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Perek 6

Mishnayos Niddah Perek 6 Mishnah 1

נדה פרק ו׳ משנה א׳

1
If the lower sign of puberty, two pubic hairs, appeared in a young woman before the upper sign, development of the breasts, appeared, then she is an adult, as the pubic hairs are an unequivocal sign. Therefore, if her childless husband died and she came before her husband’s brother [yavam] for levirate marriage, she either performs the ritual through which a yavam frees a yevama of her levirate bonds [ḥalitza] or enters into levirate marriage with her husband’s brother. If the upper sign indicating puberty appeared before the lower sign appeared, i.e., the two pubic hairs are not visible, although that order of development is apparently impossible, Rabbi Meir says: In fact, it is possible for the breasts to develop before the growth of two pubic hairs, and the concern is that the two hairs did not grow and fall out but rather they never grew in the first place, which would mean that she remains a minor. Therefore, if her childless husband dies, she neither performs ḥalitza nor does she enter into levirate marriage with her husband’s brother. And the Rabbis say: She has reached majority, and therefore if her childless husband dies she either performs ḥalitza or enters into levirate marriage with her husband’s brother. That is due to the fact that the Sages said: It is possible for the lower sign of puberty to appear before the upper sign appears; but it is impossible for the upper sign to appear before the lower sign appears.
בָּא סִימָן הַתַּחְתּוֹן עַד שֶׁלֹּא בָא הָעֶלְיוֹן, אוֹ חוֹלֶצֶת אוֹ מִתְיַּבֶּמֶת. בָּא הָעֶלְיוֹן עַד שֶׁלֹּא בָא הַתַּחְתּוֹן, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר, רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, לֹא חוֹלֶצֶת וְלֹא מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אוֹ חוֹלֶצֶת אוֹ מִתְיַבֶּמֶת. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמְרוּ, אֶפְשָׁר לַתַּחְתּוֹן לָבֹא עַד שֶׁלֹּא בָא הָעֶלְיוֹן, אֲבָל אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָעֶלְיוֹן לָבֹא עַד שֶׁלֹּא בָא הַתַּחְתּוֹן:
א׳

בא סימן התחתון - two [pubic] hairs which is the sign of being a young woman.

עד שלא בא העליון – the sign of breasts, and this is בוחל/the [intermediate] stage of female puberty between childhood and full womanhood.

או חולצת או מתיבמת – because she is an adult. That the [pubic] hairs are a prominent/distinguished sign, and we rely upon them.

אע"פ שאי אפשר – [even though it is impossible] for the Rabbis for the upper sign (i.e., breasts) to come without the lower one (i.e., the two pubic hairs), but from when the upper sign comes, even though they examined and did not find the lower one, we state the word that the lower sign definitely came but that it fell off, nevertheless, according to Rabbi Meir, she does not perform Halitzah nor does she engage in levirate marriage. For Rabbi Meir holds that it is possible that the upper sign comes without the lower one, but we rely upon the lower one, therefore she is still a minor and she doesn’t perform Halitzah nor does she engage in levirate marriage. But Rabbi Meir according to his rationale who stated that a male child and a female child do not perform Halitzah neither do they engage in levirate marriage. A male child, perhaps he will be found to be a eunuch, and a female child, perhaps she will be found to be a sexually impotent woman.

או חולצת או מתיבמת – and even if she is a minor, she engages in levirate marriage according to the Rabbis, for they do not concern themselves to the limitation/narrowing qualification that perhaps she will be found to be a sexually impotent woman, for most women are not sexually impotent. However, regarding Halitzah (i.e., the removal of the shoe of her dead husband’s brother who refuses to engage in levirate marriage and spitting in his face), we require that she is an adult, even according to the Rabbis, because it is written (Deuteronomy 25;7), “But if the man/איש does not want to marry his brother’s widow,” in the portion, and we make an analogy of [the situation of the] woman to that of the man. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

מפני שאמרו אפשר לתחתון לבוא וכו' – even though it (i.e., the Mishnah) teaches it in the first clause, it returns and teaches it another time, because it needs to give support to [Mishnah 2 where it states], “similarly, etc.” which is akin to it.

בא סימן התחתון. שתי שערות שהוא סימן נערות:

עד שלא בא העליון. סימן של דדין, והוא בוחל:

או חולצת או מתיבמת. משום דגדולה היא. שהשערות סימן מובהק, ועלייהו סמכינן:

אע״פ שאי אפשר לרבנן לבוא סימן העליון בלא התחתון. ומכי אתא סימן העליון, אע״ג דבדקו ולא אשכחו תחתון, מימר אמרינן סימן התחתון ודאי אתא אלא שנשר, מכל מקום לר׳ מאיר לא חולצת ולא מתיבמת. דר׳ מאיר סבירא ליה אפשר לבוא סימן עליון בלא תחתון, ואנן אתחתון סמכינן, הלכך עדיין קטנה היא ולא חולצת ולא מתיבמת. ור״מ לטעמיה דאמר קטן וקטנה לא חולצין ולא מתיבמין. קטן, שמא ימצא סריס. וקטנה, שמא תמצא אילונית:

או חולצת או מתיבמת. ואפילו היא קטנה מתיבמת לרבנן, דלא חיישי למיעוטא שמא תמצא אילונית, דרוב נשים אינן אילוניות. מיהו לחליצה בעינן שתהא גדולה אפילו לרבנן, דאיש כתיב בפרשה [דברים כ״ה], ומקשינן אשה לאיש. והלכה כחכמים:

מפני שאמרו אפשר לתחתון לבוא וכו׳ אע״ג דתנא ליה ברישא הדר תניא זימנא אחריתי, משום דבעי למסמך ליה כיוצא בו וכו׳ דדמי ליה: