָּׁה כְּעוֹרֶכֶת וּכְמֵנִיקָה אֶת בְּנָהּ, כְּאוֹרֶגֶת בְּעוֹמְדִין לַשֶּׁחִי לַיָּד הַיְמָנִית. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף כְּטוֹוָה בְפִשְׁתָּן לַשְּׂמָאלִית. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּרְאֶה לְנִגְעוֹ, כָּךְ הוּא נִרְאֶה לְתִגְלַחְתּוֹ:

How is the <i>Nega</i> displayed [during the examination]? The man is displayed as if he were hoeing or picking olives. A woman [is displayed] as if she were kneading dough or nursing her child, [or] like a weaver who stands [and displays] her armpit on her right arm [while weaving]. Rabbi Yehudah says: Even as if she were spinning fax by her left hand. In the way that he is displayed for [the examination of] his <i>Nega</i>, thus is he displayed for his shaving [after completing his purification process].

כָּל הַנְּגָעִים אָדָם רוֹאֶה, חוּץ מִנִּגְעֵי עַצְמוֹ. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, אַף לֹא נִגְעֵי קְרוֹבָיו. כָּל הַנְּדָרִים אָדָם מַתִּיר, חוּץ מִנִּדְרֵי עַצְמוֹ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף לֹא נִדְרֵי אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁבֵּינָהּ לְבֵין אֲחֵרִים. כָּל הַבְּכוֹרוֹת אָדָם רוֹאֶה, חוּץ מִבְּכוֹרוֹת עַצְמוֹ:

A man can examine all <i>Negaim</i> except for his own <i>Negaim</i>. Rabbi Meir says: Even not the <i>Negaim</i> of his relatives. A man may revoke all vows except for his own vows. Rabbi Yehudah says: Even not the vows of his wife that are between her and others. A man may examine all first-born [animals to see if they have a blemish that would invalidate them as sacrifices] except for his own first-born.