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Mishnayos Niddah Perek 2 Mishnah 1

נדה פרק ב׳ משנה א׳

1

With regard to any hand that is diligent to examine bodily emissions to ascertain ritual impurity, among women such a hand is praiseworthy. But among men such a hand should be severed, as this action is apt to lead to a seminal emission for naught. In the case of a woman who is deaf [haḥereshet], or an imbecile, or blind, or who went insane, and is therefore unable to examine herself reliably, if such women have competent friends, those friends prepare them by examining them and immersing them in a ritual bath. And on that basis the incompetent women may partake of teruma after the sun sets. It is the custom of Jewish women that they engage in intercourse with their husbands while using two examination cloths, one for the husband, to see if there is any of the wife’s blood on him after intercourse, and one for her, to ascertain after intercourse whether her menstrual flow has begun. And the modest women prepare a third examination cloth, to examine themselves and prepare the pubic area for intercourse.

כָּל הַיָּד הַמַּרְבָּה לִבְדֹּק בְּנָשִׁים, מְשֻׁבַּחַת. וּבַאֲנָשִׁים, תִּקָּצֵץ. הַחֵרֶשֶׁת וְהַשּׁוֹטָה וְהַסּוּמָא וְשֶׁנִּטְרְפָה דַעְתָּהּ, אִם יֶשׁ לָהֶן פִּקְחוֹת, מְתַקְּנוֹת אוֹתָן וְהֵן אוֹכְלוֹת בַּתְּרוּמָה. דֶּרֶךְ בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, מְשַׁמְּשׁוֹת בִּשְׁנֵי עִדִּים, אֶחָד לוֹ וְאֶחָד לָהּ. הַצְּנוּעוֹת מְתַקְּנוֹת לָהֶן שְׁלִישִׁי, לְתַקֵּן אֶת הַבָּיִת:

א׳
Bartenura

כל היד המרבה לבדוק – that always examines [herself] lest she see it (i.e., blood).

ובאנשים – [a man] who always examines himself in his membrum virile (see Tractate Niddah 13a), lest his emission went out from him.

תקצץ (should be cut off) – who warms himself and feels his membrum virile when he warms himself (i.e., masturbates), and removes/spills semen in vain.

וסומא – but it is not Mishnah and is inoperative/suspended, but rather, she examines herself and shows it to her friends.

ושנטרפה דעתה (confused, not fully conscious) – on account of illness.

מתקינות אותן – they examine them (i.e., those who are confused/not fully conscious) and immerse them [as needed].

And this is the reading: הצנועות מתקנות להן שלישי לתקן את הבית – that is to say, to examine before sexual intercourse and to prepare herself for her husband, and the same law applies for all women as is taught in the first chapter [of Tractate Niddah] and at the time that she passes to passes to have intercourse with her husband, for it (i.e., the Mishnah) took [the terminology], "צנועות"/modest (i.e., pious) the cloth (literally, “the witness”) that she examines herself before this intercourse she does not examine herself with it for another intercourse because it is soiled/filthy and dull/shaded in its white appearance with the first examination, and furthermore, the drop [of blood] like mustard is not seen.

כל היד המרבה לבדוק. שבודקת תמיד שמא ראתה:

ובאנשים. שבודק עצמו תמיד באמתו, שמא יצא ממנו קרי:

תקצץ. שמתחמם ומרגיש כשממשמש באמה, ומוציא שכבת זרע לבטלה:

והסומא. אינה משנה ודחויה היא. אלא היא בודקת לעצמה ומראה לחברותיה:

ושנטרפה דעתה. מחמת חולי:

מתקינות אותן. בודקות אותן ומטבילות אותן:

הכי גרסינן, הצנועות מתקנות להן שלישי לתקן את הבית. כלומר לבדוק לפני תשמיש ולהכין עצמה לבעלה. והוא הדין לכל הנשים כדתנן בפרק קמא ובשעה שהיא עוברת לשמש את ביתה, והא דנקט צנועות, משום דצנועות עד שבודקת בו לפני תשמיש זה אין בודקות בו לפני תשמיש אחר, לפי שמטונף וכהה מראית ליבונו בבדיקה ראשונה, ושוב אין נראית בו טפה כחרדל: