Niddah

'Ulla once visited Pumbeditha  and when some blood was brought to him for examination he refused to see it. If, he said, R. Eleazar who was the supreme authority in the Land of Israel  refused to see blood whenever he visited the place of R. Judah, should I see it?  And why was he described as the supreme authority in the Land of Israel? — Because a woman once brought some blood before R. Eleazar when R. Ammi sat in his presence. Having smelt it he  told her, 'This is blood of lust'.  After she went out R. Ammi joined her and she told him, 'My husband was away on a journey but I felt an intense longing for him'. Thereupon he  applied to him  the text, The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him. Ifra Hormiz,  the mother of King Shapur, once sent some blood to Raba when R. Obadiah was sitting in his presence. Having smelt it he said to him, 'This is blood of lust'.  'Come and see', she remarked to her  son, 'how wise the Jews are'. 'It is quite possible', he replied, 'that he  hit upon it like a blind man on a window'. Thereupon she sent to him  sixty different kinds of blood and he identified them all but the last one which was lice blood with which he was not acquainted. Luckily,  however, he sent her  a comb that exterminates lice. 'O, you Jews', she exclaimed, you seem to live in the inner chamber of one's heart'. Rab Judah stated: 'At first I used to examine blood, but since the mother of my son Isaac told me, "We do not bring the first drop to the Rabbis because it is dirty", I refuse to see it.  [An examination, however, for the purpose of distinguishing] between the blood of uncleanness and cleanness  I certainly do perform'. Yaltha  once brought some blood to Rabbah b. Bar Hana who informed her that it was unclean. She then took it to R. Isaac the son of Rab Judah who told her that it was clean. But how could he act in this manner, seeing that is was taught: If a Sage declared [aught] unclean another Sage  may not declare it clean; if he forbade anything his colleague may not permit it?  — At first he  informed her indeed that it was unclean,  but when she told him that on every other occasion he  declared such blood as clean, but that on the last occasion he had a pain in his eye, he gave her his ruling that it was clean. But are women believed in such circumstances? — Yes, and so it was also taught: A woman  is believed when she says, 'I saw a kind of blood like this one  but I have lost it.' The question was raised: What is the law [where a woman says], A kind of blood like this  has been declared clean by such and such a Sage?  — Come and hear: A woman  is believed when she says, 'I saw a kind of blood like this one  but I have lost it.'  But is not that case  different, since the blood is not available?  — Come and hear the case of Yaltha: She once brought some blood to Rabbah b. Bar Hana who informed her that it was unclean. She then took it  to R. Isaac the son of Rab Judah who told her that it was clean. But how could he act in this manner, seeing that it was taught: If a Sage declared [a person or an article] unclean no other Sage  may declare it clean etc. And we explained that at first he  informed her indeed that it was unclean, but when she told him that on every other occasion he  declared such blood as clean but that on that day he had a pain in his eye, he changed his view and gave her his ruling that it was clean.  Now this proves quite clearly, does it not, that a woman is believed? — R. Isaac b. Judah may have relied on his own traditions and experience. Rabbi once examined some blood at night and declared it unclean but when he examined it in the day time he declared it clean. Then he waited a while and again declared it unclean. 'Woe to me', he said, 'I may have made a mistake'.  'I may have made a mistake'! Has he not in fact made a mistake, seeing that it was taught: A Sage must not say,  'If it had been moist it would undoubtedly have been unclean'; he must rather say, 'The judge must be guided only by what his eyes see'? — At first  he presumed it to be definitely unclean, but when he observed in the morning that its colour had changed  he said  that it was undoubtedly clean but that at night it could not be seen properly. When, however, he observed that the colour had changed again  he said, 'It must be unclean blood but the colour is steadily fading away. Rabbi examined blood in the light of a lamp. R. Ishmael son of R. Joseph  examined it even on a cloudy day between the pillars.  R. Ammi b. Samuel ruled: All kinds of blood must be examined only between the sunlight and the shade. R. Nahman citing Rabbah b. Abbuha ruled: The examination may be performed in the sunlight under the shadow of one's hand. 'ONE LIKE DILUTED WINE'? TWO PARTS etc. A Tanna taught: