Niddah 61 – Women Sleeping in Bed

If three women were sleeping in one bed, and blood was found beneath one of them, all three are ritually impure. Since the blood could have come from any one of them, we have no reason to attribute it to one rather than to another. However, if one examined herself and found blood, then only she is impure, but the other ones are pure, since they both attribute it to this one. If one was pregnant and not normally menstruating, the other two are impure, but if all three were pregnant, then again, each one is ritually impure.

If three women were sleeping in a bed – but we just had such a case! – there, they were pressed against each other, but here there is some distance – and blood was found under the middle one (the bed is against the wall), then all three are ritually impure. However, if it was found under the one farthest from the wall, then two are impure, but the one next to the wall is pure.

There was a vast area in Beit Choron where the land was like rock, and people knew that someone was buried there, but could not locate the source of impurity. One Sage told them to bring sheets, spread them out, and places where a corpse was buried became wet. Incidentally, these were people killed by Gedaliah, which led to the Exile. But Gedaliah was righeous, he could not have killed them! True, but since he refused to listen to a warning of a plot, it is as if he killed them. But Gedaliah had a reason: one should not believe bad talk!? – Yes, but one is allowed to suspect that it is true, and needs to check it out.

Art: John Singer Sargent - Two Women Asleep In A Punt Under The Willows