Sacred Texts Judaism Index Previous Next
Buy this Book at Amazon.com
The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
1. The stalls cause uncleanness in two weeks and with two marks. With thin yellow hair, and with spreading. "With thin yellow hair diminishing in shortness." The
words of Rabbi Akiba. R. Johanan, the son of Nuri, said, "hair even when long." Said R. Johanan, the son of Nuri, "what means the language, this staff is thin, this rod is thin, thin diminishing in shortness, or thin diminishing in length?" R. Akiba said to him, "before that you give a proof from the rod, let us have a proof from the hair; the hair of so and so is thin, thin diminishing in shortness, not thin diminishing when the hairs are long."
2. "Thin yellow hair causes uncleanness in adhesion or in dispersion, in inclosure or when not inclosed, when it is unusual or when it is usual." 1 The words of R. Judah. R. Simon said, "it causes no uncleanness, save when it is unusual." R. Simon said, "and this is the decision." "What if the hair be white?" "White hair does not apply, because no other hair delivers from its influence, and it causes no uncleanness, except it be unusual." "Why is it thin yellow hair?" "Because other hair delivers from its influence." Is it not the teaching that no uncleanness is produced except it be unusual? R. Judah, said "every place which needs to be unusual," the law says, "unusual." But of the scall it is said, there is not in it "yellow hair." 2 It causes uncleanness whether it be unusual or usual.
3. Sprouting dark hair delivers from the effect of yellow hair, and from the effects of spreading both in adhesion and in dispersion, in inclosure or when it is not inclosed. "But if former hair can deliver from the effects of yellow hair, and from the effects of spreading, in adhesion or in dispersion, or in inclosure, and it cannot deliver if it be grown from one side only, until it be distant from the usual standing hair, a space of two hairs?" "If one of the hairs be yellow and one black, one yellow and one white, they do not deliver the sufferer from the scall."
4. Yellow hair which preceded the scall is clean. R. Judah pronounces it "unclean." R. Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said, "it causes no uncleanness and it does not deliver the sufferer from the scall." R. Simon said, "everything
which is not a mark of uncleanness in the scall, is in the scall a mark of cleanness."
5. "How is the scall shaven?" "They shave outside of it and leave two hairs near to it, that it may be known if it spread." "Was the man declared unclean with yellow hair, has the yellow hair gone away and again returned, and so likewise with the spreading in the beginning, or in the end of the first week, or in the end of the second week, after being pronounced free?" "He is as he was before." "Was he declared unclean with the spreading, has the spreading gone, and spreading again returned, and so likewise with yellow hair in the end of the first week, or in the end of the second week, after being pronounced free?" "He is as he was before."
6. "Suppose two scalls beside each other and a line of hair divides a space between them?" "If the hair fall from one place he is unclean. If from both places he is clean." "How much must be the falling of the hair?" "The space of two hairs." "Has it fallen from one place?" "It must be the measure of three lentils square, he is unclean."
7. "Suppose two scalls one within the other, and a line of hair dividing a space between them?" "If the hair have fallen from one place, he is unclean, if it have fallen from both places, he is clean." "How much must be the falling?" "The space of two hairs." "Has it fallen in one place the measure of three lentils square?" "He is clean."
8. Whosoever has a scall and within it there is yellow hair, he is unclean. "Is black hair produced in it?" "He is clean even though the black hair went away again." Rabbi Simon, the son of Judah, said on the authority of Rabbi Simon, "every scall which is once pronounced clean, there is no uncleanness in it for ever after." Rabbi Simon said, "every yellow hair which is once pronounced clean, has no uncleanness for ever after."
9. "Whosoever had a scall the measure of three lentils square, and the scall covered his whole head?" "He is clean." "The head and the beard do not legally hinder each other." The words of R. Judah. R. Simon said, "they do
legally hinder each other." Rabbi Simon said, "and the teaching is, that if the skin of his face and the skin of his flesh have another thing, which divides between them, they do hinder each other." The head and beard, there is nothing that divides between them. "Is not this the teaching that they do hinder each other?" "The head and beard do not adhere each to the other, and they do not legally spread in leprosy each to the other." "What is the beard?" "The hair from the division of the cheek-bone to the covering of the windpipe."
10. The bald head and bald forehead cause uncleanness in two weeks and with two marks, with quickflesh and with spreading. "What is a bald head?" "If one have eaten crocodile fat, 1 or anointed with this fat a sore unsuitable for the growth of hair." "What is a bald head?" "It extends from the pate, sloping downwards behind to the covering of the neck." "What is a bald forehead?" "It extends from the pate, sloping downwards in front till it comes opposite the hair from above." The bald head and bald forehead do not legally adhere 2 each to the other, and they do not legally spread to each other. R. Judah said, "if there be hair between them they do not adhere to each other, but if not, they adhere."
285:1 i.e. whether the scall preceded the yellow hair, or vice versa.
285:2 Lev. xiii. 30.
287:1 Some commentators explain this to mean salamander oil; and others again interpret it as sloe juice.
287:2 The bald head and bald forehead are not legally counted as one in a decision respecting a case of scall.