Commentaire sur Nega'im 2:4
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:
Comment le Nega est-il affiché [pendant l'examen]? L'homme est affiché comme s'il sarclait ou cueillait des olives. Une femme [est affichée] comme si elle pétrissait de la pâte ou allaitait son enfant, [ou] comme un tisserand qui se tient [et montre] son aisselle sur son bras droit [pendant le tissage]. Le rabbin Yehudah dit: Même comme si elle tournait le fax avec sa main gauche. De la manière dont il est affiché pour [l'examen de] son Nega , ainsi est-il affiché pour son rasage [après avoir terminé son processus de purification].
Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
כעודר וכמוסק (in the position of one hoeing and taking olives down) – it is the manner of one who hoes who pauses his feet and it is the manner one taking olives down who lifts his arms (to examine the arm-pit). עודר/hoes, digs in the ground. מוסק/gleans his olives.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Negaim
Introduction Our mishnah deals with how a person is to be positioned when examined for a nega, such that his modesty is [at least to a certain extent] preserved. The verse we used in yesterday's mishnah "wherever the priest's eyes can see" also serves as the basis for today's mishnah. The priest's eyes should not examine parts of the body that should not be seen due to modesty. The exact parts will differ for men and women.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
כעורכת (who works the dough) – the bread when she pauses her feet.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Negaim
What is [the posture] of examining negaim?
A man is inspected in the posture of one that hoes or one that gathers olives. If the nega is in between a man's legs, when being inspected he must stand as one who is hoeing would stand. He spreads his legs a bit and the priest can see the nega. But the priest doesn't have to look at the parts between his legs that he can't see when one is hoeing. I'm assuming that he is wearing some sort of cloak, but clearly not pants. The other private part that is dealt with here is under the armpits. The person would lift up his arms as if he is picking olives, and any part that still can't be seen need not be inspected.
A man is inspected in the posture of one that hoes or one that gathers olives. If the nega is in between a man's legs, when being inspected he must stand as one who is hoeing would stand. He spreads his legs a bit and the priest can see the nega. But the priest doesn't have to look at the parts between his legs that he can't see when one is hoeing. I'm assuming that he is wearing some sort of cloak, but clearly not pants. The other private part that is dealt with here is under the armpits. The person would lift up his arms as if he is picking olives, and any part that still can't be seen need not be inspected.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
וכמניקה את בנה – regarding the matter of under her breast, for what it appears at that time is not considered the covered parts of the body/posteriors.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Negaim
And a woman [is inspected in the posture] of one who is arranging dough and one who nurses her child, and one that weaves at an upright loom if the nega was in the right armpit. If a woman has a nega in between her legs, she is inspected while in the posture of a woman who is arranging dough to go into the oven. This seems to require a very minimal amount of leg-spreading. If the nega is under her breast, any flesh that can be seen while nursing must be examined. I suppose that this implies that a woman would only uncover part of her breasts in order to nurse. When it comes to a nega found under the arm, if it is on her right arm, whatever part of her arm that she exposes while weaving on a loom is inspected by the priest. The rest is considered private.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
כעורגת בעומדים לשחי ([a woman is placed] in the position of a weaker at an upright loom – for the sake of examining the pit of the right arm) – that she raises her right hand and reveals the duct of her arm-pit.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Negaim
Rabbi Judah says: also in the posture of one that spins flax if it was within the left armpit. Rabbi Judah says that when it comes to the left armpit, whatever she exposes when spinning flax is inspected. We should note that the mishnah ascribes to men and women work that each typically performed. Men typically worked in the field and women typically baked bread, took care of their children and made clothing. Their posture when examined is determined by their typical posture at work.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
כטווה בפשתן (that she spins flax) – for is the manner of a person who spins [flax] to raise her left hand and she reveals the duct of her arm-pit. What it does not appear in this, is that it is considered the posterior/the covered parts of the body. And it is written (Leviticus 13:12): “wherever the priest can see”/"לכל-מראה איני הכהן", excluding the posterior/covered parts of the body.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Negaim
Just as [is the posture] for examining for the nega, so too [is the posture] for shaving hair. A metzora (one who had a nega) must shave his/her body when completing the period of impurity (see Leviticus 14:9). The parts of the body that must be shaved are the same as those that are inspected in the first place. In other words, private parts need not be shaved (sigh of relief!).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Negaim
לתגלחתו – on the day of his purity. And he needs to shave, as it is written (Leviticus 14:9): “[On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair - ] of head, beard and eyebrows,” just as these are the places of the entrance of hair and appears, even every place hat is the entrance of hair and appears, except for the covered parts of the body/posteriors.
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