1) (Vayikra 15:28) "And if she is cleansed of her flow, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after, she shall be clean.") "And if she is cleansed of her flow": (The meaning is) "when (her flow) ceases" (and not "when she has immersed herself"). "of her flow": and not of her flow and her plague-spot. (viz. Chapter 5:1). "then she shall count for her": for herself (i.e., she may be trusted to do so). "seven (clean) days": I might think (that they may be either consecutive or scattered [i.e., with unclean days intervening between them]). It is, therefore, written "and after, she shall be clean": after all of the (consecutive seven days, she shall be clean). 2) R. Shimon says: "and after she shall be clean": after the act of immersion, (when part of the seventh day has passed), she shall be clean. Once she has immersed herself, she is permitted to occupy herself with taharoth (sacred food [and to live with her husband]); but the sages said: She should not do this lest she bring herself to doubt (i.e., lest she see blood after her immersion in the daytime and contravene the count). 3) (Vayikra 15:29) ("And on the eighth day she shall take for her two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and she shall bring them to the Cohein, to the door of the tent of meeting.") See Chapter 5:13. 4) See Chapter 5:13. 5) See Chapter 5:13 (Vayikra 15:30) "And the Cohein shall make atonement for her before the L–rd from the flow of her uncleanliness": from the flow of her uncleanliness and not from the flow of her childbearing (See Tazria, Chapter 4:1). 6) (Vayikra 15:31) ("And you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanliness, and they shall not die in their uncleanliness by defiling My tabernacle which is in their midst.") "And you shall separate (vehizartem) the children of Israel. Nezirah (as in "vehizartem") is nothing other than separation, as it is written (Ezekiel 14:7): "… and he separated (veyinazer) from Me and he brought up his abominations upon his heart," and (Isaiah 1:4): "And they have separated themselves (nazoru), (turning) backwards." 7) "And you shall separate the children of Israel from their uncleanliness": This is an exhortation (that they shall separate from sacred food and from the sanctuary in the days of their tumah. "and they shall not die in their uncleanliness": This (death, i.e., kareth) is the punishment. "when they defile My tabernacle which is in their mist": Though they be tamei, My shechinah is in their midst. 8) (Vayikra 15:32) ("This is the law of the zav and of him from whom semen issues forth to be made unclean thereby.") "This is the law of the zav"; of one sighting, who is comparable to one from whom semen issues forth (For a zav of two sightings must observe seven clean days); and he immerses and eats his Paschal offering at night. 9) (Vayikra 15:33) ("And (of) her who flows with her menstrual flow, and (of) him who flows with his (zov) discharge, for male or female, and (of) him who lies with her who is unclean.") "And (of) her who flows with her menstrual flow, and (of) the zav" (of two sightings), who, like a niddah, confers tumah upon mishkav and moshav (and who requires the counting of seven days). And, (even more than a niddah), he requires running water (for his cleansing). And he is not obligated to bring an offering. "the law of the zav (of one sighting) and the zav (of two sightings) his zov" (the zav) of three sightings: This is the confirmed zav, who confers tumah upon mishkav and moshav, who requires running water, and who is obligated to bring an offering. 10) "the law of the zav and of him from whom semen issues forth": Just as a zav (flow) (during the seven-day clean count) interrupts the zov (count), so a semen flow (in those seven days) interrupts the zov (count, the semen of a zav not being without some intermixture of zov particles.) I might think that just as a zov (flow) (during that time) contravenes the entire count, so a semen flow (during that time) contravenes the entire count. It is, therefore, written "to be made unclean thereby." The interruption is for only one day. 11) I might think that a urinal flow (at that time) would also interrupt the zov (count); it is, therefore, written "This (i.e., only semen, which is mentioned in the verse) is the law." 12) "and she who flows with her menstrual flow": The early elders were wont to say: She should remain in her state of niddah. She should not paint her eyes nor rouge herself until she immerses — until R. Akiva came and taught: This may result in his coming to hate her and to divorce her. How, then, am I to understand "and she who flows benidathah"? She retains the status of niddah until she immerses. 13) (lit.) "and the zav his discharge": Others say: Just as the zav confers tumah by being carried, so does his discharge. "for male": to include the leper; "or for female": to include the woman who bore a child. R. Yishmael b. R. Yochanan b. Beroka says: "and who flows with his discharge for male or for female": "for male" — for whatever is "male," whether adult or minor. "and for female": whether minor or adult "and he who lies with her who is unclean": to include (as unclean) one who cohabits with a woman observing a day (of tentative zavah uncleanliness) for a day, (the preceding day of a flow).
Sifra Metzora Zavim Chapter 9
Tap any verse to see what it echoes — and start a chain or echo from it.