Niddah 1

שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַנָּשִׁים דַּיָּן שְׁעָתָן. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, מִפְּקִידָה לִפְקִידָה, וַאֲפִלּוּ לְיָמִים הַרְבֵּה. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, לֹא כְדִבְרֵי זֶה וְלֹא כְדִבְרֵי זֶה, אֶלָּא מֵעֵת לְעֵת מְמַעֵט עַל יַד מִפְּקִידָה לִפְקִידָה, וּמִפְּקִידָה לִפְקִידָה מְמַעֶטֶת עַל יַד מֵעֵת לְעֵת. כָּל אִשָּׁה שֶׁיֶּשׁ לָהּ וֶסֶת, דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ. וְהַמְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת בְּעִדִּים, הֲרֵי זוֹ כִפְקִידָה, וּמְמַעֶטֶת עַל יַד מֵעֵת לְעֵת וְעַל יַד מִפְּקִידָה לִפְקִידָה:

Shammai says: For all women, their hour [of discovering menstrual blood] suffices [to reckon the period of their impurity from that moment]. Hillel says: [the period of impurity is reckoned retroactively] from [the previous] examination to [the latest] examination, even for many days [i.e. she is assumed to have been impure the entire time]. The Sages say: [the law is] not according to this one nor according to that one, but rather [the period of impurity is reckoned] from that time to that time [on the previous day, i.e. twenty-four hours earlier, when this] lessens [the period] from examination to examination; and [it is reckoned] from [the previous] examination to [the latest] examination [when this] lessens [the period] from that time to that time [on the previous day, twenty-four hours earlier]. For any woman who has a regular cycle, her hour [of discovering menstrual blood] suffices [to reckon the period of her impurity from that moment]. And if a woman uses checking-cloths [literally: witnesses, to clean herself before and after intercourse], this is thereby like an examination, and it lessens [the period of impurity] from [being measured from] that time to that time [i.e. twenty-four hours earlier], or from [the previous] examination to [the latest] examination.

כֵּיצַד דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ. הָיְתָה יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּמִּטָּה וַעֲסוּקָה בְטָהֳרוֹת, וּפֵרְשָׁה וְרָאֲתָה, הִיא טְמֵאָה וְכֻלָּן טְהוֹרוֹת. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמְרוּ, מְטַמְּאָה מֵעֵת לְעֵת, אֵינָהּ מוֹנָה אֶלָּא מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁרָאָתָה:

How is it that her hour [of discovering menstrual blood] suffices [to reckon her impurity from that moment]? If she was sitting on a bed and was occupied with handling pure things [i.e. foods or vessels], and she left and [then] saw [blood], she is impure, and they are all pure [since her impurity is reckoned only from that moment]. Even though they said [regarding a woman who does not have a regular period]: she renders items impure from that time to that time [i.e. from twenty-fours hours earlier, retroactively], she only counts [her days of menstrual impurity] from the hour she saw [blood].

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אַרְבַּע נָשִׁים דַּיָּן שְׁעָתָן, בְּתוּלָה, מְעֻבֶּרֶת, מֵנִיקָה וּזְקֵנָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, אֲנִי לֹא שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶלָּא בְתוּלָה, אֲבָל הֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר:

Rabbi Eliezer says: There are four [types of] women whose hour [of discovering blood] suffices [to reckon their impurity from that moment]: a virgin, a pregnant woman, a nursing woman, and an elderly woman. Rabbi Yehoshua said: I only heard [this law] regarding a virgin, but the law is in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer.

אֵיזוֹ הִיא בְתוּלָה, כֹּל שֶׁלֹּא רָאֲתָה דָם מִיָּמֶיהָ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנְּשׂוּאָה. מְעֻבֶּרֶת, מִשֶּׁיִּוָּדַע עֻבָּרָהּ. מֵנִיקָה, עַד שֶׁתִּגְמֹל אֶת בְּנָהּ. נָתְנָה בְנָהּ לְמֵנִיקָה, גְּמָלַתּוּ אוֹ מֵת, רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, מְטַמְּאָה מֵעֵת לְעֵת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ:

Who [is considered] a virgin [such that her hour suffices]? Any who has never seen [menstrual] blood all her days, even if she is married. A pregnant woman? [She is considered to be pregnant] once her fetus becomes known [i.e. at the end of her first trimester]. A nursing woman? [She is considered to be nursing] until she weans her child [i.e. for twenty-four months]. If she gave her child to a nursemaid, or weaned him, or if he died [within twenty-four months], Rabbi Meir says: she is rendered impure [retroactively] from that time to that time [on the previous day, i.e. twenty-four hours earlier]. And the Sages say: her hour [of discovering blood] suffices [to render her impure only from that moment].

אֵיזוֹהִי זְקֵנָה. כֹּל שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלֶיהָ שָׁלשׁ עוֹנוֹת סָמוּךְ לְזִקְנָתָהּ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, כָּל אִשָּׁה שֶׁעָבְרוּ עָלֶיהָ שָׁלשׁ עוֹנוֹת, דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, מְעֻבֶּרֶת וּמֵנִיקָה שֶׁעָבְרוּ עֲלֵיהֶן שָׁלשׁ עוֹנוֹת, דַּיָּן שְׁעָתָן:

Who is [considered] an elderly woman? Anyone who has gone through three seasons [without menstruating], approaching her old age. Rabbi Eliezer says: any woman [i.e. young or old] who has gone through three seasons [without menstruating], her hour [of discovering blood] suffices [to reckon her impurity from that moment]. Rabbi Yose says: a pregnant or nursing woman who has gone through three seasons [without menstruating], their hour suffices [to render them impure only from the moment of discovering blood].

וּבַמֶּה אָמְרוּ דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ. בִּרְאִיָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה. אֲבָל בַּשְּׁנִיָּה, מְטַמְּאָה מֵעֵת לְעֵת. וְאִם רָאֲתָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה מֵאֹנֶס, אַף הַשְּׁנִיָּה דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ:

And concerning what did they say that her hour suffices? [They said this] regarding the first observation [of blood], but by the second [observation] she is impure [retroactively] from that time to that time [twenty-four hours earlier]. And if she saw her first observation as a result of compulsion [i.e. if it was caused unnaturally, as by an accident], even for the second observation her hour suffices [to reckon her impurity from that moment].

אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמְרוּ דַּיָּהּ שְׁעָתָהּ, צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת בּוֹדֶקֶת, חוּץ מִן הַנִּדָּה וְהַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת עַל דַּם טֹהַר. וּמְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת בְּעִדִּים, חוּץ מִיּוֹשֶׁבֶת עַל דַּם טֹהַר, וּבְתוּלָה שֶׁדָּמֶיהָ טְהוֹרִים. וּפַעֲמַיִם צְרִיכָה לִהְיוֹת בּוֹדֶקֶת, בְּשַׁחֲרִית וּבֵין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהִיא עוֹבֶרֶת לְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶת בֵּיתָהּ. יְתֵרָה עֲלֵיהֶן כֹּהֲנוֹת, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵן אוֹכְלוֹת בַּתְּרוּמָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף בִּשְׁעַת עֲבָרָתָן מִלֶּאֱכֹל בַּתְּרוּמָה:

Even though they said that her hour suffices, she should be examining [herself], except for a <i>niddah</i> [a female who has menstrual discharges which render her impure], or one who is sitting over pure blood [i.e. following a period of impurity after giving birth, there is a period of days during which a woman remains pure even if she sees blood]. And she should have intercourse using checking-cloths [literally: witnesses, before and after intercourse], except for one who is sitting over pure blood, or a virgin whose blood is pure. And she should examine twice [daily], in the morning and at twilight, and when she going to have relations with her husband [literally: her house]. More [restricted] than this are priestly women [for they should examine themselves] at the hour that they eat from <i>terumah</i> [a portion of a crop given to a priest which becomes sanctified upon separation, and can only be consumed by priests or their household, and which should not be rendered impure]. Rabbi Yehuda says: [they should examine themselves] also when they are leaving from having eaten <i>terumah</i>.