Traité Niddah

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Although your breasts began to develop, you still did not reform your ways, and you continued to act licentiously. And furthermore, even when your breasts grew fully, you also did not reform your ways.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : § The Gemara asks: In any event, everyone, both Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis, agrees that we rely on the lower sign. From where do we derive that we rely exclusively on the lower sign and do not require the appearance of the upper sign as well? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said, and likewise a Sage of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The verse states: “A man or woman, when they commit any of the sins of men” (Numbers 5:6). The Torah thereby rendered a woman equal to a man with regard to all punishments of the Torah. Just as a man is considered to have reached majority based on one sign, i.e., the lower sign of two pubic hairs, so too, a woman reaches majority based on one sign, the lower sign.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The Gemara raises a difficulty: But one can say that although a woman’s status, like that of a man, depends on one sign, in the case of a woman she reaches majority either through this, the lower sign, or that, the upper sign. From where is it derived that it must be specifically the lower sign? The Gemara answers: This is based on the same comparison of men and women. Her halakha is like that of a man: Just as a man reaches majority based on the lower sign and not the upper sign, as this is not applicable to him, so too, a woman reaches majority based on the lower sign and not the upper sign.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The Gemara notes that this halakha, that the lower sign is sufficient by itself for a woman, is also taught in a baraita. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Tzadok, said: This is how the Sages would explain it in the study hall of Yavne. They said: Once the lower sign has appeared, we no longer concern ourselves with the appearance of the upper sign in order to establish a woman’s status, as she is considered to have reached her majority by virtue of the lower sign.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : § It is taught in a baraita, with regard to the appearance of signs indicating puberty in young women, that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: In the case of young women who reside in cities, the lower sign appears more quickly than the upper sign, because they frequent the bathhouses, which stimulates the growth of the hair. By contrast, in the case of young women who reside in villages, the upper sign appears more quickly than the lower sign, because they grind with mills, which develops their breasts.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: There are differences in the rate of development of the breasts. In the case of the daughters of the wealthy, the growth of the breast on the right side arrives more quickly than that of the left side, as it rubs against their upper body cloaks, which are worn by the wealthy. By contrast, in the case of the daughters of the poor, the growth of the breast on the left side arrives more quickly than that of the right side, because they draw jugs of water on that side. And if you wish, say instead that the left breast develops more quickly because they carry their younger brothers on their left sides.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The Sages taught in a baraita: The growth of the breast on the left side arrives before that of the right side. Rabbi Ḥanina, son of the brother of Rabbi Yehoshua, says: It never occurred that the growth of the breast on the left side arrived before that of the right side, except for the case of one young woman who was in my neighborhood, as the growth of the breast on her left side arrived before that of the right side, and later the right breast returned to its normal condition and developed normally.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : § The Sages taught in a baraita: All girls who are examined to determine whether or not their signs indicating puberty have appeared are examined based on the testimony of women. And likewise, Rabbi Eliezer would follow this halakha in practice and give the girls to his wife to examine, and Rabbi Yishmael would similarly give the girls to his mother to examine.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The baraita continues: Rabbi Yehuda says: Before the minimum age at which pubic hair is considered a sign, i.e., eleven years and one day, when any hair that is found is considered to be merely a mole and not a sign, and similarly after the age of majority, twelve years and one day, when a female is presumed to have grown pubic hair like most girls her age, women may examine them and their testimony is accepted. But during the time between eleven years and one day and twelve years and one day, women may not examine them. The reason is that one does not resolve cases of uncertainty based on the testimony of women. Rabbi Shimon says: Even during the time between eleven years and one day and twelve years and one day, women may examine them. And a woman is deemed credible, and her testimony is accepted, to be stringent but not to be lenient.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The baraita continues: How so, i.e., how is a woman’s testimony accepted with regard to the girl she has examined as a stringency but not a leniency? If the woman said that the girl is a female who reached majority, her claim is accepted to the extent that she does not perform refusal. The refusal of a husband, which applies in the case of a girl whose father had died and who was married off by her mother or brother, can be performed by the girl only until she reaches majority. If the woman said that this girl is a minor, her testimony is accepted to the extent that she does not perform ḥalitza.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The baraita concludes: But the woman who examined the girl is not deemed credible to say that she is a minor girl to the extent that she performs refusal. And likewise, the woman is not deemed credible to say that she is a female who reached majority to the extent that she performs ḥalitza.

Traduction française en préparation — version anglaise (Steinsaltz) : The Gemara analyzes the baraita. The Master said that Rabbi Yehuda says: Before the minimum age at which pubic hair is considered a sign, and similarly after the age of majority, women may examine them. The Gemara raises a difficulty: Granted, one can understand that before the minimum age there is a requirement for examination, so that if they find hair after the minimum age which they already saw before the minimum age, these hairs are evidently a mere mole, not a sign of maturity.