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Perek 5

Mishnayos Niddah Perek 5 Mishnah 9

נדה פרק ה׳ משנה ט׳

9
A girl twelve years and one day old who grew two pubic hairs is classified as a young woman. Six months later, she becomes a grown woman. But a woman who is twenty years old who did not grow two pubic hairs and was never classified as a young woman shall bring proof that she is twenty years old, and from that point forward she assumes the status of a sexually underdeveloped woman [ailonit], who is incapable of bearing children. If she married and her husband died childless, she neither performs ḥalitza nor does she enter into levirate marriage, as the mitzva of levirate marriage applies only to a woman capable of conceiving a child. An ailonit is excluded from that mitzva. In the case of a man who is twenty years old who did not grow two pubic hairs, they shall bring proof that he is twenty years old and he assumes the status of a sexually underdeveloped man [saris], who is excluded from the mitzva of levirate marriage. Therefore, if his married brother dies childless, he neither performs ḥalitza nor enters into levirate marriage with his yevama. This is the statement of Beit Hillel. Beit Shammai say: For both this case of a woman and that case of a man, they shall bring proof that they are eighteen years old, and they assume the status of a sexually underdeveloped woman and man respectively. Rabbi Eliezer says: The status of the male is determined in accordance with the statement of Beit Hillel, i.e., he assumes the status of a sexually underdeveloped man at the age of twenty; and the status of the female is determined in accordance with the statement of Beit Shammai, i.e., she assumes the status of a sexually underdeveloped woman at the age of eighteen. The reason is that the woman is quick to reach physical maturity, and reaches that stage before the man reaches physical maturity.
בַּת עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיאָה שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת, תָּבִיא רְאָיָה שֶׁהִיא בַת עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וְהִיא אַיְלוֹנִית, לֹא חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת, יָבִיא רְאָיָה שֶׁהוּא בֶן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וְהוּא סָרִיס, לֹא חוֹלֵץ וְלֹא מְיַבֵּם, אֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, זֶה וָזֶה בְּנֵי שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, הַזָּכָר כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל, וְהַנְּקֵבָה כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי, שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה מְמַהֶרֶת לָבֹא לִפְנֵי הָאִישׁ:
ט׳

והיא אילונית – meaning to say, and it is necessary that they will see I her signs of being a sexually undeveloped woman. For if signs of being a sexually undeveloped woman are not seen in her even though she is twenty-years of age and has not brought forth yet two [pubic] hairs she is still a minor, until she will be thirty-five years and one day old. But if she did not bring forth two [pubic] hairs, then, even though the signs of being an undeveloped woman have not appeared in her, this [woman] is a sexually undeveloped woman. And we explained the signs of a sexually undeveloped woman [at the beginning] of the first chapter of [Tractate] Yevamot (Mishnah 1).

לא חולצת ולא מתיבמת – and she is permitted to marry to any in the market/street, for the All-Merciful freed her, as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:6): “The first son that she bears [shall be accounted to the dead brother, that his name not be blotted out in Israel],” excluding the sexually undeveloped woman, who does not give birth.

והוא סריס – meaning to say, that there appeared in him the sins of being a eunuch/impotent. For if there hadn’t appeared in him the signs of being a eunuch, he is still a minor, until he will be thirty-five years and one day old, for then, even if there didn’t appear in him signs of being impotent, it is known/assumed that he is impotent, since he did not bring forth two [pubic] hairs. But a eunuch does not perform Halitzah, as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:7): “to establish a name in Israel for his brother,” for this one is not the offspring of this one.

רבי אליעזר אומר הזכר כדברי בית הלל – age twenty, if there appeared in him the signs of a eunuch, behold this is a eunuch/someone impotent.

והנקבה – who is eighteen years old, if there appeared in her signs of a sexually impotent woman, according to the words of the School of Shammai. But the Halakha is not according to the Rabbi Eliezer.

והיא אילונית. כלומר וצריך שייראו בה נמי סימני אילונית. שאם לא נראו בה סימני אילונית, אע״פ שהיא בת עשרים ולא הביאה שתי שערות, עדיין קטנה היא, עד שתהיה בת שלשים וחמש שנה ויום אחד. ואם לא הביאה שתי שערות אז, אע״פ שלא נראו בה סימני אילונית, הרי זו אילונית. וסימני אילונית פירשנו [ריש] פרק קמא דיבמות:

לא חולצת ולא מתיבמת. ומותרת לינשא לשוק. דרחמנא פטרה, דכתיב (דברים כ״ה:ו׳) והיה הבכור אשר תלד, פרט לאילונית, שאינה יולדת:

והוא סריס. כלומר שנראו בו סימני סריס. דאי לא נראו בו סימני סריס, עדיין הוא קטן, עד שיהיה בן שלשים וחמש שנה ויום אחד, דאז אפילו לא נראו בו סימני סריס, בידוע שהוא סריס, כיון שלא הביא שתי שערות. וסריס לאו בר חליצה [ויבום] הוא, דכתיב [שם] להקים לאחיו שם בישראל, והאי לאו בר הכי הוא:

ר׳ אליעזר אומר הזכר כדברי בית הלל. בן עשרים, אם נראו בו סימני סריס, הרי זה סריס:

והנקבה. בת שמונה עשרה, אם נראו בה סימני אילונית, הרי זו אילונית כדברי בית שמאי. ואין הלכה כרבי אליעזר: