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Nidah 65

1. AGING AND DECREASED INCOME
   • Question: The Gemara discusses how many days a Bogeres is permitted after her first Be'ilah. After describing how a certain Amora erred in Rav's ruling that a Bogeres is given the entire night (the Amora thought that Rav's ruling applied to even a Bogeres who has seen blood earlier), the Gemara brings a statement from Rav Chinena Bar Shelamya in the name of Rav who said, "When a person's teeth fall out (i.e. he gets old), his sustenance decreases, as it says...."

     What does this statement have to do with the subject at hand?

     1. The simple answer is that this statement was said by the same Amora from whom a previous statement in the Gemara is cited, Rav Chinena Bar Shelamya in the name of Rav.

     2. There is a thematic relationship between this statement and the Sugya in the previous Gemara. The Halachos in the Mishnah demonstrate that as a woman gets older, she has less Dam Besulim. Similarly, as a person gets older, his sustenance decreases. (See also the Mei Nidah, who gives a lengthy and deep exposition on the connection between this statement and the Mishnah.)

65b

2. HALACHAH: BLOOD FROM "BESULIM" Although in the Mishnah (64b) Beis Shamai and Beis Hillel give different guidelines concerning having relations with a Besulah (see Chart #12), Rav and Shmuel rule like Raboseinu, who enacted that one who has relations with a Besulah must separate from her after completing the act of the first Be'ilah ("Be'ilas Mitzvah"), no matter what her level of physical maturity and no matter whether she actually bled or did not bleed during the Be'ilah.

   The ROSH (10:1) gives two reasons for this enactment. (1) Men are not always able to distinguish between women of different ages and levels of physical maturity. A man might think that his wife has not yet reached the age of menstruation and conduct himself accordingly (see Chart #12), when in fact she has reached that age. Therefore, the sages established one standard for all types of women. (2) A man getting married for the first time is often overpowered by his desires. If he knows that some women are permitted even after they have seen blood from having relations for the first time, he may give in to his temptation to be with his wife again.

   HALACHAH: The Halachah, in practice, is that we require the man to separate from his wife after the first Be'ilah, regardless of her age and whether or not she saw blood (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 193:1). There are only three respects in which we are lenient.

   1. If there was no complete penetration, but only "Ha'arah," and the woman did not bleed, he may continue to be with her (Rema, ad loc.).

   2. The Rosh (10:1) writes that he does not have to wait until he is placid to separate from her, but he may separate immediately if he wants. (The Ra'avad disagrees on this point. He equates the Besulah with a normal Nidah and therefore requires that the man wait until he is placid.)

   3. The Rosh (10:2) cites the Ra'avad who says that a man may sleep on the bed of his wife after the Be'ilas Mitzvah for the rest of the night even though she saw blood. (Normally, a man may not sleep on the bed of his wife who is a Nidah).